NATIVE LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 10

NATIVE LANDS.

IJ. 3i"|* 4 "" r i 1 > A REPLY TO DR BUCK," MP. • Sir,—Tho. educational .'Dr" 'uok| .jM.1 5 ,, -are so- superior 'to ray own that fc ■would Bo insolent- presumptiori ,on myvpart o. treat! him .with that, ; which mo extends to an inferior; ■ I am bound to .ccept his letter as embodying " the best' rnswer, tho strongest case,,that tho Maoris put . forward ■ against tho suggestion that ««:and unprotluctivo Natiyp lands,should" le/put-to some ; use. >His; letteri:reads Svcry--:ljut it is i like • ourActing-Prime" ,taster's speeches.' •Tvlieii Mr.; Carroll'relimes .-his soat amid: applause" you will Hearanrmurs ,of .-appreciatibn-.from : all . around. if • you qliance I : ,tp; ask-, anyone; ; "Oh, .yes," idautiful speech, no idoubt, ib'ufc'-.what. did-' ho ay? you -.nil find thatjao ono can teil you.: t was a limpid, mellifluous,. sonorous lullaby, bnt as . for what- is'said;-my-'dear fellow .on't be prosaic." , : /,' , l c^tG r,- .comprossed .into six words, 'JP.fiv..® 3 ,")•, "ITjc;.Nativa-lands should: be. ituised. v-.fiyerytitißg.-.pljßjs'' was • merely inci-lental-.to this contention. , DrV:BuoK's half-' olumn; reply to-this- contention contains ho OiorGDco to; it ' beytind a mis-statement. Jt b the.sort of matter tfyat Maori orators reel' if for-, hours. at,a'. -stretch,- -but from a liUropean standpoint .it .'.suggests.vthat- the-lt££.;^as.-.wore concerned to .'advertise his iwn literary . style than ,to 'argue the" causo ie professes, to champion. The ;only direct , r ,®F. ce ■ ■ 6 matter, under discussion was . deliberate statement that I "voice the cry r. so, many that the Maori should' satisfy wropean land hunger at tho cost of starving njnsolf. I ask Dr. Buck to lay aside for , moment his rhetoric, and verbal effervesenco,. and'tell us plainly whether wo aro to cwpt .this, ; statement'. as .the, standard : his 1 ntelhgqnce,. or of his honesty. Tho land is IToducmg /nothing- for - .the - Maori/-: tb-dijy. tw'f'ch .-.would- secure' him a übstantial pecuniary return,from every 'acre >r..Buck asserts. that the Maori would starve hisr ; logic?ls v it:worthy of him?. Is WWkbyv® ..j l ! 3 birth, - his: education.-.* his: i6sit)on?ls,this. the best he can'do? Yet t. is a .fair' sample of the,"whole,: a ! typical •xtract from his statement .of th© case for he Maori. ■. I had-some , hopes when I began to read his' otter that - it would: contain some attempt .t a solution.of the problem, or would try to howi someivalid reason, for;the'reteiition- of ho present system./ It does neither. It imply declines to'dischss my contention, as ldiculous. , The task: of: arriving at - some with the' Maoris-is a difficult ono >t the best. . 'Dr.-Buck's assurance that no greement is possible (if. 'this 'is really, the labh-'.view) .-greatly simplifies-matters;' 'But-:Would.-aike to refer' to whati seems to ; be us-main contention; that "those lands-have r V 1,7 Ws ancestors : for centuries." i yo"j 'I;-don't,know.There'-hW been two ' Jew. :Zealands—one the- Maori New: Zealand, efore /tho:-arrival i-of the': Europeans:;" the thwn js ,tho ipresent '. New- Zealand.'' Fr'oih hot first Now - Zealand'""the"-nob]est ; of 'all olourcd' races" contrived -to wrest a -faupo' rliiro.:(niaj cur- friend- live'to-sGotlie'Tai' : lalwl) some dried shark, and a dug-out' ppe. vyFor.;','whatever, distinguishes the preent Is ewv Zealand from the- old, 'iSiixopea-ns -ro responsible. Tho present value of Native' ands, that productive capacity which, under ottlement, would-procure for,- the Maoris uch conditions of existenoe as the old-New lealander' never.: piqtured in: his - : wildest, reams;>■ these have been .created, by. iurpp'oans. (I'-presume that neither of us an' -,take creditifpr'the' soil and )r. - Buck may'' dissent' from this • view, hut io would do well to'.:recogniso its-existence, ,nd that it :is a dominant principle animating liose who do not hesitate to oust ,thoir follow iuropeans from land: which at least is p'rolucing something. Tlio advancing wave of (public opinion—if I nay drop into metaphor—is not to! bo urne'd from-its course by rhetorical oxcurions into .the realms: of Maori mythology, 'ho paramount duty.of those who present hemselves ( as _ leaders and representatives >f tlio'Maoris is : to'. try to guide, that wave ato channels where it may work tho greatest .mount of good to. tho race. To , try and tem it is but to. be overwhelmed. Dr. Bucl; aay not look 'upon my language as", exactly ompliment-ary, but if. he will lure his mind [own from tho clouds, and try to express limself publicly without referring to. To toiiiga, he may yet come to realiso that I am loilig him and, his race tho greatest.service hat one man could extend' to another.—l ■m, etc:, . ! ' , „ EUEOPEm Jnt St