NEWS IN BRIEF

Te Ao Hou, September 1961, Page 50

NEWS IN BRIEF Pei Te Hurinui Jones' essay Puhiwahine, Maori Poetess has recently been republished in the form of a booklet. It contains all the text, the photographs and the tables that appeared in Te Ao Hou, from issues 28–34. It is good that this valuable work is now available as a book. The publisher is Mr Jones himself, P.O. Box 78, Taumarunui. He advises, somewhat apologetically, that because of high costs of production, he must charge 10/- per copy, but we feel sure students of Maori history and literature (and book collectors too) will easily forgive him. ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ Top prize for the encouragement of education goes to the Ngati Rongo tribal committee, Ruatoki, chairman Rev. Wharetini Rangi, secretary R. N. Rangi. Since the educational subsidy scheme was started, this committee gave educational aid to local children to the extent of £938. This includes the £ for £ subsidy granted by the Department of Maori Affairs. The money was spent to send secondary school pupils to boarding schools. Second in the list of committees subsidizing education is the Raukawa executive (total over £500). Unfortunately few committees are seeking to get up to these figures, and it is to be hoped that committees will in future be more active rather than allow children of their tribe to have to leave school through lack of money, as happens particularly to sixth formers who have to board away from home. These young people have a claim on the help of their community as they have already scaled the school certificate hurdle. ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ Many Maoris appeared to think that a running ear was a natural visitation, but it was often the precursor to deafness or impairment of hearing, said Dr J. F. Dawson, Hamilton medical officer of health, in an address to the South Auckland Education Board. Constant treatment was required in these ear cases, he said. By agreement with general practitioners in certain areas, the Health Department was allowed to work in districts of Maori concentration where the complaint was rampant.