A MAORI MEETING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14236, 30 June 1910, Page 7

A MAORI MEETING.

LAND AND LABOUR. A big meeting of Maori men and Wuun-u was heia in the Waipounemu I Maori Hall, teniuka Kaik, on 'lues- j uay evening. Hurumona 'Porepa, in \ the chair, briefly outlined the nature ! or the and introduced Air Haukms, the Maori organiser. Mr | Hawkins, who spoke in the interests ] oi the .Sew Zcamaii Shearers' und I .Woolshed Employees' Union, gave :ui address in the Maori language, urging the Maoris to work together with the ! isiuearera L iiii.u. Uno were .. ut :«.- bettor ; the condition oi both Maori and white. ! The address, which lasted for an hour, ; • its full of interest, and the speaker, , who is a fluent and earnest auvoeatt. j of the cause of labour, referred to the ' gain the Maori race would have m ; joining the Federation of Shearers. ! Politically it would be a great help to ; them. It was time the Maori took . step* ti> better himself. At present ; their interests were not looked aftvi" i by their members. The Government was not dealing with the Maori race as it should. The Maori had been robbed of his birthright, the land that should belong to the Maori by the Treaty of Waitangi was couiiscat- • ed by the Government. In the North Island the majority of the shearers were Maoris, and if they had their just rights they would be off the labour market. The -South island Mioris had been given oU acres each, in the south of the ■•Waipounemu"' as compensation for the loss of their land and which was not considered sufficient. The land now occupied by the Maori in the South Island is ouly reserved for, and does not really belong to them. The speaker concluded by asking all the Maoris to take an active interest in the New Zealand labour movement. Albert Leonard said he had been •hearing for over 30 years, and ho knew the nature of the shearers' worth. He was glad thiit the union had taken steps to bring about a fatter rate tor shearing. He had knocked off shearing when the rates were reduced, as it did not pay him to go shearing. He hoped •11 the Maoris would stick to the Union for tlie betterment of themselves. He was glad to hear the subject of Maori lands brought up by Mr Hawkins, as he was interested in this matter, his people having practically lost the lands they were entitled to. The Treaty of Waitangi was being ignored altogether. Under the Seddon GoTernment they had free doctors and land given them, the present Government had taken the doctors from them, and would be taking their land away Bext. The Maori descendants of Ngaitahu and Xgatimamoe had petitioned to have the sale of Ngaitahu brought before Parliament, but that had not been done. "When Mr Seddon was alive there was a liberal Government; now there was none. The Government now in power was sleeping on a feather bed, and the Maori wanted some of tho feathers to lie on. The member for the South Island had not done much for the Maori in his 23 years of Parliament

The chairman. Horomona Torepe, Bolomou Matthews, J. Manning, and .T. iWhitau endorsed all that the last Speaker said. J. ManninE moved and J. Whitau Seconded —That this meeting approves

of the action of the delegates as assessors on the Conciliation Council, and as ueiegates at. the \\ ellmgton Conference, and that a vote of confidence be accorded to tneni. This was carried unanimously.

Mr Townsend spoko briefly on tlie necessity of all talcing an active interest in polit.es, and asked them to join the New Zealand Labour Party. The chairman thanked the organisers and the Shearers' Union for coming out to them, and called for three cheers, which were given in Maori style. Messrs J. Cooper, Townsend, and W'addell replied, and thanked the Maoris for the use of the hall and for the kindness shown: also the Maori women tor coming to the meeting.