MAORI CHIEF HONOURED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18387, 1 May 1923, Page 8

MAORI CHIEF HONOURED.

FRIEND !OF THE PAKE A; UNVEILING OF MEMORIAL. 3 I LORD JELLICOE ? ; PRESENT; , ;• v I PICTURESQUE" ; CEREMONY: I? •' , /'%' v ":«V. -••• ' f .< I [Br telegraph.— .; correspondent.] I 1 TOKA.ANU. Monday. V - 1 ! .. The picturesque native village of Waihi, 1 lon the. southern shores of Lake Taupo, - was to-day the scene of one of the largest . Maori :■ gatherings held in these parts for ' I many; years. ; Glorious weather , favoured the . proceedings, the central feature of 1 which was the unveiling by the GovernorGeneral," Lord Jellicoe, of a granite obelisk erected to the memory , of the late Hon. Teheuheu i Tukino, M.L.C., chief of the Tuwharetoa tribe. Natives, from all parts of the country had been concentrating at Waihi for a week past,>: arid - it" was , estimated that over 1000 were present to-day, as well as a number.of European visitors. Numerous marquees and tents were erected for sleeping quarters, also a large dining Hall. : ; Some of the cooking . was donei in old- ' fashioned Maori ovens, to which a striking -contrast .was offered by the .installation.. of an up-to-date, ■;.■ high-pressure boiled providing steam for culinary purposes..' The; erection of this alongside the natural hot springs had a : novel effect. • "Hie proceedings commenced at 10 a.m. with a the arrival of the . Governor-General with Captain R. G. Southey, A. D. C. and the Ministerial party, comprising the Hon. J. G. Goates, Native Minister, Sir Maui Pomaro, member of the, Executive Council representing the native race, and Mr. J. A. Young, M.P., chairman* of the Native Affairs • Committee of the House. The party were met: at the.; entrance to the by a group of natives .dressed in Maori mats and with leafy brandies in their hands, who. welcomed them with vigorously-enacted .'hakas. • Arrived • in . front of the). meeting house, His Excellency and party were addresseed by Hoani Teheuheu, son of the lata chief, who welcomed , them in. the name, of the Heuheu family, the. Tuwharetoa tribe, and all the people assembled, and expressed great satisfaction at .His Excellency's prosence on -- this 4 great -day.' V: He r. referred to the long and perilous voyage ;of f their • ancestors: . from '; far Hawaiki _until they ' settled 'on the shores of ' this inland , sea. He ; then"' calledi oft. his ; people to greet the great men, of the pakehas in ■; the old Maori way and ; show them : that ;. the : . spirit:. of the v! race'. was not V dead..' /His appeal -was answered', by' an enthusiastic;. and typically ' Maori demonstration of approval.' : ; S'"; ' Loyalty .of.;, late Chief. ;. . In a . characteristically happy speech Lord Jellicoe expressed his . deep .sense of the . honour .done him .in .asking -• him to ; perform 'to-day's; ceremony, i;ana said t hat he thought.; it very . fitting;. that ' His Majesty's representative - should "i undertake this : important duty in view of the, deep spirit -of loyalty always; evinced by 'the late .chief. The; Hon. J. G. Coates and: Sir' . Maui; Pomare also . briefly '.replied. : . • Lord •; Jellicoe' then paid a visit .to • tho recently-erected ; butter ' factory . near by and expressed himself as much impressed with ; the : progressive spirit of the Tuwharetoa .tribe, to which the factory bore eloquent testimony. . Returning to tho marae,' His Excellency and party approached the large .vault immediately behind the memorial obelisk in which the remains 'of ,the lata chief had; been placed. After; standing a few moments there in silence His Excellency ; addressed the assembled Tuwbaretoas and representatives of other tribes, - speaking from . tho steps in front of the obolisk. ■•;•;' \ V: ; ; After reference. ,to the ■ great sense of publics duty-which characterised; the • late chief , and his ; unswerving loyalty to King : and Empire, Lord Jellicoo spoke of . the gift made by him and-his tribe to the people of New ' Zealand of part of the Toiigariro National Park, : which itself was : a f'reat . memorial to: a great man. ; . Lord J ellicoe referred to . the : fact that when the ; late chief first succeeded to : that position, he had at a. meeting on that spot been offered by one of the elders of the tribe, a nail and a piece of native creeping vine, and asked which he would accept. He had at once replied that he chose .both, thus signifying that he would, always strive for unity between the pakeha and the Maori races, which the proffered symbols represented. , '.: ; ' ■ Loyal Tuwharetoas. «* ' ; The . Tuwharetoa •. tribe " had ' rendered valuable ' services . during the. Great ! War and His Excellency expressed the hope that they would go, on in the spirit of the late chief .arid distinguish themselves equally in peace, I working, always : in harmony with the pakeha for one cause, one King,' and' one. flag. .• Completing his' address with the words,; << kia, mau te aroha Ida ora," His Excellency unveiled the memorial.- obelisk. ' y' A. dedication service- was conducted -by Father Callaghan. A , large . carved flag pole, presented by the Arawa tribe, was unveiled by : sevenleading Maori representatives .of each of, the canoes in which their ancestors had voyaged to New Zealand, after which. the flag of the To Heuheu family was. hoisted. - : .- His Excellency and party w6r©' entertained at : • lunch, ; after which they -left for Tokaanu, receiving an enthusiastic send-off. Prior to the unveiling ceremony the Minister for Native Affairs was addressed •by the leading chief with reference to several important matters. > Mention _ was first made of the proclamation prohibiting the ; sale of , native lands in the. district . except to the' Grown, ' and it • was ' urged: that this stipulation should be. removed as it prevented^. the : natives disposing advantageously of valuable timber rights. From "the sale of these, money could be _ derived for furthering dairying and agricultural work. ""■'■'■■-.y. The question of the ownership of the bed of Lake Taupo was raised . and the view expressed that it should not'. pas 3 to the Government,, Gauge of Railway Line. ' Mention was made both by the chiefs and by Mr. Hampson, as counsel for members of the tribe, of the conditions laid down . by Order-in-Council providing that *- the Tongatiro Timber Company's proposed railway line, -in to the shores of the lake should be constructed,.:to Government- standard. "' jit. was ' urged that these conditions should be amended so that a cheaper line could be constructed, the cost of fulfilling the conditions being so high as to endanger thepossibility of' the line going through. The tribe had sold their -timber rights to the company at a low : figure on the assumption thai the line would be constructed, : and so open up their lands for profitable development. ■.. In reply, the Minister stated that tho prohibition, of ' the sale of; land should not be abandoned altogether* ;as , some speakers , had suggested, for that would mean grating the Treaty of - Waitangi, which gave a pre-emptive, right to the Crown as . a means of protecting the native race from . the tota l loss oi theirlands. The proclamations would' be removed from the Waihi, Kahakauaroa, and Tokaanu 11. Ti. blocks and the question of the Ohuanga and Poulcawa blocks would bo gone into and steps would be taken to ensure that, a proportion of . the./- money received for timber rights was extended to further agricultural and dairying work. With regard to .the lake- question, he advised thai the Waikaremoana ease should be allowed, to be settled and the decision there accepted as a" precedentfor Lake Taupo. . With regard to the railway question, the 'Government waa only "concerned. to_ see that any line built, would be one giving the best service for the district and the question of .modifying the condition of the Order-in-Council would be gone into and ..the; tribe consulted through their representative, . Sir Maui Pomare. ' Lord ' Jellicoe is staying at Tokaanu for a few days' fishing. , Messrs.- - Coales., and ■ ■ Young left- this evening, for Taupo. . They intend visit-, ing the sits of.. the : Arapuni hydro-elec-i trio works. _ _