MAORIS AND RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 70, 15 December 1933, Page 9

MAORIS AND RELIEF

“No Discrimination Made” POLICY OF THE BOARD A request that Maoris and pakehas should be treated on a basis of equality in the allocation of unemployment relief -was made to the Minister of Employment, Hon. A. Hamilton, by a deputation yesterday. The Minister assured the deputation, which was introduced by Mr. E. T. Tirikatene (Southern Maori), that the Unemployment Board never had any intention of discriminating between Maori and pakeha because of their racial differences.

Mr T Gregan, Levin, vice-president ofthe National Union of Unemployed, asked that there should be no unfair discrimination between Maori and pakeha. It had been said that the Maoris could live on the communal, system, but he thought that did not apply

at the present time. Although some Maoris’ had received rents from pakehas in the past, it was not the position today. Many of the pakehas . had not been paying their rents, and with the recent cut in allocation, conditions were deplorable, and might lead to disaster so far as the Maori race was concerned. Last year the Maori was on the same footing as the pakeha, but the case was different now. The Maori had been cut to a mere pittance. He wanted to impress upon the Minister the seriousness of the position as/effecting the possibility of the extermination of the Maori. In Foxton, Levin, and Shannon, the regulation was that no Maori should receive more than £1 a week, irrespective of the number of children over three. In Levin, B class Europeans were paid 25/-.a week and C class, 1.e., those with three children and over, received 33/9 a week. Mr. R. Williams said the position of relief workers in Levin was very serious. Maoris were not receiving their rents, and simply because they were Natives many were penalised. Mr. H. J. Fell said the Maoris in Shannon were receiving no rents 1 at all, and there was practically no seasonal work in the district. The district nurse reported that four children in Shannon were suffering from mal-

nutrition, one a Maori, and they had been ordered to a health camp. Mr. Taite Te Tomo (Western Maori) said he hoped the Minister would place the Maori race on the same footing as 'he pakeha. The Minister said that if anything was wrong be would try to put it right. The Unemployment Board was naturally more generous during the winter months when families could not live as cheaply as : in the summer, and it was always difficult to return to the summer allocation. The board had a certain amount of money to distribute, and for some considerable time it had been distributing more than it had been receiving. It could not continue its winter allocation during the summer.

He assured the deputation that there had never been any thought of discriminating between Maori and pakeha on account of differences of race. Generally speaking, the board’s information was that quite a number of Maoris owned a piece of land upon which they could live. They might not be paying rent. ■ Mr. Tirikatene: It is a liability. The Minister: Oh, no, not a liability. If you have a piece of ground on which you can keep a cow, not having any rent to pay, it is a big help. Tn conclusion, the Minister said he

could not promise the deputation anything more than that he would make inquiries immediately, and would get an officer to visit Foxton. Levin, and Shannon to report on conditions there.