THE NEW ZEALAND CLUB.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 559, 14 July 1909, Page 8

THE NEW ZEALAND CLUB.

INAUCURAL meetinc. L STRIKING ADDRESS BY HON.'A. T. f !: ':^ ; :vc" ;: - :'.' . ''' About a hundred business and professional men attended the inaugural "luncheon-meet-of the New Zealand Club, held in the Y.M.G.A. lecture hall between 1 p.m. and i p.m. yesterday. The ohair was occupied by ( M., Myers,, who was supported on his right,by the guest of honour, tho'Hon. A. r.Ngat-a, and Profpssor Alfred Manes, of Berlin, and on his left by ; the'Hon;- A.'R; juinness and Mr. A.L. Herdman, M.P. Aftor an appetising' cold coljation had joeri dono "jn'stico'.tb'.the chairman "announced/ ;hat about t'hreo .weeks' ago a few people, had >ecn called together'at luncheon by Mr. H. tf. Holmes, to whom ho propounded an idea or starting a club oh tho lines of one which io had experience of in.Canada'. The idea ras' approved, and a provisional committee, iad been set up. Since, then another' meetng had .been held, at which a constitution iad been submitted/.and, after amendment, idopted.'/ It said muoh for tho energy of dr. Holmes, that .within a week he had enistcd seventy members., They had been suc r «ssful in getting. Mr. Ngata to speak. Ho rould speak most appropriately ,_ ho thought, m racial relationship; a question of much nterest at tho present time. .Tho Hon. Mr. Ngata said he would begin iy classifying Now Zoalanders. Firstly, there las tho aboriginal; the Maori; secondly, thoeo rho have.been.born and bred in New Zeaind, pioneers, perhaps, who have just' gono ut into tho back-blocks, and in many cases he thirdly, those who lave m'ado' the'country their homo'by adopk>n. By tho New Zealander, then, he iroadly.imeant .tie man-who is "with tbo ountry,"! who has faith in-- the country, and ?ill sing as fervently of New Zealand as turns..'did'-of Scotland. To such he would ropound the' ideals of the young Maori arty, whom ho could bo said to represent, nd from,the executive of which party ho ad obtained authority, to announce; such lews. jHe would summarise these ideas rider three heads, thus— ■ • HOPES, -.'.{; : ; "(1). .It'is '.not,", he; said "their, aim: to reserve tbe- Maori .race as' a separate and istinct race, iOr consciously, to! combat, the ifluencesHhat tend more and more to bring Ibbut.'the fusion of the Maori race with the !uropeah.;-"K/ '!*■'■ :\ t ' ■•-.■-■.■" "(2).1t is recognised, naturally with some eo-ret, thatf.th© maintenance of;'the 'Maori. s° a''distinct and -separate, race is, impos- : ibie.'<../.' '.;-:•,.' .••■',;: '~.,- '::;:.:■ "(3). The.aim and effort, of - the party is o' : secure ..that the, fusion-is , bix)Uglit about n the highest possiblb plane, and: on a as-is of mutual self-respect, to which end he maintenance,of pride or race is esseriial..:„"■.• -'- : ';■-.•;.-V-;> . ::■• ■;. ! :'-. .;-'■- ;,;, ;"Tb% only, other' view/that can be held," 6 commented; "is that the race is doomed, hat it should not be absorbed lest the white lodd be'-taihted,' that /it must be/ left, to •erish as having no-place/in the future life. f the Dominion. The-party. cannot credit ho jpakehawith entertaining the'-idea- that he best physical, characteristics of the Maori ace a,re not worth' preserving, and transmiting, while every .effort' is ma'doj to enrich, olour, '■■ and • render' distinctive the art, the lu'sic, 'the literature,'; the history, and' cience of the' Dominion from the art, music, inguiigej- traditions, and .customs! of Poly-, .esia.- ■ .••-...'■.-. ,' '•.;'■".''. "./. : - > ; :- EVOLUTlON..■■■'■■■■;■■•.;;• "(4). In'pursuance'of this aim the party oncerns /itself/chiefly, with the agencies dfr igned-' by'.private' or-Native enterprise,; by, he'Stafe,-and''the churches, to! adapt the hysical, mental, and moral qualities: of the laori peoplo to the circumstances and retirements of "an advanced civilisation.. NATIVES. "(5). ■The.':methods by.: the;party n pursuit of its objects, cannot.; be .said to lave been properly consolidated. In the ineption of the movement they weroneces- 1 arily iconoclastic, to a. certain extent conin, writing out more desirable • alernatiyes.,': The experience, /gained :. in-'/ < a argely experimental- field "justifies, only -tenative schemes;', 1 ■■■■"-■• -*> : ' ■■;■'■;-]■'• --■.'"..'•■" •_'. "(6) It is recognised that as soon as this lioneering has advanced' sufficiently in any lopartment, -the justification for ystem Wjillcpas'e" to' exist.''.' . - 1 : ;' ;MAORIS;m , ; "(7) In the sphere of industry, the efforts f the party are founded on the firm belief hat the, Maori is capablo of work, that such apacity. , .is';ini:tbe„race,. that it is. increas-ngly-shown" within', the experience! of;the >arty./'in / different <districts and' under r aryiiig, conditions, and. can be. developed .to ,'. satisfactory .degree .'•. by direct; assistance,; ind by •intelligent and sympathetic direction. "(8)-It is the'-'aim of the party, though not he.primary one," .to preserve the language,, loe'try, -.traditions,' and customs of the race, ;o far as! is practicable, and to nromote re-; iearch' in th«/ anthropology ■[ and j'etbnology, if the Polynesian race. „ ... ' • ■:. :-; -\: . /■/'! ; VIEWv; : ; ' : ' Ther^. r was one ,yiew: of/the. Maori- that-he nust.deprecatopthat was what he might call ihe: museum In- the musoums, were ,tored>all !the Maori curios and implements; md that was; the popular, view' of tlie-Maori limself,: and'the talk was always of his noble ihd/spendid; pastfT-alway-s. his .noble arid iplondid;.-,past., :>:His .. sordid .present,-was mother- thing;:■ He' did not' know,' that the : : blameless '' for ; this. aew,'.b.ut'th;e' : ,press;.yas largely t' was!-always\ready to report at' 'lengtb :er.emo'nios'and- feasts;!,arid-. such-like.:! ; --'Alaper • was a "cominercial business—it paid jest.' ; The consequence was that the pakeha ?iew''of; the. Maori 'was., that his tiriie .was ;aken:up with tangis and'--feasts,'"entertain--ng distinguished,visitors (mostly tourists), ind'.atfending: the' Native.Land Court. Perldps it. 'might-be interesting'.to learn, the Vlaori 'view of ;tbe, pakeba; (Laughter.) The Vlaori !'had faa!,'iilea that the'pakeha was 'or;:Vever;,;;attendi!rig. banquets,, conferences,; lbrse-races.-'tind "washing' his dirty linen in ;he ; !Courts;' -(Laughter.) 'To get at: the nan 'they must go beyond the press, they nust, get : at the realities;'of character,' meet, is.man.tomari. ■'''-,'-, ,- VVERE 'THEY AGREED AS TO /FUSION?! He would .put /a .question which ras '.-'-.' this: — Having- !the .;views- of she -Yourig- -.'.' Maori party .before -them; ivhich : he asked ( [ them 'to accept, _ were they, igreed on, this 'idea of - !the' fusion of. the races ?.-•/Or-would-- it "be; said' that 'the' fusion Df thg Maori ratio' with the: ; white was hot to bo thought'of ? : Was itto be said broadly that the Maoris held- the pakeha at arm's length, or/did' they.;! not • wish .the ' sacred; AngloSaxon'blood to be tainted'with, Maori blood? If tbey"\y.ere told.'that they were not .to have':'" a iusion. of the bloml,' what was to become of the Maori, raco?.'-On the answer hung'-'-.-the'' issue, 'as' to whether they .(the Maoris)-, wore not-living in..their own '.conn-, tryz/on the;-'suffrance.'.-'.'.of" the'' pakeha. ; He thought -that- they were on the! eve- of important changes,', which would mean' that the, Maoris would , conform-more to' the changes made! in thnir state by the advance, of'the times'in recent years.'. '■' '■' -.'..' 'At,the conclusion of Mr. Ng'ata's.exceedingly 'interesting . remarks; ./the! 'chairman moved a'.hearty, vote 'of_ thanks - :to tho speaker (which ■ was carried'.with acclamation), and announced that Sir Charles Lucas woiild ,be /the: guest ; of /honour at the next meeting!.of the club ;ori Tuesday, July 27. ' :: 'ELECTION OF OFFICERS.; ' ' Mr. Myers announced that at the ! last mooting of the Executive/Committee, a. list of officers; had been presented '-for. nomination, but it was still open for members _to move other . nominations. On : the , motion of: Mr. !F. .M. B. Fisher, the officers for the firßt year so nominated' were elected. These were as follow:—President, Mr. M. Myers;.first vice-president, Mr.'J; G. Harkness; .second -.'vice-president;' Mr. P.: --G. Freeth'; secretary, Mr. fi. N. Holmes; literary correspondent, Mr. !WTieeler; treasuref, Mr. Webb; committee, Mr'. Granville Hunt, Mr. Harcus Plimmer, Mr. G. S; Shirtcliffe, Mr. H. C. Tewsley, arid Mr. H. S/'Hairt::;:•■''■■'-"'■ :'-■! " ,""• ! ! '!■ ■;! : :.'- '.-