EQUAL TREATMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22831, 16 March 1936, Page 10

EQUAL TREATMENT

MAORI AND PAKEHA PRIME MINISTER’S ASSURANCE (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 15. Maori and Pakeha gathered together in one spirit at Otaki yesterday for the opening of Wharc-Runanga Raukawa, the new meeting house of the Ngati-Rau-kawa Maoris. King Kotoki, Princess To Puea, of. the proudest Maori blood in New Zealand, and 1500 Maoris of the sbs main tribes and many sub-tribes coming from all parts of the North Island but North Auckland assembled in the courtyard before the meeting house and gave the ceremony of significance of which it was worthy. The Prime Minister, Mr M. J. (Savage, who is also Minister of Native Affairs, was present. The form of ceremony followed as closely as possible that laid down by ancient custom. The assurance that Maori and pakeha would receive equal treatment under the Labour Government, and that members of the Native race taking contracts for which they would be responsible to the Government would be paid according to the European standards was given by the Prime Minister. “ The Government I represent,”’ he said, “has only one mission on earth, and is to treat men and women as equals—that is, whether they are pakeha or whether they are Maori, it will be our duty to interpret the Waitangi Treaty and to give effect to it not only in the spirit but in the letter of its provisions. We realise the size of the problem facing us, but wc face it without fear.”