AID TO MAORIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26232, 16 August 1946, Page 9

AID TO MAORIS

REHABILITATION ASPECT REPLY TO SIR APIRANA NGATA (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 14. “ Sir Apirana Ng4ta has done much excellent work in the past for the Maori race, and is a zealous champion of their rights, but I am afraid his statement on jthe rehabilitation of Maori servicemen was quite unworthy of him and absolutely divorced from the facts,” said the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, tonight. " His object was, of course, openly and avowedly political, but as a once outstanding and astute' politician, he should have inquired more closely into the real position before taking up the cudgels.” Mr Skinner said the Government’s rehabilitation organisation was equally available to Mabrl and pakeha, and special provision had been made for the Maoris, to ensure that their individual and collective needs were handled by men who appreciated those needs. "Another thing I would remind Sir Apirana of when he Said the Government's rehabilitation policy had been essentially a pakeha-made one is that the Director of Rehabilitation is himself a distinguished Maori, Lieutenant-colonel F. Baker, D. 5.0.. a former commander of the Maori Battalion,” said the Minister. “ There has been no previous instance of a Maori being in charge of a major Government department.” Sir Apirana had claimed that it was ridiculous to speak of a lack of materials when houses for pakehas were being erected in all parts of the electorate,” the Minister said. “ The facts are that 60 farm loans, and 188 housing loans have been authorised since rehabilitation began, of which 13 farm loans and 112 housing loans havt been in the Eastern Maori electorate, which Sir Apirana covets,” he continued. " Compare this with the statement that only five Maoris have been settled on the land in his district.” The Minister said the most telling figures were shown in a comparison of the ratio of assistance given to pakeha and Maori ex-servicemen. The figures were based on the numbers of returned service personnel who were Immediately eligible for assistance, namely. 113,575 pakeha and 3058 Maori servicemen and women as at the end of June, 1946. "In farm loans one in 51 Maoris and one in 51 pakehas have been assisted,” said the Minister. " One in 16 Maoris and one in 12 pakehas have received housing loans Similarly one Maori in 12 has received a furniture loan, as against ohe pakeha in nine. ,In business loans, assistance has been given to one Maori in 60 and one pakeha in 37. Considering that far lewei Maoris have any desire to enter business, those figures are an adequate reply, but, on the other hand, one Maori in 95 has received a loan to buy tools of trade as against one pakeha in 158. "Altogether, 953 Maori ex-service peisonnel have been assisted by the Rehabilitation Department and Native Department and, in' addition, there was £88,411 spent on the purchase of properties irom both Maori and European owners for the settlement of Maoris," the Minister concluded.