MAORIS AND SUSTENANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22608, 22 December 1936, Page 13

MAORIS AND SUSTENANCE

Sir, —Mr. Itawiri may bo asuured that my letter was not meant to be accusatory; it was written in a spirit of regret for some tilings as they are. 1 am all too familiar with old-time stories of queer bargains, but they do not affect the present issue, which is that of providing both l'akeha and Maori with bread and amusement, too often interpreted to mean drink and lethargy. My selfishness I would admit. In common with those Maori teachers who, for so long, lived and worked with native boys and girls, I have wanted results. The life of the villages must go on, though it is a fact that many Maoris leave their villages as if it were policy to do so. Among those that remain there is inbreeding; the standard of life is not high. Those who leave and settle among the white people certainly extend their knowledge and widen their vistas, but mostly it is to be feared the culture gained is analogous to that of the man, anxious to learn Spanish, who took as a teacher an understeward of a steamer. One seldom finds the Maori in the higher walks of life. How splendid are the exceptions; what admiration wo feel for the orator, the statesman, the anthropologist, and even for the politicians the race has given us. The decent families that come to town have our liking and respect. All the more regrettable it is that the way to A vermis is being made so facile for many of the young men. Tliev are entitled, certainly, to the same rights as their white brethren, in as far as any of ns have rights; but could not the sustenance they receive have some connection with the improvement of their lands? E. Greensmith.