NATIVE AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 21993, 1 April 1935, Page 3

NATIVE AFFAIRS

NEW BOARD AUTHORISED THE NEED FOR UNDERSTANDING TRIBUTE TO SIR A. NGATA. [Pi* Ukitrb Press Association.] WELLINGTON, March 30. After a short debate the Maori Purposes Fund Bill and the Board of Native Affairs Bill were passed by the House of Representatives to-day. The former measure provides for the establishment of a Central Maori Purposes Fund and Fund Control Board and the consolidation of the existing board, the Board of Maori Ethnological Research and Maori Arts and Crafts Board. Moving the second reading, the Prime Minister (Mr Forbes) said the Bill gave effect to some of the recommendations of the Royal Commission. . The new Maori Purposes Fund Board would consist of the Native Minister as chairman, the Under-Secretary of the Native Department, the Director of Education, the Director-General of Health, the four members of Parliament representing the Maori race, and not more than four other persons appointed by the Governor-General-iu-Counci I. “ Nothing repels the Maoris more than cold, hard officialdom,” said Mr Forbes, speaking on the second reading of the Board of Native Affairs Bill. ‘‘lf they come in contact with anyone who does not sympathise with them and understand their problems very little can be done. It must bo remembered that they have been living in a civilised state for only a comparatively short time, and if they are to be persuaded to go on with their land development and other schemes they must be treated witli sympathy and understanding.” Mr Forbes explained that the purpose of the Bill was to sob up a board similar to the Native Land Settlement Board. Its administration would he much the same as that of the Lands Department with the Imad office in Wellington and various district Native committees. with much the same duties as land hoards. The committees would advise the Board of Native Affairs regarding the working of land development and other schemes,- and this advice would be particularly valuable since it would come from practical men in the district who knew the particular problems of their area. At present there were supervisors who looked after various schemes, and under the provisions of the Bill they would work in co-opera-tion with convmittees whose functions, like those of land boards, would be of a purely advisory nature. Mr E. T. Tirikateue said that the Maori trusteeship had been turned into a commercial proposition, and the welfare of the Native race was not its only care. The Bill before the House would certainly lead to some improvement, but the Government had far to go before it could regard its duty to the Maori as properly fulfilled. The establishment of a central board of Native affairs might entail extra expense for the Native beneficiary. Mr Tirikateue said there should be some provision for making members of the board personally liable for* their actions. That, at least, would he a safeguard. The formation of district Native commit,tcos was a wise step, but the constitution of these committees might well be altered. ■At present there was provision for the appointment of two men with'experience of practical farming, but at least one of these should be an expert iu Maori psychology. Sir Savage said the Native race should be treated in a way that non Id get it out of their minds that they were merely beneficiaries and the pakehas were trustees. They were working under a treaiy, and should be prepared to give effect to the spirit as well as the letter of the treaty.

Sir Apirana Ngata urged .greater cooperation between Natives and pakehas. He said the proposal of the Native Minister was entitled to support, but the greatest weakness was that the committees would be advisory only. He knew of no organisation on which good men could be content to serve merely in an advisory capacity, and have their advice perhaps swept aside by a cold department. The trouble to-day was that the Native race did not trust the Native Trust, and had riot the confidence in the Native Department that it should have. Greater personal touch was needed. The country was rich in men who could sympathetically administer the affairs of the Native people, and, given that type of man, the,Native race was quite prepared to place its whole future in their hands; but when it was left to a machine, one felt very concerned as to the effect of the policy the Government seemed to want to put into effect. At the present time the job of Native Minister was to see that the administration was sufficient and efficient, and that public money was not wasted; but be had also to see that the movement was not strangled. Mr Coleman said that very few people understood the Natives’ position. That was what the pakeha had to do, and to gain the confidence of tho Natives. He thought the Bill was a step in the right direction. Mr Ansell thought the words of Sir A. Ngata that the Native race had little confidence in tho Native Department would come as an unpleasant surprise to most members of the House. Mr Atmore said the Maori’s proper place was on the land, and Sir A. Ngata had made heroic efforts to retain him there. He paid a tribute to the work of Sir A. Ngata for his people. Mr Forbes, replying, said it had been impossible to put into the Bill anything about Maori housing, but it would be done in a more comprehensive measure' next session. There was no intention of ignoring the needs of the Maori people. Mr Forbes, speaking on the committal of the Maori Purposes Fund Bill, briefly reviewed its provisions. He said it was mainly a machinery measure. . Mr Tirikateue asked whether some provision could be made for teaching tho ancient Maori arts and crafts in the South Island. There was a school at Rotorua, and he suggested that a smaller school should be established at Christchurch or somewhere else in the South Island.

Sir A. Ngata said the best opinion was against having more than one institution for teaching carving and other arts and crafts. He suggested that some arrangement might be made to send one or two promising young men from the South Island to the school at Rotorua.

Mr Field welcomed the Bill, and hoped it would preserve the Maori language. Both Native Bills were put through committee and passed.