MAORIS AND LIQUOR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 29 March 1938, Page 6

MAORIS AND LIQUOR

EFFORTS TO CURB SUPPLY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD [By Telegraph Press Association! WELLINGTON. This Day. The urgent need for taking active steps to curb the supply of liquor to Maoris was impressed on the ActingMinister in Charge of Native Affairs, the Hon. F. Langstone. by a large deputation representing various churches and other social organisations. He agreed to call a conference of all workers in the field of Maori welfare to i discuss a course of action. Among the speakers was Bishop Ben- . nett, who said that the drinking tendencies of the Maori people were just j as bad as twenty and thirty years ago. With the increase in easy money and ; with easier conditions young people seemed lo gravitate to hotels and spend their money there. Many of the Maori leaders themselves were agitated and did not know what to do. The evil was i of Pakeha creation and that should be emphasised. The responsibility rest- ; ing on the Pakeha was tremendous. The degradation of the Maori people was terribly sad. "In very many cases we have to try to formulate some scheme so that the conditions among the Maoris may be improved." he said. There was no colour line in New Zealand. but there would be one if the conditions among the Maoris in some places went on. ; The Minister spoke of the difficulties I involved in the problem and said he I was only too pleased to have a conferi ence. "Until wp can get the Maoris to | face up to the problem in a real way i all the work we are trying to do—and j we are spending a tremendous amount | of money on Maori betterment—will be j handicapped.” lie said. There was no better way to Maori development than to get the land owned by Maoris and j by their own industry and labour en- | able them to get their income from it. I Any assistance the Government could get from members of the community 1 would be gladly accepted.