RELIEF OF MAORI SOLDIERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14593, 1 May 1918, Page 3

RELIEF OF MAORI SOLDIERS.

A SUCCESSFUL SCHEME.

Statistics, show that over 100Q Maoris have voluntarily enlisted fw> ra the eastern Maori district, representing about hr^T the total strength, o f ,*the whole Mapfa The is a splendid one, and the response, that has been made t»y the' MaSm of the East poas£, m the cause of' \fofig and country is pne.-of which the r^ee;^nd^hedistricfc genfer^ly, might welf fciT jtfpu^ A practicaKsaheme lias been initiated for > the .wilt a¥e M the returned Maori soldiers, T, nd 3 i ldgl^K by %' . attending tie effort it would' appeai-:' that the eiders of the tnbea who remain at; home are determined to adequately! provide for the future <% their v^sbri' heroes' when, they, return ;■■ . .'■. . : \^\ :'.■•' «* Discussing the subject a Herald representative to-day," the Heal,, ,A. T. J*gata said the achemevfor' the' creation of a' Maori Soldiers' Fund, lihder the presidency of Lady CJarrdll, hail been iii existence a period of 14. . nfenths, and the fund nowr stood at m the cash^ Qpllectedi and' amount assured. This ,had.lbeeu raised almost entirely from the Ma,oris themgelves, and represented on a population basis 30s per head. Very littleVwas invested oh fixed deposit. . The bulk: had been placed m reproductivo investments by the adoption of the Ngatiporou method of utilising' native, land. > . Farming operations • are being , coridilated. under the supervision of- Mr 1 W. G.- Sherratt, of Gisbo^he^ ttie farm being located m the Bay of plenty district. .Pending the acquisition of further farm^, property for the fund; a-Jtentative myestnient has been decided upon, and m this' connection £7000 was invested m.. cattle at the recent cattle fair at Matawhero. The cattle will be grazed on portions of the Waiapu blbck (recently reverted back to the iownera), the grazing having been granted free of! charge for an indefinite : pertbd. Statistics- are now being obtained from. [the Government as to the various Maori soldiers who have returned, and' particulars as to the pensions they have been granted, and by June* next the Council 1 nope to be m a position to administer ad;ditional relief through the mediM of district commitees, the districts being co-terminus witii the v existing Maori Council districts. So * far- six of the seven Maori Council districts m £he eastern Maori electorate have comei into the scheme. That includes all except Whakatane and Urewera. The there are holding a gathering shortly, when it is expected they will come m, thus empowering the whole electorate. The pp-operation of the several districts has been laid down on what is considered a fair equality--* fair money basis ia what has been aimed at. ' " ,

• Mr. Nsrftta went on to say it waa no* intend©^ to touch the capital for relief <■ parposes, and there had been no use talking about relief until there was revenue on hand, and the revenue from investments, it Was anticipated, would enable something to be done this year. "Our scheme is unique m New Zealand^he remarked. '•Our trust is empowered to hold land and farm property which .-is not permitted of trustees m the ordinary cauwe.. The. Maori Soldiers' Fund is one of the funds authorised by the Government, and the trust is duly and^ ail expenditure is subject to pubTio audit the same as any other pdti'iotio fundJ' ■•■■

Several large and successful huis, he went on to say, had been held this year to augment the fund, but the executive oomaeJl" which controls the fund was , now organising for a big hui to be held lat Gisborne m March next.' Large as former huis have been, it is intended 1 to ■moke' this tbe biggest hui on record/ The various tribes will be; represented and. an attractive programing- will bo drawn up, extending over the full period of the hui. Incidentally, he mentioned they were aiming at a^surprise packet" for Gisborne.