MAORI EARNINGS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19758, 12 October 1938, Page 8

MAORI EARNINGS

EQUAL CHANCES PLEA BY SIR A. T. NO ATA PEARS FOR THE EUTURE "Although it is stated that Maoris have been placed on an equality of pay and conditions by the present Government, there is not equality of opportunity in obtaining worth-while work on which Ihey can earn high wages," said Sir Apirana Ncata, candidate for Eastern Maori, in an interview in Whangarei. For the past week Sir Apirana has Dceti assisting the candidature of his. colleague. Mr. Tau Ilenare, and has addressed meetings as far north as Ahipara. ••The policy of the Government, especially ot the Labour Department, is to influence the workers among the Maoris to obtain employment 'in native land development, schemes and on undertakings connected with native lands "In that respect conditions are anything but satisfactory. Most of the work is let on contract that is supposedly based on prevailing rates of His per day. From inquiries and complaiiacs made to me in North Auckland, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty and East Coast districts, the men so engaged do not earn tnat rale. "Great concern is now evident because of the pronouncement made by

.he Government that at the end of the financial year the employment promotion fund will be merged into the ways and means of the social legislation. This may mean that amounts hitherto appropriated for financing Maori employment on native farms and land development may not be available in the near future. The cul-de-sac into which the Maori worker is being driven ip that he will not find employment other than casual work on roads and so forth and may not get remunerative work on lands controlled by the Native Department owing to the diversion of the resources of the Employment Promotion Fund.

"There is a good deal of dissatisfaction with the administration of the native land development work." continued Sir Apirana. "It is probable that if the position of many of the units already established were investigated, a large proportion of them would be found much less than a basic wage, in spite of the advance in produce prices. "The Native Department is extracting more and more from the cream cheques of the Maori farmers. It has not reduced the rate of interest of land development costs and is expecting the Maori unit to find an increasing proportion of the farm expenditure from, their share of the cheques."