MAORI WELFARE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 74, 29 March 1938, Page 10

MAORI WELFARE

LIQUOR PROBLEM

NEED FOR URGENT ACTION

NATIONAL QUESTION

The urgent need for taking active steps to curb the supply of liquor to the Maoris was impressed upon the Acting Minister in Charge of Native Affairs (the Hon. F. Langstone) today by a large deputation representing various Churches and other social organisations. At the request o£ the deputation, which was introduced by Mr. L. G. Lowry, M.P., the Minister agreed to.call a conference of all workers in the field of Maori welfare to discuss a course of action. The deputation comprised the Bishop of Wellington (the Ht. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland), Bishop P. A. Bennett (Bishop of Aotearoa), the Rev. Percy Paris (president of the Methodist Conference), the Very Rev. D. D. Scott (Presbyterian Church), the Rev. A. L. Silcock (Baptist Church), Pastor A. G. Saunders (Church of Christ), Major Nelson (Salvation Army); Messrs. F. C Spratt, C. Todd, H. W. Milner, D. t' S Martin, F. Feist, and A. H. Ivory, representing the New Zealand Alliance; Miss M. McLean, Mrs. Pearson, and Miss Chappell, representing the Women's Social Progress Movement; Miss Kirk and Mrs. H. W. Burnett, representing the W.C.T.U.; and Messrs. Davies and Carpenter, representing the Rechabites. Mr. Milner said the deputation represented those directly interested m Maori welfare, particularly from the point of view of the liquor problem. It felt that there was urgent need for seme immediate action in connection with this question. The British prided themselves on the part they had played in Native administration, and on their determination to uplift the Native peoples. They could not afford to fall below that high standard. There were' written into the laws of this country, on the plea of the Maoris themselves, those things that would protect them from liquor, but there was evidence of the widespread nature of the evil. There were breaches of these laws leading to dreadful and tragic happenings in different pas, and they felt that a ■determined enforcement of the laws would help considerably. "This is a national question touching on our national honour," said Mr. Milner, "and the Government should take immediate steps to convene a conference of those engaged in elevating the Maori and developing the race. From that conference a plan might be evolved that would lead to a better state of affairs, and would restrain and restrict the habit that is growing among the Native race at the moment." Mr. Milner mentioned the danger of sly-grog-ging, which was rampant all over New Zealand, and which was a major factor in the damage that was being done. MINISTER'S PRACTICAL WORK. Bishop Bennett thanked the Minister for the practical work he had done in respect of the liquor problem. He knew that the Minister was very con* cerned that there .was so much drunkenness among the Maori people. "I speak as one who is conversant with the present condition of the race," said Bishop Bennett, "and as one naturally very interested in the future welfare of the Maoris, and I say without fear of contradiction that the drinking tendencies of the Maori people are just as bad as they were twenty and thirty years ago. With the increase in easy money and with easier conditions, the young people seem to gravitate to the , hotels and spend their money there. Many of the Maori leaders themselves are agitated and do not know what to do.

"The evil is a pakeha creation, and that should be emphasised, and the responsibility resting on the pakeha is tremendous. The degradation of the Maori people is terribly sad in very many cases. We have to try and formulate some scheme so that conditions among the Maoris may be improved. There is a. real difficulty facting our country, and unless something definite is done the whole future of the Maori race is at stake."

Bishop Bennett spoke of conditions in certain parts of the Far North, where it was absolutely unsafe for pakeha women to go into some villages at times because of the intoxication among the Maoris. The.same thing was true of other plac.es, too. "There is no colour line in this country," he said, "but if these conditions go on, there will be a colour line, drawn by the Maoris themselves, not by the pakeha, because the pakeha will not associate himself with Maoris who thus waste their 'substance."

Bishop Bennett referred to the danger of home brew, and to the practice of Dalmatians in the Far North who had showed the Maori how to make home brew out of all sorts of rubbish. The Maoris at Eotorua felt that the time had come'when something should be done, and had formulated suggestions for the control of the habit. "I hope that there will be a conference of workers in this field," he added, "and that there will be some scheme that will help to uplift and preserve the Maori race."

INCREASINGLY GRAVE PROBLEM.

Bishop Etolland said that the Church of England, so far as this part o£ the Dominion was concerned, was behind Bishop Bennett in his efforts to bring the influence of the Church to bear in uplifting the Maoris and reinforcing their morjil fibre. He had watched the Minister's treatment of the Maoris with the'utmost admiration. The problem was becoming increasingly grave, and he supported the idea of a conference, where the intricacies of the whole question, which were simply terrific, would be brought out. Mr. Scott endorsed the urgent need for the conference. The increase in drunkenness among the Maoris was appalling with the- increase of wages, very little of which, in many cases, reached the wives and children. The good will of the Government was being endangered by the drink evil.

Mr. Spratt said that the deputation (would be behind the Government in anything that was done for the benefit Df the Maori. Something more than prohibitory legislation was needed in this question. Unless they had the Maoris working 'among themselves for their own betterment, they would get go lasting good results. The Minister assured the deputation'that its representations were in line with the Government's own thoughts on this very urgent question. The Maoris had every right that the pakeha-had, and one more—the right to pakeha protection. Though selfdiscipline was the very finest form of discipline, at times they could not wait for it. "We must not blame the Maoris for drinking," said the Minister. "They could not get it unless it was sold to them, and it is not sold to them by Maoris. If a pakeha sells drink to a Maori, then he is just as much to blame for the Maori becoming intoxicated. There is no excuse for the Maori and no excuse for the other gentleman, either."

The Minister said that in Rotorua they had Maori wardens going round the hotels with power to debar a Maori from having liquor. In the north there were people selling liquor to the Maoris that brought about serious

degradation. "The Maoris become easy victims," said Mr. Langstone. "They like to be sociable. One of the causes of drink is that people wish to become sociable. We have tried to work out something in connection with sustenance payments by introducing the coupon system, together with only a little bit of cash." INDIVIDUAL DISCIPLINE. The Minister said that it was a very difficult problem, and he would be only too pleased to have a conference. Bishop Bennett would agree with him that where there were Maori meetings they should try to get the Maoris themselves to carry out some evangelistic work, of which there was a tremendous amount to be done. If they could get the Maoris to take the question up in real earnest, so as to bring about individual discipline, they might be able to do something. He would like to see Maoris refused to be supplied with liquor, though he did not think there was any more drinking among them now than before. ' Untu we can get the Maoris to face up to the problem in a real way, all the work that we are trying to do—we are spending a tremendous amount of money on Maori betterment—will be handicapped " said Mr. Langstone. "Though much has been done, there is still much more to be done. There is no better way than to get the land owned by the Maoris, and by their own industry and labour enable them to get their income from it. The Government is alive to the position, and any assistance we can get from any members of the community will be gladly accepted, if it is going to make for the betterment of the Maoris. There will be no one more pleased than the Government and myself if that can be brought about." -