CHARGES DENIED

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 270, 29 October 1932, Page 8

CHARGES DENIED

NATIVE ADMINISTRATION “NO EXTRAVAGANCE SHOWN." SIR A. T. NGATA’S DEFENCE. (By Telegraph—Special to “Tribune.”) Wellington, Oct. 28. Charges of extravagance in the administration of the Native Affairs Department were refuted strenuously by the Minister of Native Affairs (Sir Apirana Ngata) during the Budget debate in the House late this afternoon. He replied in strong terms to various members who had charged him with maladministration, and he declared that Maoris in certain parts were doing more in proportion to meet the economic crisis than Europeans. Sir Apirana said that in the first place charges of victimising Maori electors had beeu made by Mr W. Nash (Hutt), and these charges had emanated from the Wairoa district. He would like Mr Nash to supply him with particulars of the charges so that ho could investigate them. “I can assure him of one thing,” th Minister said, “and that is that during the whole of my political career I have dealt with Maori people as Maori people, irrespective of their politics. Mr F. Langstone (Waimarino): Oh! The Minister said that only that morning the chairman of the relict committee in the Wairoa district had called on him and stated that in his capacity as chairman he could state that no complaint of the kind alleged had been made to him. The member who made the allegations should supply further information so that the whole question could be gone into. CONSERVATION OF RIGHTS.

Mention had been made by the new member for Southern Maori (Mr E. T. Tirikatene) of tho fact that he had come to Parliament to stand up for the rights and privileges of the Maori people, but he would find that, taking them by and large, the European members of Parliament had been sympathetic in their treatment of native problems, and he could say this with the authority of one who had been in the House for nearly 30 years. Mistakes had been made, but this was inevitable. The pakeha member always tried to be fair in his dealings with the Maori race, although there may have been shortcomings. Mr R. Semple (Wellington East): What about the bungling of the treaty? Sir Apirana said that, quite apart from sentiment and as a matter of cold historical fact, there had been nothing but fairness in the treatment of the Maoris by pakehas. He had never hesitated, in comparing the treatment accorded to other native races, to say that the greatest blessing that had ever fallen upon the Maoris was the fact that they had come under the management of the Crown of England. ABSOLUTE DENIAL.

Turning to criticisms of the administration of Native Affairs, the Minister said that apparently he had to take responsibility for activities eVen although they may have been carried out under his predecessors during the past 30 or 40 years. Members of Parliament were fair on the whole, and he thought that they would be able to distinguish between acts committed by him and those committed by those in charge of Native Affairs before he had come into office. However, he would take full responsibility for everything that had been done during his tenure of office. He could deny absolutely the charges of extravagance made against his department, especially in regard to native land development, and he hoped to be able to place a complete statement before the House before the end of the session setting out all available facts concerning land development. The Minister dealt at length with tho progress made by the Ngapuhi tribe iu North Auckland in land settlement and development work. OUTSTANDING SELF-RELIANCE. “The tribes of tho north are the most outstanding exponents of selfreliance to be found anywhere in New Zealand, whether among Maoris or pakehas,” he said “In view of the criticism of the amount expended on native farm schemes it might be as well to remember that the money, so spent up to 1929 was Maori money. Legislation to assist natives from State funds was passed in that year, and the expenditure from State funds to March 1930, was £6500; in other words, in 100 years the Maoris had £6500 from State funds, and in that time how much has the pakeha had? Consider what the pakeha has had from the State Advances Department, alone.

“J deny absolutely the charge of extravagance as far as the Ngapuhis are concerned,” said the Minister. “They would not take any money for their labour until unemployment became acute. I have seen nikau cow sheds in the north and just two sheets of iron over the separator, with no concrete underneath. They are able to get along with such resources. Where else

has anyone heard of bush being felled for 8s and 10s an acre?” PROUD OF IT. Mr Langstoue: You ougnt to be ashamed to admit it. The Minister: I am proud of it. They are reducing the charge on their land. The Maori may not be a flash farmer like the European; he may not get so much out of his land or from his cows as the pakeha, or so we have been told. We will admit that the pakeha is a better farmer. He has more resources. The Maori is the pakeha of yesterday, and he is taking advantage of his lower standards in these times.