PROGRESS OF THE HUI.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14882, 9 April 1919, Page 3

PROGRESS OF THE HUI.

TO-DAY'S CELEBRATIONS

There was a- large attendance in camp last evening, including a great many townsfolk. The customary •evening service opened about, 7.30, Chaplain H. (Wepiha) Waitiohu, delivering a most eloquent and impressive service. The usual entertainment followed, and these will be continued each evening of the hui, varied programmes being provided by the .Native entertainers, including exhibitions of poi games, dances and hakas. Dancing was also indulged in till a late hour. On Friday evening the GisboriH- .Savage Club has kindly consented to assist with the evening entertainment. This morning the official welcome to the Maori soldiers was held in the presence of 'a largo and interested gathering of spectators. An important fixture has been arranged for to-morrow, when the tribal contributions to the Maori Soldiers' Fund will take place and the ceremony; will follow the time-honored custom,) occupying probably the greater part of | the day. : j Repatriation and demobilisation matters will probably occupy attention the following day, and the hui will be brought to a close at the end of the week. It has been reported that the hui is to be continued for several weeks but: the Hon. A. T. Ngata announced that such is not the case — that the hui will be brought to a close this week end. Majors Peacocke and Main, of Narrow Neck Gamp, are visitors in camp, whilst Lieut. Mills and Sergt: -Major J. Henry (formerly of Gisborne) are in camp to arrange demobilisation details and! the issue- of travelling warrants etc. PROPOSED MEMORIAL. To-day- witnessed the Maoris' welcome to their returned warriors. The Bishop of Waiapu thanked the Hon. A. T. Ngata for having made the thanksgiving service yesterday a part of the ceremony, and without which the function wo*ld not have been complete. He was glad to have had the privilege., as Bishop of the diocese, of sharing in that service. Speaking to the parents of the boys who had fought for their king and had returned to us, he congratulated those .parents for encouraging their-sons to go voluntarily and a,lso for the splendid spirit maintained during these trying times. These men who have returned nave enjoyed the. splendid comradeship of men fighting in a common cause of righteousness. These men would now disperse and would miss that splendid fellowship which they have enjoyed at the front. He wanted fche parents to see that these boys did not exchange that fellowship for a life around the billiard saloons and the hotels, but' that the parents would encourage them in the hard daily fight against the devil and surrounding evils. To the representatives of the church, especially the Maori clergy, he appealed to help those who had been uplifted! by their experiences at the war and not to despise those who had been dejected and cast down. Thanks to th© Hon. A. T. Ngata a great deal had been done for the ooys who had returned sick aiid wounded and the fact that £25,000 had been raised by their own people must have cheered the Maori soldiers. Great credit was due to the committee which had made these huis so successful — the most remarkable thing surely in the history of the Maori race. What, His Lordship asked, was the Maori rate going to do fo'i those who had fallen for king and country? Ais he went to the pakeha churches he saw tablets to the memory of young men who had gone to the front — their names were enrolled. It was true that their names should nob be forgotten — but he wanted the Maori ■p< ople to/do better, to j3ut up some [ji ic memorial in a central place. Ho would suggest what he considered the most fitting memorial. They would have heard that the old'TeAuLe school ouilding was almost totally destroyed by fire, and sine© then the school ana class-rooms had been destroyed, so they had nothing remaining of the original buildings. He suggested that tht; Maoris should, erect, in permanent material, the new class-rooms at To Aute as a memorial to the Maori soldiers. There must be a- large number of Te Aute boys who served and fell In tliu war. He suggested that they should erect this new class-room in memomm, and that there should be engraved the names of those who had fallen. In this way their names would never bt forgotten and they would carry on -the work amongst their sons and their son'a sons. He was going to ask the Hon. A. T. Ngata if his committee would set aside a portion of the funds raised as a memorial in this direction.

The Hon. Mi; Ngata said the committee was not in a position to reply as to whether they would accede to the re, quest or not^ but there was ample time bo consider it. The Natives had spent nearly two years in patriotic efforts ami had nearly exhausted themselves. Thc Bishop had associated Te Aute with the war, and his opinion was that the request should meet with the response of every Te Aute boy, even if it was not received with the same unanimity from their people. TRIBAL WELCOMES.

■ The tribal .welcomes followed, the proceedings 1 being interspersed with songs and poi dancing. Pita te Hau, of Mm i iwai i prefacing his remarks with an old invocation, de-. dared that yesterday was a joyful but pathetic day. . T© Kani Pere welcomed the assembled tribes, and pointed to the fact that before them were the remnants of the Hokowhitu a Tu (fighting seventy of Tu. war god). On behalf of the Maori people h© thanked th© Pioneer Battalion for the part they had taken in the great wax. :

Lady Carroll said the Pioneers had done their duty and they welcomed them home as warriors, Padre Wainohu andhis children. They >had been sent away! in broad day-light (with the consent of the tribes), and now they had returned^ to their manae, also in broad day -light, although somewhat, over-clouded by sorrow. She greeted those .who had returned and praised the part they ha4 played in the great war. ; Rene Hayes, Waiapu, emphasised the object of the meeting, which was to assist the Returned Maori Soldiers' Fund, thus showing a practical mode of sympathy and appreciation of the part played by the boys at the front. Ho referred especially to Capt. Wainohu as one of the greatest of the 'contingent, having seen the whole campaign through, sticking to the boys well throughout. Those who had been brought home safely he greeted as toa. (braves).

The Hon. A. T. Ngata, joining in the vrelcome, referred to the losses sustained by the Maori Battalion. He welcomed them, and' also the Matata tribe that had just arrived. Welcoming the Maori soldiers and Capt. Wainohu, he paid a high .tribute to their devotion and selfsacrifice to. duty. Sir James 1 Carroll, speaking from the marhe with his accustomed oratory, detailed his meeting with the boys ftt Auckland, and the reason why he had been unable to induce the Tuhoe Natives to come to Gisborne. He had to satisfy himself with the people of the Horouta district. Addressing the tribal chiefs of the West Coast and outside districts, he thanked them fpr the honor they had done the hui by their presence. The East Coast tribes Were practically one. He had no very deep regrets to express for the dead who lay buried at the front — their names would never be forgotten, but would be engraved in the hearts of the Maori, people. What they had done would bo handed down to future generations. Addressing himself to the returned soldiers., he urged them not to disperse, but to keep together; that they should not disband until they Had taken their padre each to his own tribe. The canoe of Takitimu, the canoe of their ancestors, had made no hurried trip, but had called at different ports. He wanted them to do the same, to zlczag their course before they disbanded. He urged the parents to return home and to prepare for the homecoming. Proceeding, Sir James urged the boys to allow no lapse to mar then- glorious record. Many things might tempt them

(o stop aside from the path of virtue, but they should resist them to the utmost. Many friendships had been formed and seated during the war. They should not let those friendships be diminished by the- modern methods of celebrating- such occasions. They, the "old stagers," were past that; they wei'e ready to give place to the -younger generation, and some amongst' their number would rise to the foremost positions. His (Sir James') source of inspiration would pass away with the old regime, but theirs was a modern source of inspiration — progress. Be sure they were not carried away by the flood of pakeha competition. Thoy should keep above the flood waters.' This was a red-letter day in the history of their race. It was the day they proposed to unveil the Wi Pere memorial. They woxild ask them, his children, tt> unveil it. The last century had been in the keeping of the old Maoris, whose moon had waned. The new century had just arisen and its fortunes were in their keeping. (Applause.) Major Brown, Wairarapa, also joined with other tribal representatives in the speeches of welcome, which were continned until luncheon. This afternoon the Maori Pioneer and other Native -visitors came to town bv sneeinl train to attend the unveiling of the Wi Pere memorial.