THE WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13097, 23 April 1908, Page 9

THE WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN FLEET.

VIEWS OF A MAORI CHIEF

SOME PLAIN , SPEAKING

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGKAII.)

AUCKLAND, April 22,

Regarding the entertainment of the ■officere and men of the American fleet, a loading Maori chief, in an interview to-day said: —"The Maori is constantly told that he is a useless member of society; that lie does nothing with hie laud; and mates no effort towards hie own betterment; aud yet peoplo want him to gather to mako a display just at tho worst time of tlie year for him to be away from his land. If ho is to better his position ho wants to be at work on his land about August. There is another thing to which I should in alto reference. It ie a great pity that Uotoma should always bo ir.ention.ed in support of the view that any gathering together oi the Maoris leads to the sapping of the moral fibre. Whatever may be .fcaid regarding the poi and other dances at Ilotorua, it is now recognised, so far as the Maori is concerned, to bo one of tho meet morally clean centres in the iSorth Island. 1 claim that even if such were not the case, the blame wo.uld rest more with the pakeha than -with the Maori. You niay smile, but from what I have seen in your great city of Auckland on. tho occasion of the visit of several. ■warships, I can assure you that there is ninro justification there for any rerun rks on tho score of virtue than at Jt-otoriiß. There is another matter to ivliich I would like to refer. 1 ccc that some of the writers object to a biir Maori gathering because of tho deaths that toak place wlien we all assembled at Ilotorua to ccc Queen Victoria's grandson. Now, I wish to explain that some of these deaths wexe oM men who should not have gone to tho meeting at all. Wβ told them that they might die if they went. They replied, 'It is the only chance we will ever have of seein.g the grandson of our White Mother, and we will go to see him, and having sec-n him will die, if die we nvust for going there." .My people were proud to gather together in large numbers to nraet the grandson of our great \Viiito Mother, but that is a very different thing to gathering for the purpose of making a show for a flftc-t which does not belong to our own Emoire."

Mr J no. St. Ciair, of Auckland, iiae received the follow in 5 letter from Mr K. T. Te Aim, of Wnn.hi (Huntl.v), deputy-eecretary to the Hon. -Ms-huta, M.L.C., m refere-rw-c to the proposed rvitheriivg: of Maoris «t Auckland on the occasion of the visit of the American Fleet:— "l have »een in t.he newspapers the views of King Mjihiita on the reception of the American Fleet which is to vi-it this, <vur Lsiand. The whole of Waik.ato support Mahnte'e proposals that wo slLou 7 d form a largo axt-nerih-cj of the tr:.b°s at Auckland os tJio ori<r,i.na' people cf the land to welcome +.h« illustroHS puests. Secondly, the idea for small canons snd hurdlera<fe ca-nors we wtirmly support. The himlle races would l>e a grand idea.. I would sand ihrre canoes. Ifheir rcimffl are Ivaurikamu, n-vA Kni-toa, and if thoy want more I dan arrange -to four or fivo others. I also think it would bo a good k T ,ai io hum sen>t by th« Govcrnonont from Ghristchurch aitid repaired, so that a Genuine warcanoe fully manned should go out >to the CSiiUinel and clialtenge the-fleet ia-true old Maori fashion, end