The Maori Congress. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 39

The Maori Congress. TO THE EDITOR.

Sis. — My attention has just been drawn to a criticism which appeared in your issue of the 23rd July, over the name of Mr C A. Young. Some kind friend in Dunedin has forwarded me a copy of your paper containing this criticism. It appears to be a copy of that which appeared in the Dominion. Wellington, during the sitting of the congress. To it I replied at the time. I do not know what reason Mr Young has for sending his criticism so fa*> afield, except that fox- some reaeon ha wished to discredit the efforts of the promoters of the Maori Congress and the very; satisfactory results of that notable- gathering; but. recognising that your paper ha« considerable influence, it becomes my duty r as secretary to the congress, to reply to. this criticism, and I do so in similar terms to the reply which has already appeared! in the Wellington papers.

Mr Young attended the meetings of the Maori Congress, but does not seem to have got quite into touch with the nature oi? the representation. If he only understood 1 a few details, not only of the inception, of the congress, but of the efforts made to secure the widest possible representation and the satisfactory results of such efforts, he would not have voiced in the manner he did so many mistaken views. It is my duty to put forward a few facts by way of reply to this criticism. It is true tha* the conferences of the ilaori Councils and 1 sanitary inspectors were siuunvoned by thet Native and Public Health Departments,, but that was by arrangement with- the executive of the congress, who approached! , the Ministers in charge of these departments to convene such conferences, to be held in_ Wellington at\ the same time and) in conjunction with the Maori Congress. The chief reason for this arrangement was to secure the attendance of men whose representative character could not bo questioned, with the least expense in Wellineton.

It is true also that the. idea of the congress originated with Mr Thornton, as president of Te Aute Aeeociation. It was necessary that 6omcone should be prime * mover, and no one was better entitled! or qualified, since the death of Archdeacon S. Williams, to take the initiative tham the man to whom the Maori people owet so much enlightenment and inspiration.. But the Te Aute element numerically was not by any means tho strongest of the congress, for at the Te Aute dinner, which was 'a reunion of past and present students, it waa found that there were only 30 of! the Te Auto Association present, forming! one-ninth only of this large congress. With regard to the Church element, the various missions, with the exception of theRomanists, were fully represented in the gathering. Each Church was invited to nominate delegates. The representation of* the Wesleyan mission was placed entirely in the hands of the Rev. Mr Gittos, whc, with three others (two Maoris) of the* Wesleyan clergy, represented the mission on the West Coast, in the King Country, " and North of Auckland. The Presbyterians have no Maori clergy, but thatr mission was fully represented by members f of the clergy actually engaged" in Maorift work and by the head of the Maori Mission Committee. The Anglicans were*, numerically the strongest, each diocesei. having sent on an average three delegates Other Maori clergy of the Anglican persuasion who attended were not present && representing their Church, but in them various capacities as students of Nativei, secondary schools, chiefs in their own* right, and otherwise as representativor Maoris. Throughout the congress no attempt was made to obtrude the views ofl--any one church. On the other han<d, the three missions represented in the congressr worked harmoniously together in the department of the congress proceedings deal* ing, with religious work among the Maoris.Mi- Young says something about Te Heut Heu and the Maori Association. At the opening o£ the Maori Association "a week* prior to the meeting of the congress thw relative position of the Maori Association! and of the congress was denned. The Maori Association specialises with regarcS to the question of land ; the congress doe* not seek in any way to belittle the efforts of the Maori Association with regard to" this particular question. At the (same time the promoters of the congress thought! that in dealing with so many subject* covering practically the whole of tha Native problem they could^ not devote to the question of Native lands the amount* of time and attention which a special conference like that of the Maori Associationi could do. The leaders of the Maori Association were also delegates to the cotgrefs in various capacities. Heu Heu himself, as president, moved the resolution 08; thanks to the Governor and other speakers at the opening on the 14-th July in hi*' representative capacity as one of the lead- 1 ing chiefs of the Maori people. The/ leaders of the Maori Association worked* harmoniously with us of the congress;! there was not any overlapping of subjects.

Waikato and the King Country did noti lack representatives at this gathering;^ there were 11 delegates present in Welling- 1 ton from the King Country and portion off Waikato. Early in July a wire was received from Taingakawa, ope of the Waikato chiefs, stating that owing to ill-health! he would not be present at the congress

meetings, but that he hoped to reacn Wellington on the 20th. so as to attend* the final meeting. To run - hurriedly through the list of representatives, it may be noted that the North of Auckland was represented by 24 delegates; WaUcato, King Country, by 14 ; Tauranga and Thames by 3; Hot Lakes district, inclusive of M» Bennett's choir, by 36; Taranaki. Hawcra, and Wanganui bY about 40; Turakina. Palmerston. and Otaki by about 30; Bay of Plenty, including Urewera, by 15; Bastf Coast to Gisborne by 54 ; Wairoa and» Hawke's Bay by 30; and the South Island* by about 24. *The following organisations were represented also : — Weeloyan Maori Mission, Presbyterian Maori Mission, Church of England Mission; the principal* of all the Maori secondary schools — namely, Three King-5, St. Stephen's. Te Aute, Turakina, Otaki, Clareville College, Haukarere (all except St. Joseph* Convent School, Xapier) ; the New Zealand Institute, Polynesian Society, Native Department. Education Department, the NaU-. c 6thoola system, and the Public Health Department. In all there were 270 delegates to thif notable gathering. — I am, etc.. A. T. Ngata, Secretary to the Maori Congress. Parliament Buildings, Wellington, August 6,