DR. POMARE AMONG THE NATIVES

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1913, Page 4

DR. POMARE AMONG THE NATIVES

Writing of the hui held at Te Arai last week, the "Poverty Bay Herald" says: It is interesting to record some remarks that have been contributed by the Hon. Dr. Pomare, the Minister representing the Maori race on the Executive. Speaking to the assembled people, he affirmed that the Governments native policy was to make the Maori and pakeha one people—to provide one law for all. That was his policy too. In fact, it was proposed to make a pakeha of the Maori. His own tribe (Taranaki) were in favour of that. In the old days his people wanted to remain Maoris. They fought against the pakeha. But the East Coast natives fought for the pakeha. Now things were changed. The tribes that formerly wanted to remain Maoris now wanted to be pakehas and the tribes who fought the battles of the pakeha desired to remain Maoris. His tribe, he went on to say, was being bitten by two "dogs." He named one dog "Public Trustee" and the other dog "Laud Board.' The former had the longest teeth and bit the severest. Dog "Land Board" was not yet so ferocious but was becoming so. These "dogs," he declared were "bred" by Carrol and Wi Pere. Wi Pere (interjecting) : "Your people would not have had any land left if it had net been for the Public Trustee under the West Coast Native Settlement Reserve Act" Dr. Pomare: "We have not any now. It is lease for ever under that Act." Proceeding the Minister told the natives they en the East Coast were digging land (sheepfarming, etc.) but his people were "hanging on the udders of the cows" (dairying). But to get land they were treated as Europeans, and had to pay in rental as much as £2 per acre for some of their own land, the balance

of which had been originally leased to pakehas at 3s per acre. He had failed to understand what the Maori really wanted. In the course of the conference Mr. A. T. Ngata intimated that himself and the Ngatipouri people desired to dissociate themselves from any participation in the discussion on matters political.