MAORIS AND CHINESE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 246, 17 October 1929, Page 11

MAORIS AND CHINESE.

REPORTS "EXAGGERATED."

MISSIONER'S OPINION,

CHINESE WIVES NEEDED.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CAMBRIDGE, this day. "Many reports circulated regarding the mixing of Maori women with Asiatics, particularly Chinese, are grossly exaggerated," declared the Rev. A. J. Seamer, superintendent of Methodist Maori Missions, in an interview. The evil, such as it was, arose from economic causes, Mr. Seamer said. Times had been hard, and Maori women were glad to take employment, while the market gardeners were glad to secure their services, as Maori women usually were more efficient than Maori men. As one social worker engaged amongst these women, he would say it was an absolute libel to say Maori women were more immoral than their sisters working in the cities, or that they were subjected to greater temptations. However, housing conditions were bad, though not worse than those endured by Maoris working periodically for potato growers and others. Re the wider question of Asiatics in the Dominion, Mr. Seamer said the mis-1 sion objected strongly to male Asiatics being domiciled here unless they brought wives of their own race with them.