HOLIDAY-MAKING MAORIS.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13234, 30 September 1908, Page 7

HOLIDAY-MAKING MAORIS.

Chief Judge Jackson Palmer, of the Native Land Court, tells a good story exemplifying tho apathy which only a iew years ago tha Maoris often diispiuyed in matters aikcting t-luiir own .naicnm lntcrtsijj wuoii those interests liuerieitxt with tiu-ir natural love lor uooit. Ho had. announce-J That a -•ouro w.u-i to t-o lit Id, tomt-wJie.ro up i-iu.si.ing.-. way, upon a day stated. Ii turned out that on that day races were •o taice p!jce iv tilo neighooumood, and many <_■. the natives moat interested in the laud to be dealt with begged for an aCjournunint, as they ■wero ue-aii-uu-* ol attending tne races. This ropiestwas regarded as unreasonable, especi-ally ;:s the Judge had other important engagements to attend to.- the position was pun-itd out- to the Maoris-, and it v, as explained that if they failed to atttnsJ tlio Court the cases would be dealt with in their absence. Dismay settled upon t-hiuii for a while, and then an old ranginra sorrowfully remarked that ii

"to kostd'' a-Mild not be adjourned it could not, bo helptd, and l they would "jiiit have to lee their land go," for they could r.ot miis the races! _Tiie Maori of to-day is a different kind of person. On Saturday (says the "Now Zealand Times"), there was a sitting <j'i the Native Land "Commission for tho purpose of hearing tho views of tho owners of the Waitutuma Ulc-ok as to what should bo done with their land—whetheir it should bo sold or leaded' or allowed to remain as it- as, an unutilised' and unprofitable waste. Although it was Dominion Dny. and although "the drums and tho fifes were a-playing in the street," and LaivJbLon qua}' was a blazo of brilliant uniforms and brighter hags—the very things that delight tlio Maori's vision—there was a gathering in the Court-house of .men, women, and children, who had cars for nothing but the arguments raised in respect of'their land, eyes for nothing but biie effect of tho statements made upon the Commissioners, Sir Rol>ert Stout, and Mr A. T. Ngata., M.P. ,