ABUSES ALLEGED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 31 August 1945, Page 3

ABUSES ALLEGED

MAORIS AND SOCIAL SECURITY racial degeneration and IDLENESS LONG DISCUSSION IN HOUSE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) Wellington, Aug. 30. When Mr W. S. Goosman (National, Waikato), speaking in the debate on an Imprest Supply Bill in the House of Representatives, strongly criticised the action of the Government in not supplying information in response to a motion he had tabled asking for the amount of money paid to the Native race from the Social Security Fund he started a discussion which lasted all afternoon and was carried on for a time in the evening sitting. “There is noththat breeds disease like idleness and the Native race is being driven into idleness by abuses of the Social Security Fund,” declared Mr Goosman. He contended that the Government was flouting members’ rights in not providing the information. Mr Goosman said his motion was the first to be tabled last session and also this session. There had been no response by the Government. Was the Government’s reason for not giving the information that it was afraid of the consequences? New Zealand had the grandest Native race in the world, but it was being demoralised and wiped out by the actions of the Government. There were Maoris who used to grow their own vegetables and provide much of their own food, but to-day they drew from the Social Security Fund, bought vegetables from the Chinese and lived in idleness. The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser): The Maoris produce vegetables in abundance. Mr Goosman added that as long as he was in the House and the Government was on the Treasury Benches he would lable his motion until the information was given. Mr W. Sullivan (National. Bay of Plenty) said the Opposition had just as much admiration for the Maori race as Mr Tirikatene, but those who moved round among the Maoris knew there were abuses inside the Social Security scheme. There were abuses also among pakehas and the Government should look at the whole picture. The Minister of Social Security (Mr Parry) said that happened in other spheres as well. TRADE TRAINING SCHOOLS Mr Sullivan suggested the establishment of trade training schools for Maoris after they left the high schools. After undergoing training they-could be posted out to employment and in that way use could be made of a fine pool of useful labour which was now being by-passed. If eyes were closed to facts as they existed to-day it would not be doing a service to the Maoris and must ultimately do them injury and also the country as a whole. “I think it time the Maor> and pakeha business was dropped and all became New Zealanders,” said Mr S. W. Smith (National, Bay of Lslands). If the Maoris were to be New Zealanders then they automatically forfeited their right to separate representation in Parliament on a racial basis and if they wanted representation on a racial basis then they should not have a right to vote on questions relating to the pakehas only. Mr Smith said that the pakehas had accepted conscription but the Maoris had not. As citizens the Maoris had no more right to be exempted from conscription than had the pakehas. He knew many Maoris w’io did not seek nor did they wish for exemption from conscription. USE OF LAND Referring to Social Security benefits Mr Smith said that neither Maoris nor pakehas should be allowed to hold land that was not used. . From his own personal knowledge Maori farms had deteriorated in the North during the last few years. He had asked a question in the last year which had not been answered suggesting that consideration should be given to the adoption of a system of coupons for the payment of family allowances. He had spoken to two hotelkeepers on the subject and they had said that if coupons were substituted for cash payments they would lose hundreds of pounds a year but they would be delighted with the change. They looked upon the taking of such cash as “blood money”— money that should be for the children of those to whom the allowance was In talking to the Minister of Native Affairs he had found that Ministers knew of the abuses but it appeared that for political reasons they were not willing to do anything about it. While agreeing that there should be no distinction between the Maori and the pakeha he was not prepared to give privileges to any class without that class carrying out the obligations and duties imposed by the granting of that privilege. LETTER FROM MINISTER Mr T. Omana (Eastern Maori) read a letter written by the Minister of Social Security (Mr Parry) to the Hon. E. T. Tirikatene on the question of arranging a conference with the Maori members of Parliament to discuss the payment of social security benefits to natives. “Now that the Budget proposals have been made public,” said the letter, “and it is quite evident that the increased amounts made available will accentuate the problem involved .... An Opposition member: What a confession! Mr Omana said the remainder of the letter merely suggested that the conference should be held on 30th August and that the commissioner of Social Security would be present. He added that there was no doubt that abuses had taken place and that applied to pakehas as well as Maoris. It was evident from the letter that the Minister of ' Social Security was dealing with the question. Mr E. B. Corbett (National. Egmont) said that social workers were perturbed at the state of degeneracy of many Maori homes.. They had quoted a number of instances of able-bodied Maoris refusing to work. Mr W. J. Broadfoot (National. Wailomo) said he believed that where a person, whether Maori or pakeha, was capable of work he should work before he came on the State. Mr T. H. McCombs 'Government. Lyttelton) said the European war was a pakehas’ war and he did not think the Maoris should have been conscripted. As it was they were grateful for the Maoris’ assistance. The present Government had alw’ays thought that everyone should render useful- service to the community and that idleness should not be permitted. Why pick out the Maori? There were plenty of pakehas drawing sufficient money to keep them in idleness. The idle Maori and the idle pakeha should be encouraged to work. If anyone was abusing the social security scheme he should not be permitted to jeopardise fhe success of that scheme. LACK OF DIRECTION Mr F. W. Murdoch (National. Marsden) said that in the past few years

there had been a lack of direction in the help that could be afforded the Maori people. There were inany Maoris just as industrious as any whites but during the past few years there had been a deterioration > n certain of the Maori youth. The direction that was needed could only come from the Government of the day. There were cases in the north where money paid to the Maoris for the benefit of the wife and family had not gone to the wife and family but had been dissipated. perhaps by the father.