FITNESS OF THE MAORI.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14580, 20 July 1909, Page 2

FITNESS OF THE MAORI.

MR NGATA'S SPEECH CRITICISED. (Feom Oun Own CoEiiEsroNDENT.) WELLINGTON, July 19. The Hawke's Jiay Herald, commenting on the speech recently delivered by the Hon. A. T. Nguta, says : "It Mr Nguta menus that the Maori is now ready to take liia place 011 the same ground with his European brother, we emi only say thatthe view strikes us as ridiculous. Individual Maoris, like Mr Ngata himself, tun hold .their own with any Jiuiopeun, and are, we believe, treated without distinction of race 01 colour by the mass of the people of New Zealand, but the average Maori would very shortly find him self landless and ruined if lie were abandoned by the State. In the old days when hind was of little value, and the Maori worked, and worked hard, he grew, as old settlers in this district may remember, grain and root crops, and did a thriving trade, but as his land increased in value he found less and less occasion for exertion. He became landlord, and at the same time a lazy landlord, and the result has l>cen a distinct deterioration of the race. It would in some respects be a good thing if his spare land was taken from him, and he was compelled to work for his living."