NATIVE MATTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14018, 25 March 1909, Page 3

NATIVE MATTERS.

. Sir, In what follows here I am not* wish-: ing for one moment to violate thegood~ruio ; V'K that forbids us to speak lightly of those -who .-f aro no longer able to defend themselves. -' ■ J 1 was no stranger to the late hon. member ~ lor the Northern Maori'electorate, and. oar • views often differed,' but ho has parsed : . . from among us. I am not moan in-'adv.>■ ' cating any lack of respect that should: be shown, to the memory of those who have ■ ' occupied "prominent positions and done ; good work; I offer nothing but profound . , respect for" the religious part of the ceremony on Sunday last, and express an ardent wish that the beautiful singing of the Maoris especially, could have been heard by some of our cynical friends who know little about our Maori neighbours, and care eveu less for their welfare. All this— more may bo added—l' write in all sincerity, and at the same time I . for one would sot 011 record an emphatic protest ' against . the action -of the - Government in this matter. ! . Rightly .• looked at it amounts to- a colossal scandal. : .' • "" If I, wrote fully—as the subject demands— my letter, ?bcgausc of its length, would go into that terrible basket. • To begin with, I would like to ask by. what authority those V responsible for the right cxDondituro of our public moneys have acted on this occasio'hV One of our residents here, who should be able to form some estimate, names at least £•1000 when all is totted up. But this is not • • the chief cause of my complaint. v No doubt . some of our settlers when they are floundering through the mud on our "roads", next winter will be thinking of this expenditure ; in connection with the plausible " want of funds" answers they have received to their plaintive appeals for help. To those of us who live in close touch .. with the Maoris all this would-be kindness stands out in ghastly contrast to the treatment meted out to them in the matter of their lands. Here, again, I hasten to. explain that this is no place to advocate '' taihoa."_ Workable areas of land, .with individualised titles, should be secured by a far shorter and less ruinous process than, the present Land Courts, and the balance of , the land opened for settlement by the waiting pakehas. Instead of' this we have to witness what amounts to a travesty of British justice. Judges arc set to deal - with cases absolutely beyond any human power ,*v to unravel, bewildered by evidence that too often would bo unreliable if dealing with recent events, but now ; tangled long ; past : any hop© by genealogies and Maori customs of past generations. It would take a volume to set out the tantalising delays, tho absurd decisions, and the ruinous charges. In connection with all this the death of the Maori member affords an opportunity ' ; for presenting this other picture to the world. It is difficult to find language clear enough to indicate to city folk the scheming that appeals to the good, and at the ,gam© time to the weak, parts of the Maori character. Those of us - who from time to ,'time share in _ the hospitality extended by - our Maori neighbours under more ordinary;_circumstances can testify as to the too often , disregard for the future in their determination to make the welcome a warm one." In' this big case now referred ~to there it; no doubt that in addition to the supplies Contributed by the Government, the consumption of food by tho vast multitude of visitors has been such as to . seriously , break in upon' ; . tho resources for the coming winter. The Maoris are past masters in the art of providing for the big crowds, .and the women folk can give points to some of their pakeha sisters in the quality of their cakes, tarts, ' and puddings. But the killing of. six bullocks a day. not to speak lof pigs, and 'the premature digging of kumaras, hint as to the consumption of the home supplies, and the biar bills from the stores will not lighten ' • matters. It is simply piteous to see the npblo qualities of the Maoris in their fevereneff for the dead, and their hospitality, being &lay- ;V.v ed upon by those who at the same tima absolutely refuse ,to set ; them in 'comfortable, secure homstcads, undertaking the further ; duty , of fairly dealing with their surplus lands. Most of those now professing to bo "engaged in 'this . work ' are r but dpctrinairb > vampires, none the less guilty if they happen to be _ Maoris themselves. Tho special ;- v j* representation by/ the Maoris in our Hops© ' of Representatives is a.cruel farce. The sponsibility -of allowing this state of things , to 'continue rests on «■ the 'shoulders' of .the people of New Zealand. 5 »•' John Pbesb. ' ,