MAORIES AND THE LAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 151, 20 March 1908, Page 8

MAORIES AND THE LAND.

ANOTHER.LARGE CONFERENCE,

' SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER, (ur TEi.EoitArn—rnEss association.) : Rotorua, March 19.- v The picturesquo little township of Ngaruiiwaliia presented a gala appearanco yesterday on tho occasion of the visit of tho Governor and Prime-Minister.. There wore between fifteen hundred and -two' thousand' Maoris, including,women and children, assembled for the conference. Tho station was crowded with Maoris when tlio special train which brought tlio party from Hamilton drew in. As signal honour to such distinguished Rupnts as the ■ Governor and Prirno Minister tho , }Y as danced,; and after this preliminary tho Vice-Ilcgal and Ministerial party was accommodated with seats in a largo marquee. Tribes who were present at the gathering at Waharoa on Wednesday were represented at yestorday's. conference. ; The proceedings opened with tlio'presentation or an address of welcome to the Governor. -Maliuta, accompanicd by Hcnare Kaihau, tho Native member for tho district, approached His Excellency, bearing. the address, which Mr. Kaihau presented on his behalf, at the. same time, the Native member handed to Lord Plunket a gift from the king—two handsome-Native wearing mats, a karawai and a kait-aka. ■ ■ ■ J MAHUTA'S ADDRESS. / , >Tho address was then read. It stated:— " Welcome the Governor, come to see your Maori/people. It gives us great . pleasure'-to see you and your Ministers | hero, on this ocoasion. Welcome in' those days of permanent peace; welcome, you . who hold-power and authority, come with your Ministers to make arrangements for our welfare, and for' the setting apart -arid conserving lands for us in ; accordance; with tho laws enacted by the Parliament of New Zealand. "Although , there have been dark clouds and great -,' troubles in former times, to-day wo tread oil a new , path; which wo will travel on so that peace, enlightonmont, • and pros- -■ , pority .may. obtain for the people of tho .' two races, Maori and pakpha." MR.'KAIHAU SPEAKS. Mr'; Kaihau, after welcoming the Governor and his Ministers to tlio Waikato district, proceoded to deal with tho confiscation of the Maori laiid question. Tho Maoris desired to .bring before the .Governor and his-Mini-sters a number of questions, tho most prominent of which was that of Maori land. They knew thero would, bo further trouiilo in regard. to the, carrying- out of the Waitan<n Treaty. They, the Maoris of , the Waikato. asked the Govormnent and tho Ministers who wore responsible for what was done in Parliament, .to consider theso matteri, so that there might 'be lio cause for trouble or agitation among tho.Natives. Thoy did not ask for legislation, that would separate them from the Jluropeans, but they did «sk to bo placed in, a similar position, to that of,tho Europeans. Tho Maoris asked the Government to set apart,, say a quarter of tho Maoris' lands,: sovthat they - would 'know it Was theirs'. He (Mr. Kaihau) .trusted that the ' Nativo Mimscor .might bo allowed to remain behind so ,'as to try ' and . arrange this ' question. . , '- * REPLY BY THE GOVERNOR. _Xiord Plunket,. in replying to ■ the addresa" of welcome, said lio hoped that tho deliberations that .woro to' tako place that day oil this important land question would result in a satisfactory conclusion beino- arrived at. Ho' trusted- that a policy of "give-and-take would bo followed, and soino fair and equitable scliomo promulgated. Ho regrott-ed that ho whs compelled to return to Auckland as ho would > havo liked to stay with them longer. ' :

His Excellency and suito then left tho' gathering ~ ,diid. .returned ~to town by tho' afternoon express. Mr:, Hono Heke, M.P., in tho courso, of a_ short. speech, 'told the; Maoris that -■ if they desired to ])o placcd on. tho same footing as Europeans thoy would have to pay full rates and taxes,' not; half as thoy' did at-present. If tho, Maor.i peoplo woro allowed -to'.sell' their land .when they liked in a vory short timo. thoy. would havo nono. SPEECH BY THE PREMIER. Sir J. Ward remarked that thero would be a solution' of tho Native land difficulty if tho Maoris were reasonable, but tho' Government was not going to deceive them with any impossible terms. ' Ho hoped before tho gathering separated that some practical l proposal would bo agreed on. Tho early history of tho Maoris shqwod that they had not been ablo' to control their lands when they could sell thorn without restriction. To-day thcro wcro between four and five' million ticres of Natjvo lands left;.'.ltfunded-all.'right to say: Givo it to the' Natives and let- thorn do as thoy like with their own lands, but in dealing with the remainder of the Native lands'; not only the present' generation ■of Maoris, but their descendants, -had to "be thought of. Not long ago tho Government had to provide land for tho Natives in the South Island out of Cvown' lands. In the North Island tho same problem had sprung up. Tho. Government had no desire but to serve the .Maoris. Tho problem was rendered more difficult of settlement by the increaso in Now Zealand s population. Since : the question of confiscation was raised it' was very much to be' regretted that when Sir George Grey offered tho Maoris some 304,000 acres on the west of the Waikato, thoy would not accept them, because they wished'to keep their own maua strong; He (Sir J. Ward) had promised Mahut-a aftor -the -1007, legislation -had been passed, and ' tho Native Lands Commission appointed, that they should ' havo an oppor- 1 tumty. of ' conferring' beforo tho Commission came to \Vaikato. Ho advised them ikw- to' go ■ for a goal that could bo I reached Ho. advised ,them to - show on tho plans of all the blocks of lartd that thoy ! cjo custodians or owners of what was re-quired-for-use and occupation or Maoris for. permaaent reserve, and for recreation pur-1 poses. Then'let them show what part was available, for leasing and selling. He did not suggest that tho Government or the Commissioner . should' do this, but that tho Maoris ' themselves should 'do it. If tho Maoris would apportion their lands conseiciijgously an:V honestly, their proposals, if rea-, sonable, .would bo confirmed by the Royal Commission and made law for all time. Mr. Henar'o Kaihau -stated that' tho assembled Maoris were very pleased with what tho Prime Minister had said. Th» Government should cease purchasing land from the Natives until the permanent reserves had been made, in order to prevent 1 the, Natives raising money on tho strength of tho sales and getting into debt. Such amendment was necessary in tho Act of

The Prime Minister at thia stage left the gathering by special train f or Rotorua, but tho Hon. Jas. Carroll, Minister for Nativo Affairs, remained at Ngaruawahia to discuss the matter in conference with Maoris. The Prime Minister stayed at Rotorua last night, and this morning lie left by motorcar for TaUranga, via Te Pnko. ,