THE YOUNG MAORI PARTY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19045, 19 June 1936, Page 2

THE YOUNG MAORI PARTY

(To the Editor of Hie Herald.) • Sir,—-A'letter iiAder my name, taking exception to an assertion by Dr. I. L. G. Sutherland that the ■Government had dotoe'a-great wrong lo the -Maori people by raising their wages to the same level as that of the. pakeha, appeared in your columns only recently, and' since then more assertions bv Dr. Sutherland have been published, and T ask. to bo permitted to make comments on them. First of all- £» must express my gvatitude to Dr. Sutherland lor the great interest lie has shown in the Maori people. but at the same time one is inclined to think that he has another, purpose, in view. What interests me most is Dr. Sutherland's, reference to the Young Maori Party. -He says, referring to Sir Apirana* Ngata : ."He was the moving spirit in the Young Maori Party, and it would not be an exaggeration to name him the greatest. New Zealander of this century so far." By the rule of juxtaposition., we are to gather that much of Sir Aptrana's greatness was derived from Ins association with the Young Maori Party and yet it would seem it was no other person than Sir Apirana himself that dealt that party a death blow. Dr. Sutherland himself has quoted Sir Apirana Ngata as saying: -'The causes ot its failure are very easy to find. In the first place, our enthusiasm outran our caution, so that we proposed in our inexperience. >with very weak instruments, to effect r'efbrms of a most sweeping nature. 'We had none of us any great knowledge of Maori life; the litile we knew was not to the credit of the Maori people. Bevond that little we did not look. It was sufficient for us that our ncople were dirty, idle, drunken and immoral; for we would teach them howto become clean, industrious, sober, and virtuous. So we framed a constitution nyterlv impracticable, nnsuited to the circumstances'of Maori society and beyond the power of the greatest, organising genius to effect." This is a very cruel stab, and what causes it to be 'more painful is the fact that it was the act. of a friend. Sir Apirana Ngata has received much kudos and assistance because of his association with the Young Maori Party. In contradiction of Sir Apirana Ngata's .statement I could quote the late Mr. .1. H. Pope, inspector of native schools. Mr. Frank Milner, rector of the Waitaki Boys* High School, the late Mr. Justice Alpers, Dr. Sutherland himself and several others. There is no doubt whatever that the Young Maori Party was responsible in a large measure in stemming the tide .of decay in the Maori nebple whose number dropped to as low as 30,854 in 1896, and now has risen to 81,774. The party commenced operations in earnest about the time when the Maori people was at its lowest ebb. and during the years when it was most vigorous, matters hegan to improve and haye been improving ever since. Yet there is no mention at all of its work in the last census report. Or was it a mere coincidenoe that the improvement synchronised with a period when the party was most active? There is more in the "claim of the friends of the Young Maori Party than there is in the statement of the composers of the census report that .the improvement, in the economic status of the Maori people is a result of the native land settlement schemes; When we talk of the native land schemes we mean the Ngata land schemes. How cou hl 'he improved condition of the Maoris which became apparent in 1901 be attributed in the Ngata schemes which began";.-only M. 19.50? ' To refer to Sir Apirsna Ngata's Scathing statement, if the youthful reformers of the Young Maori Party had'waited till they were as wise as Solomon they might-not. have started at all. and now when they are.old and very wise they are not doing as much, if anything. As a.-matter of fact, Sir Apirana Ngata. in organising frequent and extravagant huis, is acting diametrically in opposition to the declared aims of the Young Maori -Party. He says: "So we framed a constitution utterly impracticable, unsuited .to the circumstances of Maori society." The Young Maori Party was a social reform, not a political movement, and as such it could not frame a constitution to suit the existing "circumstances of Maori society" for its job was to change those circumstances and not to pander to the weaknesses of Maori society. A profound thinker like Dean Inge has said : "In the long run the only true policy is to give the people the best and highest that we know -whether thev will hear or whether they will forbear.'" This is exactly what the Young Maori Party did. Tf it erred in aimjng too high it might, have hit a tree and, at least, it erred in good company. The Young Maori Party has not failed, for it has; permeated Maori society with its spirit, but it. mav be now inactive. — Your! etc.. R. T. KOHERE.