FOOTBALL CELEBRITY BECOMES SCIENTIFIC FRUITGROWER

Te Ao Hou, June 1959, Page 31

FOOTBALL CELEBRITY BECOMES SCIENTIFIC FRUITGROWER Tomato growing, as it is done by Mr George Harrison, of Mangere, is a matter of science as much as green fingers. It is done entirely in greenhouses, of which Mr Harrison has 22,000 square feet (50,000 plants). George Harrison, who comes from Opunake, was a notable sportsman especially in swimming and football. He was a Maori All Black and for several years earned a living as a professional footballer in Britain (London, Wigan and Bradford). In 1929, he was N.Z. champion, beltman in lifesaving. He started his gardening business after the war, which partially disabled him. He spent two very uncomfortable years before any success in his growing venture become evident. But then progress become rapid: he was president of the Auckland Commercial Growers' Association some years ago, and was on the executive for several years; he has now reached a stage where he can think about retiring. Mr Harrison keeps up with the scientific literature; he thinks that without enough education to read this literature, one can not be a successful grower today. Hothouse growing has its own special advantages (an economic unit needs only half an acre of land) but there are also special problems: to kill harmful bacteria, Mr Harrison sterilizes the soil with teargas (see above) every season; unfamiliar diseases keep on appearing and have to be promptly suppressed. Are there opportunities for other Maoris in tomato growing? Yes, the opportunities are waiting, but George Harrison has not found any Maori who is seriously interested in learning this highly skilled work. He is married, with five children including two girls at high school who love horse-riding. When Mr Harrison retires—and that will not be long delayed—he wants to devote much of his time to Maori causes.

Of those two hundred and more unemployed persons who came to our office last year practically all had absolutely no qualification whatever except their health and strength. Their value in an overcrowded labour market was nil, and they were placed in jobs only after our officers had made the most strenuous efforts on their behalf. Frequently these people, many of them boys or young men, made it doubly hard for themselves by their mode of dress. An employer is not impressed with bodgie hair cuts and bodgie clothes. He does not think that rainbow socks and black and white shoes go with a pair of willing feet, nor does he consider a good honest worker will wear trashy jewellery or lounge hump-backed with hands in pockets. No. When two men apply for the same job the employer chooses the one he likes the better. And when fifty men apply, the majority of them Europeans, what choice is there for a flashy-type individual? My advice, then, is this: dress to impress the employer and make him think he is going to get value for his money—it will make all the difference to the chance of employment. Many applicants who come to the Maori Welfare Office are youths up to see the sights. They want a causal job before wandering elsewhere. Often they come to us homeless and penniless after having wasted their time and money in the billiards saloon. We do not welcome these people. We do not like to use the name of the department on their behalf. Their anti-social behaviour is harmful to the Maori character and to the goodwill of the European employers whom they will surely antagonise. Mrs Ivan Harris is one of the increasing number of Maori women in business. Her friendly hamburger bar in Parnell is a refuge for many who live in rooms in that suburb. Mrs Harris, who comes from Hokianga, is active in the Maori women's welfare league; her husband who used to be manager at the community centre, works on the wharf. In Auckland, the Welfare Division of the Maori Affairs Department recently conducted a survey of employers regarding their attitude towards the employment of Maori labour. With almost no exceptions, the employers declared that providing Maoris had the necessary qualifications they would treat them exactly the same as Europeans, and that there would be no discrimination against them. We sometimes hear the ugly words “colour bar.” A far better description, I am sure, is to call it a behaviour bar. Of course there is a bar in society against people who do not behave themselves, and it applies to each and all of us. If by their behaviour Maoris make themselves unacceptable then the bar against them will exist, whether it be in the hotel, in the community, or on the job. The unfortunate thing is that because of the behaviour of a few backward and irresponsible types prejudice creeps in against all Maoris, good or bad, and this is something we can overcome only by our own actions. The situation is not improved when a Maori worker is called a “four-day-a-week man.” Employers do not like this casual approach, and surely enough when other labour becomes available the “four-day-a-week man” will be the first to go. Neither do employers like workmen who are unreliable through inefficiency or laziness, and it is true to say that when a Maori offends his employer he has created a behaviour bar which will react against himself and against all other Maoris in the future. The good will of the pakeha is essential to our progress. We must not abuse it. For the many people who come to Auckland there are two main problems. One is getting a

Dr Karaitiana, M.B., Ch.B., is one of the latest additions to the medical profession in Auckland. Miss Karaitiana is anaesthetic registrar at Middlemore Hospital; before she came to Auckland she was a house surgeon in the hospital in Hamilton. She was born in Havelock North. job; the other is where to live. Never a week, and indeed, seldom a day, passes without enquiries being made at our Auckland office regarding these matters. Unfortunately, when it comes to the question of accommodation there is so little we can do. Single boys and girls usually go to relatives, or are boarded in the various hostels, although our hostels are busy places and are often full to capacity. But it is the height of folly for a family to arrive in Auckland without previously securing accommodation. Beyond accepting a housing application for future consideration it is a problem we are unable to solve, for, quite simply, accommodation is not to be found. Auckland is not a cheap place to live in. Fares, food, accommodation, amusements, are all dear, and unless job seekers arrive with sufficient funds to tide them over a waiting period they are likely to land in trouble. Now to sum up what has been said I finish on a note of courage and optimism. Our people are taking their rightful place in New Zealand society, and by their behaviour they are commanding the acceptance and respect of the European members of the community. The road to the future lies clearly ahead; it is: “Children's Education,” “Better Housing,” and “Pride of Race.” Those who tread that road have nothing to fear.