The Native Question.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12970, 25 September 1905, Page 7

The Native Question.

DR. POMARE'S VIEWS.

SETTLTNG^OF-THE LANDS.

jTHE SALVATION- -OF- ?,IAORI

From Out- Parliamentary Reporter.) In his "annual report, which, was p>e-, rented to Parliament on ' Friday; " Dr. < Pomare,' Health Officer^ to , the Maoris, vvrites as follows -:-r . t '. ,j Tempus f ug St.. > „ ,We, , find- ourselves once more retcosp^ctingi How, < little one .seems, to' 1 have done,! , r ; And vetj our tin.'c has been fully -teikenup with, many tangled problems of the year—' problems which -tteed'ed 'solving 1 with} ;are— entanglements - which -metint deli-i jate ' handling ; -and now J when all has| jeen done" we can look b'aiclc andxvish; And reg'ret-^wish "that we' "h'acl our ac-'. luired' knowledge then to' help us,! regret that we were, not able to; do more. , And yet it, is > vain; to re-, yret, seeing that we, cannot; do, bstter. ohan our best. In tryirfg-to . cope; »vith the Native question i iwe are~but J picking the leaves ; of thff tree instead jf cutting down -at the-^oot. ' ' ' < In my 1 list i aitritiai'rep6rt' I said that in order' t.b solve 'the M^.br'r'que'stion. we 1 had first to- settle the 5 land" question — that . was, .to ; individualize all titles, place each. .on his- l own holding, .giving :him. eno ( ugh ! to, live on and to fajran, Jhe rest bejng, utilised either by,, leasing ? pr\ sellip.g,T thus breaking up communisj.i.;, » -.which .is ancU has been , pr,oductiyo/,of . '.much' .evil; and death^ %h\isr creating,- an incentive lo w->rk, > which- is[ the Maori's ;only avenue to, ,a physical.. salvation. This is the root., of. the-t^ee, cut .. it down ;irst and all the^ leaves will wither ■ away. . Settle, \ the ;< .Jand .questiori ; and i all the reforms, sanitary^,and ; othor- ! wise, 'must- follow/ ">a's a natural- se-i quence. Indiyidualisation 4 and the settling^ of Native lands is >he pivot up- 5 on which the, salvation of the Maori; race exists. 1 • ; , < ; This would mean -ths ; breaking up of i commimism, .the.c reating ..of :an absoute necessity to, work, the infusion of j independence intoj the Maori national ife, the .teaching,, an^, learning of the j Jommercial ratio of work and money. [t would -mean that each Maori would. } be responsible for-.-, his s own family,! thus filling a , much-needed^ attribute ; ' in fact, it, would mean ( thp better ; hou- ' sing, , feeding, r and < clothing' of .every* family,, a x^omplete change -ifrom his; now dorpgati^ely baneful, method 'of existence to a better, wholesomer, ; more independent,^. thrifty,) and "economical life. In fact- a r gradual^ but-sirro aietamorphosi^.. into?. a condition better and purer than his own.' Infusion of independence' by work' will meam much for the Maori. This is an attribute . which he sorely needs at the present, time. I would cojnpei the natives to work; not by- arbitrary laws but by the creation of • an incentive to work, and, if a Maori sell* all his land, better that, so that he will be compelled to work for a living,than idleness with fat rents an extinction. As I pointed out before, all this must come through the individualisation of Maori lands, and until that is done the pakeha and the Maori will walk in divergent ways, the former ever casting the Davidian eye on the one pet lamb left the Maori, and the latter ever distrustful, holding aloof from advancement, regretting tho hedge of multitudinous laws which keeps him. in communism and decay, compelled to spend his days in idleness, and causing his heritage to be overrun by rabbits , and noxious woods.