G.—l

20

Wiremu Pomare (nephew of the great Pomare) said, —Salutations to you. lam glad to see you here to-day, also Mr Carroll. Come and see the Ngapuhis. If we had had sufficient notice that you intended coming here, perhaps you would have seen more of this great race, the Ngapuhi Tribe. On account of the short notice, these are all the people you see here assembled. We have nothing to say to you here, but we request your presence at Turanganui, where there is to be a large Native assembly There you will hear all the complaints and all we have to say regarding the Native race. There everything will be explained to you fully Maihi Paraone said, —Salutations to you, the Hon. B. J Seddon, and the Native Minister, the Hon. J Carroll. We have nothing to say to you here, but we have had notice that a large meeting is to be held at Turanganui (Gisborne , and we ask you to be present at that meeting. The Premier said, —I am delighted to find that you are all so well pleased and satisfied with the laws that exist, that you are a contented people, and have nothing to say except to accord me a hearty welcome. When pakehas do not complain, it is because they are satisfied so, if you do not complain, you must be a contented, well-satisfied, and happy people. You understand your own affairs, and you are quite able to tell the Government your wishes, your requirements, and grievances, if you have any I have been a long time on my journey, and have met some hundreds of the Native race, but this is the first place where I have met Natives who are without grievances and are satisfied with the laws as they stand. Do not say later on, in regard to the laws relating to land and other matters, that the Government did not see you and give you an opportunity of expressing your views. I may not reach Gisborne, I may not go there at all. If it so happened that I could not get to Gisborne, then I should not know anything about your requirements or wants. You have this opportunity and if you miss it the responsibility is yours, and it does not rest with me. It is probable that I may visit Gisborne, but you can never tell—it is always best to make sure. You are sure of me now because lam speaking to you. It is not the ghost of the Prime Minister or Native Minister, it is the Prime Minister and Native Minister in person speaking to you. I am now going from you to meet the Natives at Waimate. Ido not think they will tell me that I must go to Gisborne to hear their views. The representative of the Native race in the Government is also present, my friend Mr Carroll. You have also another representative in Parliament—the member for your district. He is your true representative, the one who goes to Parliament to help to make the laws. The representatives you send to Gisborne cannot make laws , they are absolutely powerless. They may go and hold a meeting and make many speeches and put forth their grievances, but they cannot give you any redress or pass laws. There can only be one Parliament, and we can recognise only the representatives elected to that Parliament. I may read what takes place at this Native meeting at Gisborne, but what will weigh with me more will be the utterances of your members in Parliament in respect to questions affecting the Native race. I always think it advisable to speak plainly, so that there shall be n-o misunderstanding. If you rely upon your representatives at the Gisborne meeting to grant you relief, you will be relying on a broken reed not but they will do their best, but the responsibility of governing the country must rest with the Parliament. It is only right I should tell you this. You must not forget that there is a change coming over the face of the country We have now nearly seven hundred thousand people in New Zealand, and only forty thousand of these are of the Native race, and it is owing to this change that I have desired to meet the Natives and consult with them in person, to warn them of the fact that exists, and to ask them to have confidence in the Government that desires to befriend them. The condition of the Native race in the colony is not satisfactory. They are rich in lands, they are large landed proprietors, and yet they are living in a state of poverty—almost of destitution. They are year by year growing less and less, smaller and smaller, and, if things go on as they are, the noble race in the course of a few years will be a thing of the past. We desire to improve the condition of the Natives, we desire to stop and prevent the race I have now described from being a thing of the past. We wish to find them increasing in numbers, living in prosperity, living in peace and happiness and contentment with the pakeha. I have told you very fairly the views of myself and the Government, and of the pakeha. You to-day, through two speakers, have spoken for a portion of the tribe, and, having very little to say more than to welcome me, I must naturally come to the conclusion that you are the only Natives in. New Zealand who are satisfied with the existing state of affairs, and with the unfortunate position you seem to me to be in. With the pakehas we say, " Silence gives consent." That is an old saying, and every little child knows it, and in your case I must infer also that silence gives consent. I told you I was prepared to listen, and came here to listen. I will now conclude by thanking you for the personal and cordial welcome you have given to myself and to my colleague the Hon. Mr Carroll, the representative of the Native race in the Cabinet. lam very pleased to have met you, and, considering the very short notice you have had, you have gathered together here a fairly representative meeting. I was sorry my movements were so uncertain that I was not able to give you as much notice as I could have desired. I feel sure, however, that had I passed by without coming to see you, you would have had a grievance. You have seen now myself and my colleague in person, and I think you will admit we are both " substantial " men. You have seen the Minister for the Natives, and. not the Minister against the Natives. You have also seen the Minister representing the Native race in the Cabinet, the friend of the Native race —one of yourselves. He will now say a few words to you in your own tongue, perhaps you will understand him better than you have understood me. I thank you very kindly for the welcome you have accorded us. Wiremu Pomare (to Mr Carroll, after Mr. Carroll had delivered his address) What you said just now about our having no grievances is not correct. All are well aware that we have grievances. The Maoris are still crying out about the laws made in Parliament. We are glad to see you going from house to house and settlement to settlement, and seeing what grievances we have. Although we see you here to-day we are unable to express our opinions here, as we told you. We intend