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Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18911, 28 January 1927, Page 3

A contention put forward by Archdeacon Williams in an address on the Maoris at the Gjshorne Rotary Club recently was that" the Maori could rid himself of a bad habit more quickly than a European. Though Maoris gave way badly to drink at times, said the speaker, they seemed to be able to give it up to a greater extent than the white man. Years ago there was an old chief in Hawke's Bay who was a very hard drinker. All the Maoris in his pa followed his example, with the result that there was a tremendous amount of drinking done there. The'chief realised that thig was giving the pa a bad name, and decided to put a stop to it. He told the Maoris that he would hold a court each Monday, and all those who returned home drunk on Saturdaywould be brought up. The fine for the first offence woulibe £l, for the second offence £5, and ftr the third £25. All went well for a time until one night he wbb the only one to Come home properly drunk. On the Monday he went to hold his court, and when he asked if there were any cases, was told that there was one—himself. He fined himself £1 and gave himself a long lecture. Some time later the chief came home drunk again, and again he spoke very strongly to himself and paid his £5 fine. Ho never got drunk again, because the fine would have been £25. (Laughter.) Tears after, when he was dying, his friends wanted to giv» him brandy, bat he would not take it.