MAORIS IN PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 13, 28 December 1911, Page 6

MAORIS IN PARLIAMENT.

|> \ A NEW ZEALANDEE. i .•i 11 t• »• if <>t > ar? e receptive people than the The difft'renfe bctwr-en ■ ■" *••■ cxprt ■‘■<l in thia ■ ■ < n<.fw .Europu»" •>: ■ anrt- aoi habit-, the Maoris ■ ■ th. ere In th. • ase of the A * t *■ ■ ! ri. - ._ i i »pi -» i-i i ry- *>■ d< and it strikes t:s that in : s h:- owe; re>re unm ami his '• - Teo* si.:; hi. u bet Ur. M • i;.> - t<> a Luger extent re « re* < f wiw lvts. The re>* M(■ * trailers to 1 i’ r: :.ret ■ >iree y • a;■s ago showed re-re/." ti>c natives referred ■ ■ ■ ".'i.tr nat-oaa! pastime#. 1 • ■ i* 1 > "•*• » ti <• *> ighly ciitr- •; Inciislt same than fuot- ’• knew the feeling oi ■ re t. re-ren'nt. half dis gust with ■ ' : . r* reiredr-i on the (rerntrnre !•■ ; Ei p,, game into ” r*;:> Maoris have entered with ■ an J thmr pofii-iency is •'■ ; A. Ere fari. that, the tt-arn tks- ■ . <> ... Emrland more than hell ■hi Loth in New Zealand and aiia. Similarly there is prw no point on which the English-* o prid*-» hi*i.-elf more than liisi nei' ~ h use <>f polities and the free- • ‘ of i.i.s institutions. The Maoris I i . taken i.i as .kindly a fashion nr- emath grernrenit as f-.i-e to f. ot(m!L They are . debaters, aemistomed to have ! . ht'tings on matters of inipw- ' ’• at which questions at issue re- !--.>i f.,'- h'-urs, days and

f * '" ti•n■ s «v t ks. Thoir orators • o, in i: ooy,. s.in , a.'.;t:, postry,. alle--i>", metaphors and proverbs-in io : there is no rhetorical device *■ < i whe h they are not acquainted. . there are* four Maori representa’l - * -> so rt.c H« re, of the New Z ’ Parliament and. two in the * ‘ -J Au I urn il ami the -preehes "i all re them ar*, as a ride, effe«.oand to Elie point. Two of them ■'-.k our language, perfectly with a !''»"tfre"* tif-ss of pre-nunemtion. n ■ h i Ae a words ami elocutionary ,-t wit! I''ll. ha-, e caused them to be raiAu.d. among-* the best speakers ~**» their own. tongue, and their rr-tu::.-k.s mt r ■■preted sentence by . < < he official interpreter .Stare': , . I , * t > ■■side. The M:t"rs, as has been said, is born IOAr. and the scene is a striking There i« nothing persuasive about Ins eJ'iquencr- ;;s a rule : but it is often fiery, energetic, and frm-t*de. He adorns his speeches with flights <»f irtiarxery awl figurative adtisi*ami is by no means. dcfi< tent in a homely kind of humcur. l.< : ir.ikiri.it a f one of these Maori members addressing the House on the grieranti - of his race, his eyes ifl'asiiing fin*. Ins hand outstretche-1 with appropriate gestures, an I speaking with an energy which causes the perspiration to stream down hi- f.'it - *'. '..tie cannot help feel-1 g that at any rate he is in carn■i. th it out of the fullness of the »- : e rnoiith speaketh,"’ and. r ■■ .tever may be said of some co 1 ■ 1 ..nropcan colleagues, there is ~ Am ■ us-umed l.y his indignation. | I"’’ oui,, approach to an anti-climax - .ch'" . the orator, exhausted by tits fi.>sATi->i.e efforts [Hills ou* a large {►arti-coloured silk handerchief and proceeds t** ‘ mop his ’ fave, hands, am! even the back *>f his neck with an unsophistiented vigour that re eaiii ‘'the child of nature” ones'

to the minds of the audience. ■; .ft was 01 l'*67 that the experiment j was tir-t. tried it admitting Maoris. the New Zealand Legislature. j The J’.i>''i Representation Act was j ititi-'shir '< by Mr. McLean—after- ’ - ■>. i s M. ix m- it I for five v a:-s and th.- House was sol satistiiul with the n odi of the ex- 1 pfrinient ti-.it in K2 it wis extended for jvr*lw': lite years to continue j in op. “.v i * or r l pi < i tHy r< pealed 1 ,i i \ri >f t e I <»>■>•■«■ il Assembly. ■ has been stated that the .Maori I nMoiihi'Ts aru bv no mmis devoid old humour. There is also a good deal j of mniiura.u'i:*' in many tt their | -n>. ( . .. Lt IV itiH'H > instances j ftlu./h i::.v idi.ist.raU' both ' these { ~ , t'.u> i’< >' de- > ,- '.i • Mu Taitiroa | and pithily remarked: | j . . . i. • ii t tin.am aware j ■. r.irl.anii i t House is th*’ ~ t,- tn -t <-f ti. ■ talk is car- I it is a very good thing j .- i> tf . meetings of I'arliatnen arc j

' .’t Wm!i:igu»n, because it is a[ wi.tu.iy place and we have the?"d blowing about here every day.] I liken the wind to the speeches j that are made by honourable mem- ] >-«ts of this House. The wind blows! * from all quarters and so with the* * , >t ti » lonotiriLli gentlemen. I Thev aw gneu tins way today. Banother wav to-morrow' and another | * way the Needless, to say this j ' neat I a. t i satire on Parliamentary I t . »»»».-.*•' with a; ■ fl ~. p . • .>.igir*r and applaii-e. [ * As IM..V »!■’ gathered from Mr. . r t ~,, , . • tr k» ) .-I quoted the M.tori.- i I’-*' rather a con wrapt fori r t-.. raft, i> -v <■ debates and. struggles; » / -I , No confidence di-* i J ira-ira* when Sir Ge»»rg i Gra'- I,; i ry was turned out. Mr. j [ Tau 1 ' . a partly good twitured i. M-wi i ii-<t a shining light on M es-. ! vs - I Bi •• Ribbon platform-, i mH * ■ ■ i'' L-io!,» mg re ma rks : "It] a;-,:. 1.-, to t>,- the u-ual thing; -, : ’ r »r..ir i- l"<>kt d f». v . - I . ■ o .. MI.IU mtl’TtMif-'TiS of r ..■ H that one side should • . _ Hl' cthi I. I don t *<■<’ ■ ■■ -o :n that whatever. A great i’ ’ vrm is doin' in. tins kind »>f v u ; . ••. • s :! i i 11, t s 11. a r i : i »' x t e I ids to : -O'-' ■■ <>‘i f -ii.i<- thi- Hi’inr. ht'iead . ■ i V < I: ''U?t Itig t. I* •'ll' titll" t < > . .I-'. ■» hi wiili In* no‘it the i'em - : .. ■ -.1... v * inc I W 1 " ot t lie 11 * W.e , h ... 1-; ■. ntetpl loin. It uh. iv Lj. pc: ,i, t>. 11 • < who ..U'iusge H» t . .: - ' ■ .f th mg ; bi»t 1 can a-»iire i. . if ..; ■ th.ll it i* n<»t si* to the ; . t oi mrtthirat lie siio- • ■l'cnsiiei! tli.ni tic- i« . . 1... . o oo tr.>m oirh .1 quat ter ' ! ;.. ■ .ph' i - * i ~i<J *u. f prol o < 'f l .. >.,■ ..'...M- ’ ■ fiuii !lav-> m the tn - ... . .|ii. ii iio. e. ii *- I'l'ldc' wr . : i > --i ’ . ■ - • •- 1 . - ■ 1" .'. . « - rr i 'io i I or f. ■ rt v i . ;. 1 iiirti i*tie. It. V'a.* it*

? matter »>f geiAi-a.! ■ ..itnnif’ut that the • Maori '<>*ev went, with Sir .George Grey. v. hose influence witit the native ra.--* wa- proverbial; 'but .on this 'ivcas-on •*a»- of the quartette. ‘ Mr. Totnoana. broke away from the . h-ash. and this converted what would L i-. bee.«f a tie into a victory for the Opposition. Toiuoana s vote in fact . was quite the sensation of the crisis. * lie explained ti..it the Government ~ had done nothing to redress the j Maori gr;e’.'ane»‘S.. therefore he j should no longer support them. He j then described an interview he had with the leader of'ti.v Opposition. I Mr. Hall (cow Sir John Hal!) in ; which t!*. • i.v<: *r. he said, agreed to I his. view# concerning the native race, land agreed, to appoint a Maori Mini ister to manage native affairs. I ; agreed.” added the speaker, “to -•:pm ri hi' -'d -. I shall exercise my j tote as chief. If I see anything ‘ wrong on ih • other side I shall attempt to overthrow them. Whwhever -id.- is right. I shall attempt to uphold it.” This speech caused <on ■ >:deraldf excitement: and Mr. Hall, n.id to ext ! iin that he did not [>rotriisft that a Maori Minister should] be ap[M>inted t<> manage native af fairs, /but m-rnly that the Cabinet i should iticl.tde a Maori member. | Tomoana adh-'red to his promise ofvoting with the Opposition and on the formation of the Hall Govern > nier.t was made a member of the Ex- ■ eeutive Council without, portfolio.! He had, however, still another sur-! prise in store for the House. About j a fortnight afterwards he rose in his* ph-tce on the Treasury Benches and ‘ said : ”T hai c asked the Minister to send for some other native to., sit in my place, because for many years my pc«ij>le have l»een suffering. Some are in gaol (alluding to the imnri-

slit ill nr.'q t <Ei .Uttillk# I” li-V ; >• '.ament of the followers of a native ffanatic who had been creating a distiirbaiice), ami the women and d;ild- ■ ren have suffered and nothing has ! bcm done in answer to their prny- ; rrs to alleviate their suffering. 1 : I should vote and deal honestly ! with Mr. Hall, and so I wish to go I honourably from tiiis seat because I cannot see what benefits my people are to derive from what fell from the Native Minister.” At the conclusion of this speech the honourable member left tlie Government benches and walked majectically across the House where he took his seat among the 'Opposition amid < lea fen ing cheers of that party. The Ministry it may he added were strengthened from another quarter, ami therefore con-, J tinned in ••flic;- in spite of the dc- ' fee! ■.• a of their colleague. This J sketch would be incomplete were it i not stated that the general conduct i | of th" native members has been ex-1 , emplary and in some respecis a : pattern to their European col- < ! leagues. No unseemly interruption' j, of a speaker is ever heard coming j. from a Maori member : nor has it [ ever been suggested that a good* i dinner at Bellamy’s was unfavour- | able to oratory in the case of a Maori legislator, whatever scandals in that respect may be circulated about his whiter-skinned confreres. To this it may be added, that no Maori has ever been known to vote against payment of the full honorarium to members, but then he has: never been guilty of the hypocrisy | of pretending to be in favour of a, reduction while fervently hoping it J will not be carried and voting fori the motion for retrenchment after} making quite sure that there is no< chance <•{ its being adopted.