POLITICAL BIAS DENIED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19136, 3 October 1936, Page 14

POLITICAL BIAS DENIED

MAORI WELFARE WORK

CENSURE OF CIRCULAR

WITHDRAWAL DEMANDED

~ (Per Press Association.) ROTORUA, last night. A Sensation was caused at to-day’s session of the newly-formed Maori and Pakehg ' .Federation at Ohinemutu when one of the delegates, Mr. 0. Elliott, of To -Kuiti, produced a circular which, ho said, had been handed to several of the delegates outside the conference hall and which made certain allegations regarding tlie conduct of the Arawa Trust Board, claiming that the federation was being formed by certain members of the board for political purposes. The circular, which was printed m Maori and English, was signed by one, R. Carnaehan, as chairman of the Te Arawa central committee of the New Zealand Labour Party. _ <f l say definitely, 9 * said Mr., Elliott, < < that the person who put his name to this and the printer who published it are liable to prosecution. It is a lie and it has no business to be in circulation. lam a member of the Labour Party ami this man has no right, to publish .a thing like this. As chairman of a branch of the party, it is a prostitution of the position he holds/’ Mr. Elliott said that the allegations in the circular were false, and the claim that the federation had been formed with-political-objects was entirely , uutrue, . ■ ONLY ONE OBJECT

Delegates had assembled at Rotorua from all parts of New Zealand with oply one object —the uplift of the Maori people, and they had no political objectives whatever. Mr. K. Ehau (Rotorua) expressed a deep sense of regret that, political differences of opinion among the Rotorua Maoris which had been responsible for the circular had been used to cast doubt upon the purpose of the federation. He had no doubt that the object of the circular was tp, .discredit the present leader of the Maori race, Sir Apirana Ngata, and the present chairman of the Arawa Trust Board, Mr. Tai Mitchell. He ; described the circular as “vile and an under-the-belt hit.’’ Mr." M. R. Jones (Hawera) said that there was no foundation for the suggestion that the idea of forming the federation had emanated from Rotorua. On the contrary, it had come from Mr. D. Tatere, of Dannevirke. He was sure that he expressed the opinion of all present when he expressed his confidence that the motives of any members of the Arawa tribe associated with the formation of the federation were beyond reproach. On -the motion of Mr. Elliott, the conference unanimously expressed its strongest, disapproval of the circular and demanded its withdrawal by those responsible,.