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I.—3b

tioji so-and-so, not including the Native race." But wliy should any distinction bo made ? He hoped that for the future such discrimination would cease. He thought that, as citizens of the British Empire, we had reason to be proud of the treatment that the Native races throughout the Empire had received. That the Native races were satisfied with the treatment was shown by the fact that there was not a single tribe that had not responded to the Empire's call at the time of the Great War ; and the Maoris were not the last in offering their services. Sir Jamks Carroll : And there was no compulsion. Mr. Masse y : Yes ; no compulsion was necessary so far as the Native race was concerned. The question, he added, was sometimes asked, What was going to be the future of the Native race ? Were the Maoris going to die out as had the Native races in other parts of the world ? He did not think they were going to die out in the ordinary sense of the word, but that they would be merged with the European race, with the Anglo-Saxons, if they liked ; and he did not think that the Europeans would be any worse when the merging took place, because, intellectually and physically, the' Maori was the equal of the European. He could hold his own in athletic sports, in the schools, and so on. The Maoris had got their faults, of course ; and so had we. They had just as much reason to point to our faults as we had to point to theirs. We had known them for nearly a century- —known them both as opponents and as allies ; and nobody could say that they were anything else than gallant foes, and as allies there was nothing but good that we could say of them. He was sure that those who came after us would be as proud of being descended from the great Maori chiefs of the past as were those at Home who had " come over with the Conqueror." The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wileord) said that he would like to support with all his power the remarks that had fallen from the Prime Minister. He echoed the sentiments Mr. Massey had expressed with regard to the Native race ; and he, as a native-born New-Zealander, was able to say. that the toast included not only the Maoris but the young New-Zealanders born here. With the Prime Minister, he wished to see a real fusion of the two races. Each had much to gain from the other. If there was one thing that struck him about the Native race, it was the inherent dignity that characterized individually the Maori men and women. They had distinguished themselves in music, artistry, sculpture, and politics. They had not only come up alongside the pakeha, but had often excelled them. In Parliament speeches had been made by members of the Native race that had seldom been equalled and never beaten by the pakeha. The toast, which was drunk with musical honours, was suitably responded to by Mr. Tau Henare, M.1., Mr. Wi Eapi, the Hon. A. T. Ngata, M.P., and the Hon. Sir Maui Pomare, M.P. Mr. Tau Henare said : In prefacing my remarks I wish to say that I am sorry to note that while this luncheon has some relation to us the Maori people -the food which we have before us is that of the pakeha, and hence we do not see before us samples of that delicacy of Maori feasts of the past — the delicious dried shark. Personally, I very much appreciate the kindly and complimentary references of the Prime Minister and previous speakers, and the toast to the Maori race that has just been drunk, and on our return to our people we will have great pleasure in acquainting them with the complimentary references made concerning them. I also wish to pay my tribute to the good work done in the past for the Maori race by my old friends the ex Native Ministers, the Hon. Sir James Carroll and the Hon. Sir William Hemes, and hope that the present Native Minister, the Hon. Mr. Coates, will emulate the example and follow in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors in an effort to do that which is right and just as between the Maori and the pakeha. I also desire to take this opportunity of publicly expressing the pleasure I have felt by the entry into the Parliament of this country of one of the descendants of the illustrious Henry Williams, who was instrumental, often at the risk of his life, in suppressing the warlike troubles of the past, and whose actions brought peace and good will to our people and these fair isles during those turbulent times. We have just seen one of the rooms of the new Parliament Buildings decorated with samples of the carvings of our Maori ancestors, and I hope to see the day when the Chamber itself of the House of Representatives will be similarly adorned with Maori carving. I wish, to take this opportunity of complimenting the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court, and his Judges, and his Department, for the indefatigable industry they have displayed in the searching and furnishing of reports on petitions by Natives, by which the Native Affairs Committee are enabled to mete out justice. As one of the Maori race that has just been toasted, 1 want to compliment the Chairman, the members, and the clerk of the Native Affairs Committee for the integrity and perseverance they have shown in dealing with matters affecting the Maori race. I would also urge the Government that, should the welfare of the inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific be menaced, their rights should be protected. In conclusion, may 1 tender to those of you in this room whose equanimity of mmd may have been dUturbed by rumours of want of confidence in you, the merits of an old-time Maori advice—that you disport yourself in public in such a manner as will display to advantage your manly qualities, and the poetry of your movements so as to attract their admiration and regain their confidence in you. Kia ora. Mr. Wi Hα pi, in a brief speech, then thanked those present for the kind things said of the Maori race, and for the enthusiasm with which the toast had been honoured. The Hon. Mr. Ngata said that he felt from the bottom of his heart that the Maori race of New Zealand were fortunate in having come under the nag of England : most fortunate in having come into contact with this branch of the pakeha race. The relations between the two races had been of the best, and the good opinion held by the pakeha towards his Maori brother had been recently exhibited in the most signal manner, when a Maori refereed the All Blacks v. Maoris football match at Athletic Park. That was not only a great honour, but a splendid recognition of the prowess, fairness, and equality of the Maori with the pakeha in the field of sport, the greatest test, according to the canons of the pakeha, of the fitness of any people to live upon the earth. The function they were celebrating