LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 257, 23 July 1908, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

MAORI GIRLS AS DOMESTIC SERVANTS. Sir, —Dr. Pomaro made' an excellent speech on tho question of domestic service with Europeans for Maori girls, and tho matter is of grave importance and not to bo dealt with hastily. Certainly .the dearth of European servants suggested the likelihood of Maori girls- filling tho positions. Tho fact' of these girls having meals with their employers would not raise them to tlio samo, social level; and the arrangement would lead to embarrassment on one sido and restraint on tho other. All superior European servants prefer to have their meals apart. Some sensible English gentlewomen, in tlio position of "ladyhclp" in a family, recognise, too, that it is much more dignified to havo their meals apart, especially when there are guests, than to bo getting up to wait, and so leave too short a time in which to eat their own moals properly. How much more does this apply to tho domestic worker,'who has not had tra.ining to fit her. to moot her employer on equal terms socially.

liy his own words Dr. Pomare quits decides the question of the colour line; and if the Maoris will not accept the half-caste, let tlio race ho kept pure by all means, and do not let tlio first false step ho taken—that of allowing the Maori girls to become servants_ to tlio Pakeha. Dr. Pomaro takes a case in point, and asks if a European lady would call on a former servant, who had married an educated Maori—a professional man? Mho might call; but the two would havo so little in common that there would again bo restraint and embarrassment, and there would be little inclination on either sido to further tlio acquaintance. It would bo necessary to wait a generation or. two for development socially. Let the Maoris—the men, and especially the women—be educated and trained to the highest that is in them, but lot them keep their race pure, and let them (as the Rev.. P. A. Beiinett suggested) be proud of their raco and strive to improve their' customs and tako from their games and dances all coarseness and vulgarity. Let them have their chiefs, for it is good for alf human bo : . ings to havo some- one in authority ovci them whom they' can honour and obey. The entertainment at tho Town Hall was a revelation. • Tlio best items were those that were purely Maori. Tosti's "Beauty's Eyes" was well done, but not so appreciated as tho items . portraying. Native life, showing tho Maoris at their best. So to the Maoris, in this crisis in their lives, one would say:— Bo yourselves—Esse quam videre—havo nothing ■ that will interfere with the dignity and progress of your ancient racc—l am, etc., , ■ A EUROPEAN MOTHER. July 17. 7 THE DECALOGUE, UNPROCURABLE. Sir, —Rudyard Kipling wrote: "East of Suez there ain't no Ten Commandments" — this app]ies also to this Dominion, because a Christchurch School Committee required twenty copies of the Ten Commandments for their class rooms of the 'State Schools, but they were unprocurable in Wellington.' As tho majority of tlio Education Boards in tho Dominion allows committees to hang up tlio. commands, I think our Educational Department, which appears to be lethargic, should import, or- get printed, 10,000 of those Commands for tho 1600 schools, and not lcavo it to private enterprise.—l am, etc., SOCRATES., - '■ i EDUCATION OF CATHOLIC CHILDREN. Sir, —Tlio Roman oatholics are taxed to tlio extent of £80,000 every year becilusG of their religious: convictions. They savo / tho State £40,000 every .year bv educating their children. Why should this bo in a free, democratic country. They educato at their own expenso 12,000 children, and also contribute through Customs to tho upkeep of our schools. This totals about £80,000. Thoy should not bo forced to pay this dual, tax.

If tho Government, gave 10s. in tho £ as a subsidy it would bo a relief.—l am, etc., , . A PROTESTANT. .

Sir,—Can .you, or any of your readers toll mo what' Mr. • ' Roosevelt means when' ho speaks of being led away by tlio doctriiiaro advocates of lawless 'individualism. Perhaps some of our collectivist advocates, who are always holding up individualism as : a most pernicious thing will enlighten us, or Dr. I'mdlay, who, in his famous Wanganui speech, spoke in a similar strain, may the problem. I have always understood that tho individualist took up • a riegativo attitude—that his creed, is that of non-interfer-enco, and I cannot see how anyone who refrains from poking his noso into other pnoplo's affairs, and oqually objects to others interfering with his affairs can be branded as lawless, or bo termed a doctrinaire' advocate, it is a pity wo havo not moro of this land/in this country wo would have'.less freak legislation. As it is now tho collectivist. spirit is-so strong that every incompetent incapable of managing his own affairs, and with not enough business capacity to run a fruit barrow, is burning to bo his brother's: keeper.—l am, etc., LAISSEZ FAIRE. AFFORESTATION. Sir,—ln, your interesting leading article' of, Saturday last on tho "Value of Trees'V you mention a plantation of "Pinus Insignis" mado by .the Victorian Govei'nment at Creswick some fifteen years ago, and which is now worth £100 to £200 an acre. -I am quite suro that you would not havo made this statement without amplo knowledge of its correctness, and you would confer a favour upon all your readers interested in land if you _ could supply full particulars as to how. this valuo is arrived at. Tho Insignis is not a durable, wood, and has no value for building or fencing purposes. For butter boxes or/packing cases, no doubt, it would do very well.

As you so clearly, point out in your article, tho forests of New Zealand aro disappearm"* at a rapid rate. Tho hill sides aro being rapidly, cleared of . their covering', and much soil is carried away by flood waters to tho sea. Even whero forest reserves liavq been mado for climatic purposes, a . very slight' pressure upon the Land Boards is sufficient to induce those bodies to throw onen tho reserves for settlement, and the forest soon disappears. The severe drought from which tho whole North Island suffered last summer is ovidonce of the climatic effect produced by the destruction of tho forests, and it is only roasonablo to expect more serious , droughts in the futuro. No timo should bo' lgsfc by tho Government in seriously-taking in hand the question of. afforestation. What has been done so far is trifling. Privately, in tho past,some few large land-owners have made considerable plantations, but the largo majority have dono littlo or nothing. For this, perhaps, the.y aro not to bo blamed, as for many years their land has been held at the will of tho Government of. tho day, with not much hope that their children would benefit by anything in tho way- of tree-planting. I have often regretted that tho Government, in carrying out their land for settlements policy, did not make it a condition that each settler should plant a certain proportion of his land with-suitable trees to bo approved by tlio Department, aiid this even now might bo mado compulsory in tho future, 'as new blocks aro 'settled. Much might bo dono by distributing free seeds and plants to present settlors, so as to\encourage in every way tho growth of plantations.—l am, etc., A LANDOWNER, - July 20. '. [Our information regarding tho pine plantation referred to was obtained from a copy of tho "Sydney Morning Herald" of . recent date. Wo quote tho.extract from the paper in question:—"ln Australia we, perhaps, do not require to do much planting; but that wo may do so witli advantage is shown by tho experience of the Victorian Government iu connection witli its pino plantation at Creswick. Tho plantation was commenced somo fifteen years, ago on a picco of hungry country, which in years gone- by had been turned over and over by diggers. Tho pines planted included a number of tlio more hardy pines, including. 'pinus insignis,' not usually regarded as a timber tree. Ten-year-old specimens of this latter species aro now being freely sold to sawmillcrs at ss. per ton standing.. Tlio other species would, .of course, bring more. Tlio point, however, is that at'

| a cost of £2 per acrc thj'Victorian Government, after fiffeen'years,' has an asset worth from-£IOO-to £200 per acre. The small illustration of tho possibilities of economic forestry-has additional point for us when .we think of the huge areas of poor sandstone country. which we ..have, in the neighbourhood' 'of' South Wales coast, and in some localities inland, which grows the pine family, to and yet' is quite uscless'-'for aiiy other form' of production."] TE VV HITI-ISM."'"''"" ■ ®' r ) —l was very mueli'"'surpfisod'id''read in your paper the reni'arks ! 'recently made' wi"Rev." A". - William's lin:.-.regard-.'to Te-' Uluti-ism. I can only,-uassuniejihat.-,.somes . I »f 6 i -'° use . a common '')>iU'2P r i.sm)'J)9i^;'i>een l taking a rise" out of_ l iiim 1 re,lus..,assertiqn' as to the depraved and immoral' ethics taught ' by the late chief to -his adl'iferirits. " 1 '"' r ' s ' r » I ' ,a d beeii.'oi'i fairly" clfiseTi touch'• with the late To Wliiti foi [ ;'tho lastftwenty | years,. and knew himj,iintijnately, and I can truthfully stato .liave never heard liner addresses on morality, sobriety, and I ??° s , ( ! u ' y M> W s ' fellow-mail, than given by the late'chief when KbiS'ing'N forth to his people in his 'meetingt?housG:i. >: at -Parihaka. | and in eveiry way lie was undoubtedly a good practical Christian, . to . uplift, . his people, teaching them .tp. work.and, adopt the virtues of the. "|out'.' the evil mfiuences- of indoleiice''and 'strong" drink, also strongly im{ifes^- ; on vital importance of holding' on" to'Dtoir land's' and loading good, useful .lives" : 'flhe& , 'were n the principles lie taught'up'/.to 'tlio" last.', n ' ! " Prior to my first I the old chief, I had sc^Qrai^fows*'' k papers, very counts about him, and surprised to know that■ ho 'pretend' 'to' be tho supernatural personage 1 tli'St".''som<3 said ho' to • be^' 1 hand, I found him to bo"& very intbiligerft', l ' far-seeing, and earnest ,jii)buet| with the idea that his mission' Hero wa's' 'to. save his .people. - His ebhTaiiie'd' one' ancient wooden house an'tf''')Yurngfbus. MH6rf ■ insanitary wliares, which^are^'noW'^an-'sVept*' away and replaced _ with- "Up-toWlatiji woodeii'" buildings. The drinking:.watetf,* whicH was" then taken from the strt:a.hr : funiiinlf' r _tliroJ<ghV the pah, was in • a bad state-," fover was raging and>'Had-'-claimed lives.' " The water supply at'"}fteseht r conies' - from the mountain strfeafiig, afld'-ig r, 'pfdpefly ,, reticulated and altogether the village of- 1 Pariliaka has become.tlio-niosfj'isariitarj^'andl. up-to-date Maori settlement.in' tW 1' Dominion.- . j, •„ . . -hni s. J . Cold religion will acli. First teaclijhim to T work":i , rfd;'b"e soGerj l 1 afterwards let him have > ligions on tho lines indioatedlhy esteemed Chief Justice aiid:.the::'Rev.r.F.-'Bbiti r : nett and tho "Y'oung ,Maori, P_arty r . r " T It. is practically useless clergymoiC-Stteiiipfing the salvation of the Maori by.,pra};or,'alone.-,i ,One ( , must'live, amongst .thejp., iV ji)t9,i,-jtllQif , daily lives, stick to rJOl'gi'-'ffld; " sorrows, over urging to make themselves becqme'i,useful)'members of the community, methods,, arc adopted good tliQ'. pjl-;, meaning. Maori. missionarjs'jvuPattain' .his" object in the end, and-'lio'tjl.as" at'.'.present'," ■ meet with, sad and . I am, etc., i'j ', . Wanganui, July 15. -"^.4-