Supply Of Liquor To Maoris Must Be Curbed

Northern Advocate, 30 March 1938, Page 3

Supply Of Liquor To Maoris Must Be Curbed

[Special To ‘'rfortharn Advocate”.] WELLINGTON, This Day. STRESSING THE URGENT NEED FOR CURBING THE SUPPLY OF k LIQUOR TO MAORIS, A LARGE DEPUTATION REPRESENTING CHURCHES AND SOCIAL ORGANISATIONS WAITED ON THE HON. F. LANGSTONE, ACTING MINISTER IN CHARGE OF NATIVE AFFAIRS. The Minister agreed to call a conference of all workers in the field of Maori welfare to discuss a course of action. The deputation was representative of Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist Churches, the Church of Christ, the Salvation Army, and the N.Z. Alliance and other woman social workers. “The responsibility resting on the pakeha is tremendous,” said Bishop Bennett (Bishop of Aotearoa). “The degradation of the Maori is terrible and sad. Jn very many cases we have to try and formulate some Scheme so that conditions among the Maoris may be improved. There is a real difficulty facing our country, and unless something definite is done the whole future of the Maori race is at stake.”

4 Conditions In Far North. Bishop Bennett referred particularly to certain parts of the Far North, where it was unsafe for pakeha women to go into some villages at times because of intoxication among the Maoris. The same applied to other places as well. V Bishop Bennett referred also to the danger of home-brew and to the practice of Dalmatians in the Far North who had shown the Maori how to make home-brew out of all sorts of rubbish. The Maoris at Rotorua felt the time had come when something should be done, and had formulated suggestions for the control , of the habit. Bishop Holland paid a tribute to the Minister’s treatment of the Maoris, and said the problem was becoming increasingly grave. He supported the idea of a conference. Easy Victims. “We must not blame the Maoris for drinking,” said the Minister, after hearing the speakers. “They could not get it unless it was sold to them, arid it is not sold to them by Maoris. If the pakeha sells drink to a Maori then he is just as much to blame for the Maori , becoming intoxicated. There is no excues for the Maori and no excuse for the other, either, “The Maoris become easy victims. They like to be sociable. We have tried to work out something in connection with sustenance payments, by introducing' a coupon system together with only a little cash.” In the North, he said, there were people selling liquor to Maoris, and this brought about serious degradation.

Much To Be Done. “Until we can get the Maoris to face up to the problem in a real way all the work we are trying to do—we are spending a tremendous amount of money on Maori betterment—will be handicapped.” continued the Minister. “Although much has been done, there is still much more to be done. There is no better way than to have land owned by Maoris, and by their own industry and labour enable them to get their income from it. The Government is alive to the position, and any assistance we can get from any members of the community will be gladly accepted.”