IN HOVELS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 26, 1 February 1937, Page 3

IN HOVELS.

HAPLESS NATIVES.

POVERTY AND SUFFERING.

MINISTER PROMISES REFORM

(By Telegraph. — Special Reporter.) KAITATA. this day. '•Xo Ooveinment could permit such conditions to continue."' This was the summiiiT lip of the acting Minister of Native Affairs, the Hon. F. Lαn<^tone. when lie had seen for himself on Saturday the conditions under which 400 Maoris were existing at Te Hapua. the most northern settlement of .New Zealand, on the tfhores of the Parengarenpi Harbour, ;j!K) miles north of Auckland. Sly-grogging. Investigations on the spot confirm the reports tbjat the natives in this particular area are living under deplorable condition*, but they have themselves largely to blame. Leadership is lacking, and the money that the natives receive from the employment promotion fund, from pensions and from the sale of glim, etc.. iis to a large extent squandered. Unscrupulous people who are not Maoris and. were not born under the British flag are demoralising the native population by sly-grog selling, and drunken orgies are frequent occurrences. The manufacture of home brew is also a thriving industry and whenever there is a death, a wedding, a meeting or a dance a debauch is the final stage. The Maori is not naturally lazy. ITe is careless and does not think of to-morrow, and if the flovernment rrave oach adult member of the tribe £3 a week and <lid not control the expenditure, the position would be no different from what it is to-day. Shacks Unfit for Habitation. The unsanitary shacks of the natfves are on a par with tho«e seen on many of the northern gum fiehU. They are unfit for human habitation and .should be demolished. Until recently one small shack housed 20 natives, many of them children, hut owing to the action of a child welfare officer eight of the children, who were orphans, were removed. One shack visited measured 12ft by 10ft. |and a mother, father and ten children I are domiciled there. Another shack, a little larger, houses l.">, including a grandmother and grandfather, and the instances are not exceptions, hut are the general rule. The so-called dwellings are almost entirely devoid of furniture, beds and bedding and the ordinary appurtenances of the kitchen. Some families have no blankets. Winter's Biting Cold. If the weather is cold—and the settlement is a wind-ewept swamp area bitterly cold in the winter—the windows are closed, and everybody is herded together for warmth, the majority sleeping on the floor. Ventilation is absent and disease germs iind :i favourable breeding ground. When influenza was recently prevalent in the settlement a native school teacher, Mr. O. O. Morgan, visited one shaek to administer a gargle and discovered that there was not a cup or glass on the premises. The only kitchen utensil was a spoon, muscle shells beitii; the usual substitute. When gum prices rose towards the end of last year many of the natives went afield with their spears and spades. The mother and father of ten children were included in the exodus. They took with them all the children under school age, leaving five at their shaek to look after themselves, the eldest being ten yeare old. Many of the children —and there are 108 attending school —have a long way to trudge and last year a free dinner system was inaugurated. The schoolmaster said lie noticed a remarkable change within a month, especially amongst the boys, who became much more vigorous and com- ! meneed to fight one another. When a member of the tribe died last week the body was placed in the meeting house. A tailgi lasting two days j was held and much illicitly sold liquor was consumed. There is no local police officer, the constable for the district being stationed 40 miles away. The native nurse is also 40 miles distant. All the Maoris who spoke at the ceremony of welcome to the Minister indicated that they were prepared to carry out any proposals made by the Government. Minister's Reply. The Minister said he had heard alarming reports, and that was the reason for his visit. He had seen the habitations of the natives, and no intelligent Government would allow such conditions to remain for one moment more than was necessary. Food and proper housing conditions, were urgently needed, and must be made available, but nothing could be done without the full cooperation of the natives. Road access, medical supervision and nursing services were required. He hoped that radical changes would be effected in a few years. The position as far as the land was concerned did not look hopeful. It was of no use for the Government to spend money on the land if the land were useless. Other land must be found. Housing improvement was also necessary. He advised the leaders to consult together to see what could be done and to consider how the Government could help.