MAORIS AND DRINK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23000, 30 March 1938, Page 14

MAORIS AND DRINK

URGENT PROBLEM MINISTER APPROACHED ¥ • !■' CURBING THE EVIL CONFERENCE PROPOSED [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] "WELLINGTON, Tuesday The urgent need for taking active steps to curb the supply of liquor to Maoris was impressed upon the actingMinister in charge of native affairs, Hon. F. Langstone, to-day, by a large deputation representing churches and social organisations. At the request of the deputation, "which was introduced by Mr. L. G. Lowry, M.P., the Minister agreed to call a conference of all workers in the field of Maori welfare to discuss a course of action.

The deputation comprised Bishop Holland, of Wellington, Bishop F. A. Bennett (Bishop of Aotearoa), the Rev. Percy Paris (president of the Methodist Conference), the Very Itev. D. D. Scott (Presbyterian Church), the Rev. A. L. Silcock (Baptist Church), Pastor A. G. Saunders (Church of Christ), Major Nelson (Salvation Army), representatives of the New Zealand Alliance and women social workers. Mr. H. W. Milner said the deputation represented those directly interested in Maori welfare, particularly from the point of view of the liquor problem. They felt there was urgent need for some immediate action. He asked the Government to take immediate steps to convene a conference. "I speak as one who is conversant with the present condition of the race," said Bishop Bennett "I say without fear of contradiction that the drinking tendencies of the Maori people are just s.s bad as they were 20 and 30 years ago. With the increase in easy money and easier conditions, young people seem to gravitate to hotels and spend money there. Many of the Maori leaders themselves are agitated and do not know what to do. The evil is ft pakeha creation, and that should be emphasised Responsibility on Pakeha

"The responsibility resting on the pakeha is tremendous. The degradation of the Maori people is terrible and sad. In very many cases we have to try and formulate so::ie scheme so that conditions among the Maoris may be improved. There is a real difficulty facing our country, and unless something definite is done the whole future of the Maori race is at' stake."

Continuing, Bishop Bennett spoke of conditions in certain parts of the Far North, where it was absolutely unsafe for pakeha women to go into some of the villages at times because of intoxication among the Maoris. , The same thing was true of other places too. . f

"There is no colour line in this country," he said, "but if these conditions go on there will be a colour line drawn by the Maoris themselves, not by the pakeha, because the pakeha does not associate himself with Maoris who thus waste their substance." Danger of Home Brew

The bisliop referred to the danger of home brew and to the practice of Dalmatians in the Far North, who had shown the Maori how to make home brew out of all sorts of rubbish. The Maoris at Rotorua felt the time had come when something should be done and had formulated suggestions for the control of the habit.

"I hope there will be a conference of workers in this field," he added, "and that there will be some scheme that will help to uplift and preserve the Maori race."

Bishop Holland said the Church of England, so far as this part of the Dominion was concerned, was behind Bishop Bennett in his efforts to bring the influence of the church to bear in uplifting the Maoris and reinforcing their moral fibre. He had watched the Minister's treatment of the Maoris with the utmost admiration. The problem was becoming increasingly grave and he supported the idea of a conference The Sale of Intoxicants After others had spoken the Minister assured the deputation that its representations were in lin» with the Government's own thoughts on this very urgent question. The Maoris had every right that the pakeha had and one more right—to pakeha protection. "We must not blame the Maoris for drinking," said the Minister. "They could not get it unless it was sold to them and it is not sold to them by Maoris. If the pakeha sells drink to a Maori then he is iust as much to blame for the Maori becoming intoxicated. There is no excuse for the Maori and no excuse for the other either."

In Rotorua, said the Minister, they had Maori wardens going round hotels with power'to debar a Maori from having liquor. In the North there were people selling liquor to Maoris. That brought about serious degradation. "The Maoris become easy victims," said Mr. Langstone. "They like to be sociable. We have tried to work out something in connection with sustenance payments by introducing a coupon system together with only a little cash " Very Difficult Problem The Minister said it was a very difficult problem and he would be only too pleased to have a conference. Bishop Bennett would agree with him that where there were Maori meetings they should try to get the Maoris themselves to carr\ T out some evangelistic work, of which there was a tremendous need. If they could get the Maoris to take the question up in real earnest so as to brine about individual disciplines they might be able to do something. "Until we can get the Maoris to face up to the problem in a real way all the work we are trying to do —we are spending a tremendous amount of money on Maori betterment—-will he handicapped," said Mr. Langstone. "Although much has been done there is still much more to be done. There is no better way than to have land owned by Maoris, and by their own industrv and labour cnnblp them to get their income from it. The Government is alive to the position and any assistance we can get from any members of the communitv will be cladly accepted "