THE MAORIS AND THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1902, Page 5

THE MAORIS AND THE WAR.

THE PREMIER'S PAPAWAI SPEECH

The following report from the Wellington "Post" gives the speech made at the Papawai (Wairarapa) Maori meeting last week, to which exception has been taken in some quarters: — Mr W. Pere first broached the subject of the Maoris and the Boer war by asking the Premier when- at Home to see the King- and request him to let his Maori children have a run over to Africa. "Tell him," said \Vi Pere, "that if his Maori children are permitted to roam over Africa this trouble (the war) will not last very'Jong. I am afraid too much •humane consideration is shown towards the Boers. They don't have tha same consideration for us. It Is ne* « good axhD- according to our

old ancestors, to save up-those who will afterwards-eat-vou."' - .

The Premier followed in the same strain, remarking that if General Kitchener had 5000 well trained Maoris in South Africa to-morrow and gave ;them their own way, untrammelled by those orders which, in his opinion, were a drawback to the forces operating* in South Africa, and put them under Maori leaders, and tell them what they were wanted* to dov was to put down the' Boers, he thought the Boers . would soon go down. (Loud laughter.) With the Maoris, continued Mr Seddori, war was war, and fight was fig-ht. They were never afraid of hurting their enemies. There was too much: of the kid glove in South Africa, and they seemed to him to be afraid of hurting their enemies. The Maoris never allowed their enemy to trouble them again. He thought.there was too much leniency altogether. The refusal to allow the. Maoris to fight In South Africa had caused heart burnings among the natives, but when that refusal was made the Imperial authorities had forgotten the Treaty of Waitangi. He should move in this matter when in England, and ask, as their father, that his children should not again be treated in that way.

At a meeting of the Wellington Ministers' Association this week the following resolutions were' passed:— (1) Tliat the Ministers' Association express deep regret that the Premier, if correctly reported, used language at the Maori gathering at Papawai calculated to fan the warlike passions of the Maori race and to foster in them ideas and feelings that are utterly at variance with the spirit that now governs all civilised nations. They also earnestly hope that General Babington was not correctly reported as saying that he hoped to have the honour of leading the Maoris into battle in active service.