NATIVE AFFAIRS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 December 1932, Page 7

NATIVE AFFAIRS

CHARGES OF EXTRAVAGANCE.

denial given by minister

' WELLINGTON, December 2. ' Allegations of extravagance against the native Attairs Department were pointedly answered in the House to-clay oy the Native Minister (the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata), during the second r, dim; of the Native Land Amendment Bill. “I am not sensitive, but I am not go!.,g to lie .down under that s'vt of thing,’’ .said the Minister defending the administration of his Department, which, he said, compared favourably with that of any other Department of State. The only charge > gainst him, he claimed, was that he had seined the psychological moment when the depression had turned the Maori race back to the land to develop an adequate settlement policy and keep , the Maoris where they properly belonged. He made it plain that at least one clause of the Bill hod been forced upon him, and declared that in other times he would strongly advise the House to .reject it.

SETTLEMENT FUND. Explaining the provisions of the Bill the Minister said that the Native Land Settlement Account Fund, through which the Crown acquired land for native fettlement, had been getting into ,a difficult /position, TBs Maori did not believe in bonds, H 0 would toot sell his land unless he saw the colour of the money. The purchase officers, knowing the weakness, of the race—though it wa lS by n 0 mean 3 singular weakness—realised that to buy land from Maoris they had to take the deed and tli e cheque book with them The most successful purchaser of land had been .Sir Donald McLean. Indeed, ft .almost seemed that there must be some affinity between the Scots and the Maoris. | Mr D. G.' (Sullivan (Lab., Avion): They’re both spendthrifts. Sir Donald McLean, .continued the Minister, had bought the greater part of the land that was at present held. The Hon. A. D. McLeod (Ind. C-, Wairarapa) : H e gave more for the lot Of it than it is worth to-day. The Minister: I certainly don’t think he foresaw this slump. I don’t think this House is aware' that the great success of land settlement in New Zealand is due not so much to the land settlement policy as to the fact that in the I early 'history of the country th e best and the cheapest land was bought from .the Maoris. The purchase of this land

satisfied lh<j need for' cheap land for settlement, and the men who undertook it are to be congratulated.

POWERS OF MINISTER

The National Ependiture Commission, he went on, had had a great deal to say about a “one man” Board and what they described as extraordinary powers given to a Minister of the Crown. He had investigate! his powers, and ho did not see that they were much different from tlioise of other Ministers. If Boards were net up a section of the Hous e asked why the Minister was not dcimr hi- work. Tf they were not pot up then the Minister was said to have too much power. “I have been trying to ascertain just what is the rorvson for the charge of extravagance against the Department," continue! th e .Minister.. “On e thinT i* retain ; the''e are officers of the State

and of the Departments who have in the past, and do now, regard the Native Department as an inferior Department of the State. I recent that very much. It may be associated with the deep problem which exists in this and in any other country where there are two races living together. A good deal of the feeling of superiority is part of the ,slap-dash views of Commissions ,and newspapers.”

APPEAL TO MEMBERS. Sir Apirana appealed to members not to think of Native land development altogether in terms of pounds, shillings, and pence, although in terms of money it would certainly challenge comparison with any other similar activity of the State. By the depression the Maori race had been deflected from its course and sent back to the land. This' was of enormous importance, for the Ma°ri had a great future on the land. Parliament he urged, should consider it partly a s a duty • and partly as good business to enable him to develop his own lands rather than to compel him to fall back on the unemployment funds and charities. The charge against the present Native Minister was merely that he had seized the psychological moment to develop this policy for all it was worth, because he realised, as all members of the House should realise, that the future of the race wag on the land.