Hill. — The Maoris To-day and To-morrow. 179 



taught in the first principles of nursing they could soon in- 

 struct the others, and it would aid materially in the saving of 

 life." The enumerator for the Waikato urges that " the in- 

 ordinate use of tobacco, and, worse still, vile cigarettes and 

 crude tobacco-leaf (torori), is really becoming a frightful curse, 

 and must be checked if the race is to continue. It is not 

 unusual to see mothers give infants their pipes to quieten 

 them, and so strong a hold has smoking obtained that it is a 

 deadly privation to keep a Maori from smoking for half an 

 hour at a stretch." " I believe it would prove a great boon," 

 continues the enumerator, " if a small pamphlet containing 

 simple rules of sanitation were printed and widely circulated 

 warning the natives of the dangers of inordinate use of tobacco, 

 sleeping on the ground, and drinking Maori tea," &c. 



Other quotations might be given to show how diverse are 

 the conditions existing at present among the Maoris. There 

 is, however, a consensus of opinion that crime, drunkenness, 

 and even poverty are diminishing among them, and that they 

 are coming to look upon European ways of living favourably, 

 although, unfortunately, they do not always practise what 

 they know to be best for their own well-being. 



It is often urged by those who know but little of the ways 

 of living among the Maoris that many of them are lazy, but 

 this is a mistake. They are, indeed, industrious, but at pre- 

 sent ambitionless, and as a rule they only toil to produce 

 sufficient food for the year. Their surplus, whatever it may be 

 other than sheep or cattle, is wasted ; but this is the result 

 of neglect, of ignorance, and of imperfect business knowledge. 

 That considerable progress is being made by them is amply 

 shown by the extent of their cultivations. In 1901 the acre- 

 age under crop owned by the natives was : Potatoes, 7,369 ; 

 wheat, 3,724; maize, 4,943; other crops, 8,780; sown 

 grasses, 78,628. Their sheep numbered 317,436 ; cattle, 

 36,943; and pigs, 57,642. The total number of sheep in the 

 colony was 19,355,195 ; cattle, 1,256,680 ; and pigs, 250,975 : 

 in other words, the natives possess one in five of the pigs, 

 one in thirty-four of the cattle, and one in sixty of the sheep ; 

 and in addition 1,793,880 acres of native land was held 

 under lease by Europeans. 



With such possessions it would be absurd to suppose 

 the natives are a poverty-stricken people, for the income from 

 the produce of their crops, &c, would amply suffice to sustain 

 all of them in comfort ; but there is a contra side to this 

 apparent wealth. I do not know whether a return has ever 

 been made of the indebtedness of the Maoris to storekeepers, 

 hotelkeepers, general dealers, and others, but such a return 

 would, no doubt, possess many interesting features. The 

 thriftlessness of the Maoris is well known. " Sufficient unto 



