AID TO MAORI SETTLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13814, 29 July 1908, Page 8

AID TO MAORI SETTLERS.

QUESTION OF A SPECIAL

FUND,

PRIME MINISTER'S VIEWS. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS - ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Tuesday. A deputation of some 15 Maori chiefs, representing tribes all over the Dominion/ waited upon the Prime Minister to-day in regard to aid to Maori settlers. ','• .

The Hon. J. Carroll, introducing the deputation, said the chiefs had remained behind after-the recent congress had completed its labours, to bring before the Government many matters concerning which the congress had reduced its ideas to definite form. The particular matter they desired to speak to' the Prime Minister about on that occasion was finance.

: Mr. Ngato,stated that,; briefly, the object of the deputation was to ask the Prime Minister to create a special branch of Advances to Settlers' Department, on the lines of the Advances to. Workers Department, to be called the Advances to Maori Settlers branch. Failing this, would the Government earmark a sum .of money to be advanced to Maori; settlers only? They suggested that a special fund of, say, £500,000 should be created, from which Maori, settlers might from time to time draw.

Sir Joseph Ward, in reply, said the Act had already been altered to enable advances to be' made to' Maoris. The question of creating a separate.fund of half, a million, to be earmarked lor natives only, as.the deputation requested, was an important one. The Government had already arranged to increase the amounts to be raised for this Department by £1,300,000, and lie did not think they could add another half-million this year for Maoris or anyone else. Ultimately, however, settlers who had borrowed would be returning a million per year to the Department, and out of this he thought it would be possible to provide for the wants of natives without resorting to the expedient they suggested. He explained that the limit was ordinarily £3000, and this would be returned to when the present demand for money was satisfied. The aim of the Government was to give as many as possible a chance, and this could only be done by lowering the maximum. He promised to see that the Maoris received fair treatment from the Department.