PLEA FOR LAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 July 1924, Page 13

PLEA FOR LAND.

AUSTRALIAN BLACKS. DESIRE FOR INDEPENDENCE, SYDNEY, July 3. A touching plea for land or tliei'r own, wnereby uiey may become mciepenuent, lias been aduressed by tne nacives of me Fount 'Fierce aboriginal mission station in South Australia to the- Rev. J. C. 4i.irby, of Adelaide, .steps have been taken to bring the appeal under the notice of the Government. The natives on the mission station are under superintendence, and are paid certain rates or wages for the work that is allotted them. With the money leceived they, purchase their requirements from a store on the station. This plan was adopted in South Australia on account of the disappointing results obtained from making individual grants of land and other systems that have been tried for dong the right thing for the blacks. It is contended that now they have got over the demoralising influences of first contact with the whites, the blacks can hold their own if given a fair start, and that with independence and the means of making enough money to keep their families, they can become an increasing and sturdy race once again. To give point to this, those who support the pleas of tile natives quote the marked increase in numbers that some tribes in Western Australia have shown in recent years.

The Point Pierce appeal, written by one of the natives, is an interesting document. “We do most earnestly wish to be self-supporting,” it says. “About 15 years ago, wlien our trustee in Aloonta had the management t>i this mission, we asked them for a portion of this land. They refused to give us what we asked for. We felt we were not doing any wrong when we asked i'or a portion of this land; we were only asking for our right. We will never be any better off a« long as we. remain on' this mission. We have some fine men and women here, men and women who can hold their own with any while people. We would like you to come and have a look at our mission and see the work that is done here I> y our own. people. We have our masons, also carpenters and practical farmers, but for all the work that is done by our own people the wages are not good enough. The single men are paid at the rate of os per day and the married men 8s per day. Some of our married men get 6s or 7,s per day, and out oi that small wage they have to find their wives, children and themselves in everything. Every winter the wages are reduced. A shilling is taken off every man’s wages, but they won’t cut the prices down rn our store. The things we get in our mission store a.re not first-class, but they charge us top prices for them. W. e have to pay for our meat. The meat and flo-ur are grown on the land. We would nearly iill of us like to have a portion of this bind, or. if the Government cannot give us land here, we would like them to lease the land to us. Then we can feel that we are independent, not living on charity. Jt js only right that we should have land instead of tile white fsinners around. There are several white fsinners here sit present in worklng halves’ with the mission, taking tbeir thousands off the land. A man from here went to the Chief Protector <• I asked him. for a. piece of land that was available here. There si're not many acres, but this man thought lie could make a better living on it than here. He is a man with a large family. The Protector could not grant it to him. but lie gave the l piece of laud over to a white farmer to graze his sheep on. That is what you call British justice.—We remain, the Natives of Point Pierce.’^