"UNDER THE BELT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 237, 6 October 1936, Page 14

"UNDER THE BELT."

OBJECTION TO CIRCULAR. WITHDRAWAL DEMANDED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) . . - . ROTORUA,. Monday. A sensation was caused at a session of the newly-formed Maori and pakeha federation at Ohinemutu when one of the delegates, Mr. G. Elliott, of Te Kuiti, produced a circular which he said, had been handed to several of the* delegates outside the conference halU ' The circular made certain regarding the conduct of the Arawa Trust Board and claimed that! the federation was being formed by certain members of the board for political purposes. The circular was signed by an officer of the Arawa Central Committee of the New Zealand Labour party. "The circular," said Mr. Elliott, "is a lie and has no business to be in circulation." Mr. Elliott said that the allegations in the circular were false and that the claim that the federation had been formed with political objects was entirely untrue. Delegates had assembled at Rotorua from all parts of New Zealand with only one object—the. uplift of the Maori people—and they had no political objectives whatever. Mr. K. Ehau (Rotorua) expressed regret that political differences of opinion among the Rotorua Maoris had been used to cast doubt upon the purpose of the federation. He had no doubt that the object of the circular was to discredit the present leader of the Maori race, Sir Apirana Ngata, and the present chairman of the Arawa Trust Board, Mr. Tai Mitchell. He described the circular as "vile and an under-the-belt hit." Mr. M. R. Jones (Hawera) said that there was no foundation for the suggestion that the idea of forming the federation had emanated from Rotorua. On the contrary it had come from Mr. D. Tatere, of Dannevirke. On the motion of Mr. Elliott ,the conference unanimously expressed its strongest disapproval of the circular and demanded its withdrawal by those j responsible. - - .