NATIVE MINISTER DEFENDED

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21315, 7 November 1934, Page 12

NATIVE MINISTER DEFENDED

SPEECHES BY MAORI MEMBERS CORRECTNESS OF REPORT CHALLENGED [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, November 6. A spirited defence of the policy and actions of the former Native Minister (Sir Apirana Ngata) was made in the native affairs debate in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr Tau Henare (Northern Maori). Mr Henare, speaking through an interpreter, claimed that the Native Affairs Department was not the only Government department that should be subjected to the scrutiny of a Royal Commission, that many of the allegations against Sir Apirana Ngata could be laid equally justly against European supervisors, and that the Maori race had never been compensated for land confiscated by Europeans. He also criticised the Labour party for its attitude, saying that he hoped the native affairs controversy would not be used as political capital for election purposes. Mr Henare said there had been a native member on nearly all commissions which in the past had investigated Maori questions, and he could not understand why the Maoris had not been represented on the recent commission. Pie challenged the correctness of the commission's report and the justice of its recommendations, and said that if members oL' the House were broadminded they would say to Sir Apirana Ngata, "Return to your seat in the Cabinet."

Referring to the Maori Purposes Fund, Mr Henare said that those who alleged that the Maori people were wasting public money forgot that these funds belonged to them, and that they had been set aside to help them to keep alive Maori arts and crafts, to build meeting houses, and to assist suitable Maori scholars to attend colleges. Not only the children of the former Native Minister had been enabled to go to college, but also the children of Mr Henare himself and of chiefs throughout the country. Confiscated Lands The newspapers had alleged that the Maoris were a burden on the Dominion; but the pakehas, with their short memories, forgot that they owed the natives large sums of money for confiscated lands. A Royal Commission had recommended that £350,000 should ' be paid to the Maoris; but to this day that money had not been paid. The Maoris had worked night and day to make the settlement scheme a success; but their only reward was a smack in the eye. It had long been accepted that native matters should not be put to a division or used during elections as political issues. It looked as if this unwritten law were to be disobeyed. "A few days ago," said Mr Henare, "the leader of the Opposition said that it would be better for the Maori members not to say anything. I thought he meant that we should keep our heads in the trenches, so that we should not be shot down." Labour members: He said no such thing.

Mr Henare: The press reports him as having said so. "To-day," he concluded, "I stand before you troubled in mind because my people arc troubled in spirit. This is due to the Native Minister's resignation. Enough." Minister's Worth Praised Mr Taite Te Tomo (C., Western Maori) said the allegation that Sir Apirana Ngata had too much money to spend was correct. He had said so at Sir Apirana Ngata's own meeting house. He (Mr Te Tomo) had reported the matter to Sir Maui Pomare in 1930, and he agreed. He referred to the money spent in his electorate during the epidemic and in bringing back the body of Sir Maui Pomare to New Zealand. Having made all the charges against the Minister, the proper thing now would be to put him back in his seat; but he understood the law had to be complied with. He also regretted that reference was made only to Sir Apirana Ngata's children. Sir Apirana had done great work for his race, and he was one who had encouraged progress among the Maori people. Development work was commenced in the Western Maori electorate in 1930. said Mr Te Tomo, but owing to the sitting of the commission the work had been retarded. He asked that the House should make effective the request for the building of dwelling-houses for Maoris, and that they should not be told to build houses with their own money. If the Minister for Finance was unable to do that in the present year someone else would fill his (Mr Te Tomo's) seat, and he would not regret it, because he did not wish only to come to the House, sit down, and walk out. He had put a request before the Minister—if it was not granted his people could not blame him.