THE MAORLS AS BRITISH SUBJECT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8052, 4 August 1904, Page 2

THE MAORLS AS BRITISH SUBJECT

', There are two factors at present in operi tion to bring the above subject before tfc public. The first is the apparent unanin v ity with which settlers demand that ni tive landholders shall pay equal rateß wit their fellow British subjects of Europea - origin; the second is the petitions whic are being presented to Parliament by moi than one section of the Maori people, a_l ing that the full privileges of British sul i> jects shall be extended to them, and c: ceptional legislation, to their advantage < the reverse, be made a thing of the pas \ The first has been fairly before our rca< - ers in the debates of the Farmers' Unioi Fj ancl local bodies, published from time 1 time in the Star; the second we dea r " with edftowally when the great Maori pet tion was first disseminated for signature j a few weeks ago. A leader in the Cai i. terbury Times, with th/? Abov y e headinj not only evidences a thorough grasp < - the incongruity of the situation, and peco{ nises the imminence of change, but it peculiarly interesting as voicing the opu T ion« ol the <South Island, where the h g conveniences of the present position of a 1 11 fairs are not so hard upon settlers; an also, as coming from a paper which ge? ta! erally support*, the Government, wa ma take it the editor is not mistaken whe he Bays that "Parliament ie not prepare to deal with the question comprehensive ly." The article commenced with •n< tice of the Treaty of Waitangi, of whic some years ago the highest authority o international law in England said that th sovereignty of Britain over New Zealan 8 was based on a contract, that is, a treatj and of which the Canterbury Times thu e P eak» in the Uttf* part °* » »horJb\jw

able article : "It surrendered to tfie Queen of Britain the sovereignty of New Zealand; it guaranteed to the Maoris "full, exclusive, and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates, forests, fisheries and other properties ; it gave to the Crown the invaluable but sbmetimes abused right of pre-emption over native lands ; and, finally, it gave to the natives all the rights and privileges of British subjects. Logically and strictly we should be treating the Maoris as individuals entitled to the same rights, and subject to the same duties as are borne by European subjects of the British Crown. The wbts and rebellions of past days do not, to our mind, effect the force of the compact, entered into in 1840. It has been convenient to deal with the natives under special legislation, their land customs for example, preventing the application to them of the ordinary laws of the colony. We have relieved thorn from rates in certain directions, have granted them special representation in Parliament, and have given them a modified form of local government. On the whole this legislation has been extremely beneficial, and New Zealand has some reason to be proud of the manner in • which it has faced its native problem. But it is idle to think that we can go on treating the Maoris as a "problem." The • day will come, and will come soon, when i we must granl them full rights and de- | mand that they shall accept their full responsibilities as British subjects. Parliament, we know, is not prepared to deal with the question comprehensively, but this petition of Mahuta's is clearly the beginning of a formidable agitation, and our politicians will have to set about remedying their really deplorable ignorance of the position of the Maoris." We have 1 already pointed out to our readers that the lands held by natives in. this West Coast settlement district, are h^ld under Crown ' tenure, and are not native lands. What- , ever form the assumption of the responsibility of administering native lands by the Government may take, in tho interests of settlement, some kind of trust will undoubtedly have to be established, which will receive and disburse native monies, the proceeds of their estates, in order that 1 the natives may be kept from impoverishment, and the Europeans not penalised for their 'support, through Charitable Aid Boards, and old-age pension operations. On this coast that has been done by the j appointment of the Public Trustee, and as presumably no scheme will be finally adopted, which has not been, %i least, tentatively accepted, by the natives, the question whether the precedent established in this district, between Waitotora and White Cliffs, is such as to induce the native beneficiaries to recommend their brothers elsewhere, to gladly accept a similar trust, is of importance. We offer no opinion. The natives concerned in tho Ohotu block would not consider the sUggestion,but, it > is understood, agreed to lease on 21 years' lease with a right of renewal for another i similar term, improvements to be the pror perty of the tenants. Mr Parata on Tues1 day in the House, speaking presumably for South Island natives also said "no" very decisively. How far these negatives represent native opinion we do not know.