LIQUOR IN THE KING COUNTRY.

White Ribbon, Volume 32, Issue 374, 18 August 1926, Page 5

LIQUOR IN THE KING COUNTRY.

leading chiefs speak oft. A deputation of Native Chiefs from the Kins Country, waited upon the Prime Minister early in this month. They presented to him the following petition:— To the Premier, Native Minister of New’ Zealand. Greetings to you Sir, You are the Protector of your Maori people. Thus we send you the last testament of our chiefs, asking that “No hotels be opened in the King Country.” That Law was made between our Fathers and the Government in the year 1884. At that time there wen- no Pakehas in the King Country, and when the Government granted our request, the Pakeha was permitted to enter under the conditions of that law and the Railway and Kuropean settlement followed. This was the result of Wahanui’s visit to Wellington, and his appearance before the “Rar of the House.” Now\ 0 Sir, some of those Europeans whom we permitted to enter, are asking to break that Law, and are persuading some of our young people to sign a petition, hut we assure you our chiefs and elders are all opposed to that Pakeha petition. We trust our prayer is not too late to hasten this our last request. “O, Sirs, do not permit the pledge made with our Fathers to be broken.” Our hearts are grieved at the efforts of the Pakeha. and we are helpless, as we have no money to fight our cause like the Pakehas, who want to sell their drink. We do not want a vote, because our young people would be bribed to break the sacred law of their elders. We trust in you, O Sir. as the representative of our Mother Queen Victoria, to continue that Royal protection so faithfully bestowed to us her children under the Treaty of Waitangi. and thus prevent the introduction of anything that would do us h-arni. 0 Sir, hear our prayer. Our words to our Pakeha friends are these: “If they want hotels, let them go to those parts where there are hotels, but if they *t*h to remain in the King Country, they must honour the ‘Sacred Law' of our fathers.” We have no objec don to the Pakeha as such, and w'ould Welcome others in their place, w’ho are prepared to honour our Covenant.

We do not. want a vote. We want the Law made by Tawhiao, Wahanui, Rewi Maniapcto, and the Government to remain. This was the prayer of our petition to Parliament in 1923, and resolutions to this end have been unanimously passed by meetings of >ur*Nutive people throughout the King Country. This is enough. TI’WH A KARA. (Signed > TV Rata Mahuta Tawhiao Potarau, Tuwhakaririka Patana, Hotu Tana Pakukohatu, and Thirty Leading Chiefs of the King Country. Te Kuiti, August 2nd, 1926. They also pointed out bv declaration to the Prime Minister, that a petition had been circulated among* the Maoris, praying for a Referendum on the Liquor Question. That this petition had misled them by placing at its head the words of their great" Chief Wabanui. They therefore begged that their names be withdrawn from this petition, and that the Prime Minister present to the Houses of Parliament their desires that the pact be not broken. A Declaration was also sent out, which 36 leading Chiefs were appointed to sign, to the People and Tribes of the King Country. They stated that the •tition for licensed Houses in the King Country “is the underhand work of the Pakehas and their agents.” These Chiefs also put it on record that “Our present position (without licensed hotels! is much better than that of any other tribes (those in licensed areas). ’’ Tlie Chiefs indignantly repudiate the statement that there is mor' drinking amongst natives in the King Country than amongst those in any other Maori District. They declare his to be an insult to their people. These important Chiefs also state that “some signed their names in ignorance; others have had their names written in without their consent; ome young children have signed, and some names have been w’ritten in lead pencil. A statement is also appended, signed by Teone Haereiti, that his name was plated upon the petition by some person without his knowledge or authority. One must admire the effort of these chiefs to keep their people free from the curse of the licensed liquor trade. The Pakehas who settled !n

the King Country have no grievance. They went there knowing well the solemn pact made with the Maori Chiefs. If they now want licensed houses, lei them go where such houses are to be found, and not attempt to legalise the sale of liquor where by solemn agreement, it is not to he sold.