THE COLOUR PROBLEM

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19661, 22 August 1935, Page 9

THE COLOUR PROBLEM

(To the Editor-;

Sir, —Perusing yoiur leader of Saturday, dealing with the above, I could see that you had fully sensed tho Implications of Mussolini's madness in stirring up the smouldering enmity of the black races. You made special reference to the African blacks, and it bappons that I got somo local views on that some years ago, when, as ono of those associated with Hie publication, at the Cape Argus office, of a certain New Zealand troopship magazine, I came in contact with several leading personalities of Capetown, from whom I received informed views on the colour problem thero- That is a land question too. The whites deprive the natives of much of their best land and impose taxes whioh the natives must pay in our money. This obliges the natives to work for the whites, and they thus compete, first of all in the menial kinds of employment, with the .white men. Then the unskilled white wage workers, deprived by the cheaper native labour of certain work, and having no capital to start on their own account, become that most pitiable of all poverty-stricken men —• “while trash.” They are looked down upon if they attempt to compete with flic natives, nttd are held in contempt by superior whites and Ihe natives alike. Jn Hie later stages the natives learn crafts, and then oust the skilled while workers. All litis follows front land monopoly; indeed while seniors pclllionod the Kenya. Colony 'Commission to cut down the amount of land each native could hold, in order to force the native lo work for Hie while men- Possession of money could no I, In aml by itself, make Ilm natives slaves to the whites, hut land monopoly could and did achieve that result.

Js it any wonder dial the coloured races are seething with discontent ? Tho natives of all countries have, before they are “civilised" by us, the natural idea about the land, Hint it is common properly; the Maoris bail the same outlook, and when land yvas sold they would come back as soon as a new Maori baby was born and demand that, baby’s share in the land value. They were quite right, for to sidl the land is to sell posterity into slavery. We got over that position ■somewhat by paying tribal annuities, otherwise the colour problem would have been very much in evidence in Now Zealand. The “annuities" should he collected from dm rental value of all die laud for all llic people, in lieu of taxation, and Hum perhaps we might have some justification for “converting the heathen." When amt where justice and freedom reign colour problems do not arise-—I am, etc-,

T. E. 'MCMILLAN Malania la, August IS, 11)35.