Hill. — On the Maoris To-day and To-morrow. 153 



all half-civilised communities, the sole end of their existence ; 

 and yet the summary on pages 13 and 14 of the return shows 

 that there are individuals among the Maori race who cultivate 

 the soil with a view to profit and exchange : 9,000 acres of 

 potatoes, 2,200 acres of wheat, 9,200 acres of maize, and 7,000 

 acres of other root-crops is no bad record of native industry 

 for a single year. In addition, the natives had 66,000 acres of 

 grain-sown lands, and they held in common more than 11,000 

 acres of cultivated lands for produce such as melons, marrows, 

 and gourds of different kinds. Their flocks of sheep numbered 

 314,000, their cattle nearly 30,000, and their pigs over 50,000. 

 "With such possessions it can hardly be urged that a population 

 of under forty thousand souls is badly off; and I doubt whether 

 it would not be difficult to find such a satisfactory record 

 among a half-civilised community in any other country that 

 has been settled and governed in the same way as New 

 Zealand. 



The effect of confinement in prison on natives is specially 

 referred to by Mr. G. H. Davies, another of the enumerators, 

 and his remarks on this subject are interesting and valuable, 

 as showing the effect such treatment has upon a people whose 

 notions of duty and obedience are unlike those of the colonists, 

 who have been brought up under a different environment. He 

 says, "Confinement such as the native prisoners are subject 

 to, while they have every possible care, kindness, and attention, 

 causes them to grieve for freedom and droop. Imprisonment 

 to them means more than it does to their white brethren — the 

 product of modern civilisation — and should be taken into con- 

 sideration when sentence is passed on them. It is not pun- 

 ishment in such a case, but the infliction of great cruelty. In 

 dealing with problems affecting a race such as the Maori the 

 influence of heredity should be considered. Knowing as we 

 do what the ancestry of the Maori must have been — warlike, 

 fearless, generous, hospitable, lovers of freedom, and living an 

 untrammelled life — we should make allowance for those whose 

 fathers, little more than fifty years ago, led a free life, and are 

 now compelled to obey the laws which to them are so restric- 

 tive in their operation." 



Sir George Grey, in the despatch already referred. to, said of 

 the Maoris, "They are fond of agriculture, take great pleasure 

 in cattle and horses, like the sea and form good sailors ; have 

 now many coasting-vessels of their own manned by Maori 

 crews ; are attached to Europeans and admire their customs 

 and manners ; are extremely ambitious of rising in civilisation 

 and of becoming skilled in European arts ; they are apt at learn- 

 ing, in many respects extremely conscientious and observant 

 of their word, are ambitious of honours, and are probably the 

 most covetous race in the world. They are also agreeable in 



