BOROUGH STREETS SCENES OF DISORDERLY CONDUCT BY INTOXICATED MAORIS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XVII, Issue 7155, 23 April 1919, Page 3

BOROUGH STREETS SCENES OF DISORDERLY CONDUCT BY INTOXICATED MAORIS

Drast/c Steps Needed to Prevent Recurrence.

Anyone- who had occasion logo to the Su-aiul almost any day last voeek must have been struck by the nnnsnal number of intoxicated Maoris !o_ ] >c. about. This orgy of drinking—for wo can so. otherwise characterise it— seems io have reached its culmination on Thnrsdav and Saturday. On Thursday Constable ONeill wots compelled to arrest a Maori- a returned soldier, tmfortn-naiely—-whoso drunken state and riotous behaviour had become intolerable. The attempt to arrest this man was tho .signal for other Maoris to attempt to interfere, but ; fortunately the timely help of civilians prevented what would undoubtedly have leu to a I'vqc fight ! and a general " mix-up." Constable ONeill, however, did not come oft ■ scathiess. and is now nil' duty suf- ! foring from a badly knocked about ! hand. Again on Saturday afternoon ! drunken Maoris caused the police | more trouble and led to the arrest of I one of their number. j Regrettable as it may be, there is j no escaping the fact that too return ! of a number of Maori soldiers has i been the signal for high revel among ; the Maoris generally and as a corise •■jnonce the besotted condition of a great number about the borough streets. As a direct result of this we have the infliction of substantial fines on two of the number, serious inconvenience and menace to business people and others who frequent tho streets. Constable O'Neill oil" i duly through injury, and Constable ; Skinner, who was enjoying his • annual leave, compelled to re j turn and lake charge, no other oll.'i- j cor being available for relieving j duiy. Tho indirect result is the j serious menace to the welfare of the Maori race —the iinest dark race in the world, as we have previously asserted. ]\' this licentiousness is permitted to continue where indeed shall we see the Q]id. The evil is great and tho remedy must be swift and certain, or we may expect to find the town handed over to the control of a band of besotted irresponsibles. Feeling that something more than the lines indicted in Court and the j protest of this paper was needed, the \ Editor yesterday morning prepared i a telegram to the Hon. Mr Herries, j as Minister for Native Affairs- To | this lie obtained the concurrence of j the Mayor and Stall' Captain Oeo. ■ Moore, and bearing the three signa- j lures, it was despatched. It read: — " Strongly urge, in interests Maori race and of orderly conduct of town and no doubt of others throughout the Dominion, immediate passing if possible of Urder in Council pro Minting sale liquor to returned Maori soldiers until after date final discharge. Recent occurrences here disgrace to Maori race and community and. sole cause is drink."' To this Mr Herries has replied that ho is bringing the matter before the Acting Prime Minister and his colleagues immediately. Another unfortunate phase of the matter is that there is, we are informed, indisputable proof that liquor is repeatedly and continually finding its way into the Maori pas. This of course is a distinct breach of the law. and a practice which, if a conviction can be secured, should only be met by the .severest penalty possible. While dealing with the matter of this invasion of Maori disorderliness jwe feel that it is necessary to draw the attention of the authorities to the want of proper police protection. On more than ono occasion the whole district has been left to the care of one constable. This happens in be tho position at the pre sent time. Constable O'Neill is incapacitated and Constable Skinner has the whole district to look' after, if compelled to leave town it must bo left to be overrun by rowdyism. Such a state of affairs is intolerable and must be remedied at once.