THE MAORI CONGRESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 269, 6 August 1908, Page 11

THE MAORI CONGRESS.

SOME REMARKS. (By. C. A. Young.) „ An extraordinary spectacle was to be"seen at tho meeting in the Council Chamber in '- the Town Hall on Friday morning, July 16, -whore tho subject under discussipn was:— .''Maori. Ropresontation in. Parliament: Has •tho time arrived for removing legislative distinctions -between .Pakeha and, Maori?" . , -/Truly, this.Congress has-been a wonderful demonstration- of .tho vagaries of Maori opinion. To look around at the faces of the orowded assembly there- was little , ovidenco that this was a young Maori party confer- • . onco. Hero wero seen only tho grizzled and , , grim? faces of a, generation which is fast facing tho ■ end of all things, and they wero , fiorcoly: denying posterity the lights of tho white man's civilisation. To hear such wellknown friends of the Maori'race as A. 11. D. Frasor and -Af. H. Herries, M.P.'s, ad- , ; vising them in,'eloquent and fervid language ; to forgot tho past and face the futuro hand in, hand 'with ■ theirPakeha brothers,' and . enter into, the inheritance of the ages through tKo hopeful dooriof an extended franchise, was to. carry, to:'tho minds of most listeners that. the generous purpose and desire of these advocatos for tho uplifting. of tho Maori ' was -'smcsre, Thoy. pictured how, if the Maori .yrouM not,'accept' an extended . franchise/ and be placed upon the same ; ;.t|lect6ral, roll .as * his: • Pakeha;. brothor,". be would in. a'short time be overwhelmed by. an • increasing- population' of • white' men,' rc"'minded'him fhero was.'no standing still, that tlieymust; advauco or dip: ; ' Then camo tho extraordinary / specta?lo of the brilliant young leader of. tho young Maori party , Mr. Ngata, M.P., passionately'asserting that his Maori ..brethren were- not yet sufficiontly. civiliscd : to appreciate the franchise being extended to t nemjf that the time had,,not arrived t for removing legislative distinctions between Pakeha and Maori; that they preferred to retain their 'present' Parliamentary, rep'reBentation by. four Native membors. The.young leader of a party, .whothrough the, week had been insistently preaching*tho doctrine of .progress along the lines ;of' the- Pakeha civilisation, now ejaculating taihria;' truly a'strange volto faco. In support of his contention' ho said that if the Maoris :\voro placed on -the same 'electoral roll vas .'tho Pakehas -in some. districts the . : Maori vote -wblrfd swamp , the Pakeha vote, and ;the- Pakelias would not stand that,' He illustrated- his arcumerit by. informing - his ■ audiondo that although tho franchise 1 was extended-to ;the negro in "America the whito . men found means to prevent him benefitting • by. it.. Surely -this is a suspicious' and strange argument .'to., come from the mouth of'a Maori M.P.j and an apostle of progress? It. was confusing' to tho'ordinary Pakeha mind to hear- tho,chairman —who is hiniself— as: headmaster of T/Aute Nativo College, tho ... source from whenco the light and leading of tho'. young .Maori "party emanates—sternly insisting; that the Maori should not be forced ; to. accept the extension of tho franchise. ■■,Theii , ,.follpwed- tho Native, Minister, who, ' > infa,! temperate -and . well-reasoned speech, ' pathetically reminded, his countrymen they .. /."standing with . reluctant ; feet, where . .''.the;-brook: and. river, meet,., and that .they /nius.t perforce, .in tho natural evolution .. of .things,flow ■ with the. river.' on ..to tho■ illimi- , table ocean of tho future;, and it was for , them to .say -if' they , would noiv 'cut them-' solves . adnH from' their past ; and 'accept air tho;.advantages of the Pakeha ciyilisa- . . ./>tipri.''-, ; He added; .he liad been ■ / years • for.', thejn, to to bo .'placed upon thesaine .electbral'.'.foll*' with tlib';."Pakeha', and if they' would now declare ' that to ■ bo - thei^-;.' desire,.ho: was. their ; friend ".now . as : 'and 'would? do ,'h'is. best /to*"-assist ■^'them:'-';^Practically^• hq; said, jf they asked .for,.the extension 'of thp franchise, they would get:it. , ■ .: lV ,s his'credit ,Hono (.Heke-r;who..is. not at ; .. all ,'a'n„' apostle of progress—^thbught'"th'e time . . hajd; arrived remo,y(ng ; legislative, distinc- : ' ',tioh":'l)etweeh' ho .addedj.';',' [These", restrictions.".would '.'haye. been ,'..romovc4,longvago,'...only, that; their ; abolition s ,. Would . ..against '.the . When the Pakehas" had taken: the few i remaining, acres ' ■ of; the Maoris tbey would say,. ' We. believe that ;these people, are . entitled -to. all. the , ..right's ind privileges,'of : British;'subjects.' " Taking , upon' himself the conduct of .the meeting,- Mr.' Ngata'.'proceeded to.'call the : .grey-bearijed Natives who had been selected ~ 1 to speak',, and after the .other they rose to. say their people did not, desire any change in - Parliamentary.'rcpresentatipri. It, was noticeablo. these elders were mostly, from the Hast'-.Coast, but ;6ne,,,as candidate, for Parliamentary honours, and 'a. prominent ,'mem- . .ber,. of the' West. Coast . Progressive - Maori • partyjv rose, to." add . his, .voice""against,pro- " pess. -;,None of .'tho progressive 1 .-' g^Maifon;;'^!;j!n'eii :, on this .momentous /. question, and .the 'protracted . meeting broke iip, : after a three hours' eit- .' .tin'g/without any resolution- being put 1 to 'elicit; an 'opinion;..,:' " ' Truly the idiosyncrasies of the Maori mind . are. hot-.uhderstandablo by the Pakeha. It j ttas evident though; by the applause when a speaker favoured a change of representation, -that the ijounger men were ,in favour ofisush,'hut it is also evident that v only a plebiscite, of the' Maori people will elicit tho preserit .sta.te ;of Native.opiuion on this ques--•.tipni; -The-"writer...would beg''-Mr. -'Ngata's- ... consideration of; a suggestion, which is, that " Maori party- should send dele 7! -gates;among..thb.tribes to educate.the elders- •' in.:this} r , new-'-propaganda.; of. equality' and > fetornity,..and'that a newspaper, containing. - ,' Benqral : >information,;'' and'-- that specially r0..." ..." lating affairs, be published in tho llaori'language,; and for a time distributed free in; the Kaingas; they would do much ~ to; educate Nativo public "opinion. An-ap-peal: to.; the, public for. financial support would surely '-cncourago .the Young,.Maori, party to'i carry, this suggestion into practical effect. '.The' writer- will consider, it an honour ':'to";be; permitted to' subscribe . £20 ; (twenty. ; pounds), -,with tjie promise of an annual subin -support of' such , a newspaper, ■ prbyided it is not conducted ,by any one reli- .. or •run'- on politicaj jparty lines, and.;that „it bo published either iri;Auckland / or;Wellington/'," ' : , r As Mr. Ngata is well-acquainted with his- .' tory, .ho, no doubt, has read that when, riot ; so ( many. years, ago, the Parliamentary fran.chisefwasiestondod to tho artisan and agricultural labouring class in England, many conservative people cried out against it. • ".Whatl": said they, "extend tho franchise .to: people' who! cannot . write their own \ nfcines ?!!_■■; Well,; the franchise; was-extended, - with satisfactory results. Board schools . - camo into-existence and education was made .■ compulsory, recreation and reading rooms ■ sprang up as by magic in all towns and country;villages, thq rncrease of and demand ; for, raagazines, and .literature oh';all subjects, was astonishing, and at tho as all inen know, there are no people/in England who tako a keener and more 'intelligent-.interest"'in public affairs than those people to whom the franchise was . ' extended.- .> . ~ I ...