ON EQUAL TERMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 48, 25 February 1913, Page 9

ON EQUAL TERMS.

MAORI'S APPLICATION FOR EUROPEAN STATES. (By Telegraph- —Own Correnponaent.) WELLINGTON, this day. I Under the amendment of tt-e Native i Land Act last session, a natrv<- who satI isfies the authorities that he has a certain desrree of education and fulfils other requirements, may be given the legal status of a European. Last week the | I first application of this kind came before : I thr Native Land Court in Wellington. I when Rangi Kerehoma, a wealthy young Hawke's Bay native, applied for a recom- j mendation to t-be Governor to declare | him a European. He is 25 years of age,| I has a competent knowledge of; I the English language. and has ; been a student of tlip Wan- | jranui College and of St. Patrick's; College, Wellington. Hi> is worth some j j £00.000 or £70.000. nf which the Public' Trustee holds £25.000 under a deed of | I trust, the beneficiary being , entitled to I the income during life. On criming of agp the applicant obtained .€II.OOO, and in reply to questions stated that ho. spent, £3,000 of this in beautifyinp his place -. in Hawkc's Bay. and £6,000 in acquiring a farm near Masterton. In accordance with the Act, Native | I I*ind Court Judge Gilfedder will report ; Jto the Native Minister, for it is only by I Order-in-Council that the Europeanising I process can 'be completed. -Judge Gilfedder remarked that in the past it had been pointed out that the Maori was not always the equal of the European in I transacting business, and safeguards had j IXα be devised to prevent the native from becoming the dupe of t-he pakeha. The! ■ day had not vet arrived when all d\~°- ! aliilities could bo removed .in<i protec- \ tion taken away, and those who had ex- I perience in the administration of the Native laws must have been astounded at. the readiness of natives to sign their names to transfers, leases and other im- ! portant documents. It behoved the Court to ; make full inquiries and to strictly scrutin- , ise each case, and only recommend the j withdrawal of protective safeguards in ! the case of wealthy and intelligent young I natives when they could show that they possessed sufficient business acumen and intelligence to enable them to hold their I i own.