IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 245, 16 October 1935, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

MAORI LAND SETTLEMENT. $ . NEED FOR FURTHER AREAS. (To the Editor.*/ One of the pressing Maori problems of to-dav, and one as gravely affecting the pattella, is the' settlement of the Maori 011 the land in a modern and efficiency sense. That lie cannot do without pakeha aid, financial and otherwise, is obvious. The urgency of the problem makes it one demanding attention to-day and not in the to-morrow of political time. There are geveral factors operating to "ive urgency to this important aspect of New Zealand's affairs —some of which I will outline. The former decrease of the Maori population was looked upon with mixed feelings and as certainly an ultimate solution of "Maori affaire." But that decrease has for some years past been definitely stayed and there is now a definite increase in the Maori population, which to-day is "increasing and multiplying" in hie own land. In hand with that comes the Maori's increasing aspiration (and indeed necessity) for land for his occupation, and aid to do so. Also in hand with the problem is the serious difficulty of providing the necessary land —for the area immediately available is not indeed large and is insufficient to provide for the immediate Maori demand. Hence the necessity for now prohibiting the further alienation of native lands. Indeed, there is needed a gradual restoration for Maori occupation of those extensive areas of native land held by Europeans under various forms of leasehold. For it is the land itself—not the rentals —that are the actual Maori needs today. For the Maori landless it is now necessary for the Crown to provide and thus rectify its errors in the past, when we, despite warnings then given, created the position that now must be faced. Of late we have heard the suggestion bruited of a renewal of systematic immigration. But many thousands of New Zealanders of both races are not yet provided for in their desire to settle 011 the land. It is therefore bad policy to entertain filling our waste spaces until we provide for our native, born. And in regard to such of the Maori race we have a deep obligation-—certainly their claims are of paramount consideration. There has recently been formed a Maori Rotary body ' —that is another practical evidence of the gradual emergence of a Maori national pride of race. That movement can be of valuable aid to the pakeha in the solution of this land settlement and many other Maori economic problems in co-operation with all bavin? the best interests of the Maori at heart —and incidentally all New Zealanders. These problems can, if efficiently handled, be solved in these days. GEO. GRAHAM. OUR PENAL SYSTEM. Our 1935 police and prisons, etc., reports provide in some respects such agreeable reading that, as a citizen, I am moved to thank your paper for its share in helping to wing about the facts recorded. Our committals to Borstal have gone down from 242 in 1932 to 120 in 1934; our prison "receptions" have declined by 29 per cent since 1931; and our crime ratio, though it shows a much smaller improvement, still does show a decided improvement, so that evidently we need not fear that fewer "committals" will increase crime. Now what has effected so striking a success? One must always be careful, in such matters, to avoid confusing sequence with consequence. But may I recall a few facts, duly reported in your columns at the time? In 1931 the Howard League, through the mouth of Mr. F. A. de la Mare, attacked the pretence of "teaching trades" at our Borstals. The Minister of Justice liotly rebuked him, the Press presented both facts and allowed subsequent correspondence. Then, again, the Howard League published the English Borstal figures and the English prison figures, as contrasted with our own; again the Department disputed, again our Press helped the publicity. And as a result our courts have been put into possession of facts and information which have evidently convinced them that we do not, in this country, need to imprison or to Borsfalise so freely. There is yet much to be done to' v free us from so much crime-teaching in our pr'-ons, and so much pretence about our "Bor- .. s'.vils." We still imprison over 25 per cent more freely than England; we still have a daily prison population three times larger than it need or should be; we still send too many first offenders to those modified prisons for boys that we mis-call "Borstals." And wo still use probation far too little, imprisoning over five times as often as we admit to probation; Massachusetts "probates" five ,times as often as she imprisons—and possesses "about the lowest crime rate in the States." Hut we are moving. We are improving. And our papers have done the country signal service by their help in spreading the facts. B. E; BAUGHAN. COSTS AND VALUES. Mr. J. Guiniren now tells me that slum « clearance "does not pay," because it means increased rents. This is not correct. Actually the average rents of workers' dwellings have fallen from 12/ to S/6 per week since the new L.C.C. housing scheme started. But I am amazed that a professed "Liberal" should look at these things solely from a money point of view. Surely good housing "pays" if it means better health and a happier community. In Bermondsey, for example—previously one of the worst slum areas in London —infant mortality has fallen from 10.2 per cent (1922) to 5.9 per cent since the slum areas were cleared, while deaths from T.B. have decreased from 10 per cent to 8.1 per cent. But in North Kensington and Marylcbone, where the slum areas still exist, infant mortality is still over 10 per cent. Mr. Guiniven says that Labour's policy was condemned by the electors of Britain in 1931. He forgets that last year Labour swept the country at the municipal elections all over Britain and apparently he has not noticed (lint the National Government's majorities have been inciting like the snows at Parliamentary by-elections. Why? Because the electors realise that all the scare propaganda in 1931 about default, "the fall of the pound" and "the confiscation of S.B. deposits" was humbug. Did not the National Government abandon the gold standard and depreciate the £ a few months after taking office? Soon after they—*»iot the Labour Government —defaulted 011 all war debt repayments to the U.S.A. Why is it that these achievements by the National Government were hailed as a triumph of statesmanship and financial strategy while the mere possibility of a Labour Government doing the same thing a short time previously was represented to the electors as a national tragedy too terrible to contemplate? R. C. SIMMONS. THE CHURCH AND POLITICS. If the slump had been caused through a drought, a plague or a disease in our cattle and sheep then the problem would be a simple y,one. But on the contrary, we have had good seasons and the only major disaster during the depression was the Napier and Hastings earthquake. No one will attribute the depression to this. If there is to be any concern about the Church in politics it should be about their apathy 011 the question of poverty i" the midst of plenty. What, is the use of building great churches and expensive tabernaclrfi while in their very shadows will fester poverty and want of the bare necessaries of life? Ihe average worker has little faith in the Church and not much in the politician, either. Ihe fact is that the puzzle of poverty in the midst of plenty has got our politicians well beaten, and taking a few shillings from tL'J poor to »ivc to the poor is getting 11s nowi> 0. E. STKVKXSO.V.