NEEDS OF MAORIS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 13

NEEDS OF MAORIS

MORE ATTENTION URGED PLEA BY SIR A. NGATA HEALTH AND HOUSING [BV TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] "WELLINGTON. Thursday A plea for greater attention to the needs of the Maori people was put forward by Sir Apirana Ngata (Opposition —Eastern Maori) during the j Budget debate in the House of Representatives to-day.

"A Maori reading the Budget would find only one paragraph—and a small one at that —leferring to the native race," Sir Apirana said. "We have serious problems, with a heavy death rate and great vulnerability to certain diseases, although as far as the birth rate is concerned we are in a better position than the pakeha. We have an appalling infant mortality rate of 192 to the 1000, but the position can be improved by adequate housing and sanitary supervision." Land Development Scheme Dealing with the native land development scheme, Sir Apirana said that as a Maori he wa3 convinced that the Government was carrying out the only possible policy by providing State finance to help the Maori to develop his lands under good supervision. Commencing with £5547 for 1930-31, when the land development scheme had been in operation for 12 months, the cash receipts had grown to £129,787 for the year ended March 31, 1936. The latest figures showed the receipts for the last year to bo in the neighbourhood of £170,000, which must satisfy everyone that the native land development schemes were a good investment for the Dominion.

The Secret of Success "The secret of the success of the scheme is the expenditure of State monev under supervision," Sir Apirana continued, "and everything depends on the quality and nature of the supervision. I would ask the acting-Minister of Native Affairs, the Hon. F. Langstone, to pay more attention to the class of supervision that is being obtained now. In some cases, the Maoris say, it is an infliction." Mr. Langstone: 1 have had no personal complaints. Dealing with the cost of native administration, Sir Apifana said that in 1931-32 the Native Department had a staff of 172 and the total cost to the State was about £40,000. Now the staff had risen to 284 and the estimate for the department for the coming year was £105,000. He wondered how much of the extra vote would be swallowed up by administrative costs without any great increase in efficiency.

Sir Apirana urged the Government to pay greater attention to the encouragement of Maori arts and crafts and made a request that something should be done to expedite a housing programme for the Maori people. Honsing and land development, together with proper attention to health services, he said, would go a long way toward solving the Maori problem. Sir Apirana congratulated the Minister of Education, the Hon. P? Fraser, on his efforts to carry out the recommendations of the conference on native affairs which met in Wellington last year, and praised the steps taken to preserve the Maori language.

HARBOUR BRIDGE SCHEME INQUIRY BY MR. COATES [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON. Thursday The attitude of the Government toward the Auckland Harbour Bridge proposal was the subject of an inquiry by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Opposition —Kaipara) in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Coates gave notice of his intention to ask the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, whether the Government was having a report prepared regarding the possibility of constructing the bridge. "If the report is being made," added Mr. Coates, "when can it be expected?"