Te Pipiwharauroa 121

Te Pipiwharauroa 121

No. 121

1908/04

(Maori Version at NZETC.)

[1] Te Pipiwharauroa, He Kupu Whakamarama, Number 121, Gisborne, April 1908.

‘As clouds deck the heavens, so feathers enable the bird to fly.’ [cf. Nga Pepeha 352]

ALCOHOL

When the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa asked my to share my thoughts on the consumption of alcohol by people, I agreed, However I did not want to pick a quarrel with or oppose the thoughts of anyone about this drink. There are two sides to every issue. The two sides in contention in this matter are those who condemn and those who approve. At this time I have no desire to quarrel with either side over this matter. So the supporters of those sides should understand that my words do not apply to one side or the other.

I take a line in the middle in this matter and I choose those things that I have seen with my eyes or have heard. Many Maori people know a lot about this thing, alcohol. Some are wise people, some are foolish people; some have been educated at college, some have struggled on their home marae. Each person has his own opinions. One person’s opinions have majority support, the other’s are his alone. The opinions of this man or woman may derive from exasperation about this drink or from some great trouble in the family or in the village. Another’s opinions will have emerged as he has carefully assessed the effects, good and bad, of that thing. My word to the readers of Te Pipiwharauroa is to hold on to your own opinions but also look carefully at mine.

The opinions expressed here are mine alone. If they are wrong then the mistake is mine only.

The Two Sides.

Some people say that alcohol is very wrong and very wicked. If a person partakes of that drink then he is soiled. If he gets drunk he is addicted to evil. There is nothing good about him; he is dead while alive.

When I was little this was my stance. When I grew up, although I still mostly believe this, I proceed more gently. So I say that getting drunk once is not a very bad sign. I have seen people who have been drunk many times but have still returned to do good work. Some people are like this. Other people do not return to do what is right. But if I gather together those people who are affected by drinking but who do what is right and those who drink and do what is wrong, the tally of those who do wrong is greater than those who do right. Therefore my heart has to make the accusation that our drink has the power to bring misfortune upon people.

Then there are some people who say that alcohol is always good. So they say it is a good medicine at times; it overcomes hunger sometimes; it provides warmth sometimes; and sometimes it helps hide sorrow. One thing supporters of drink bring up is, because it is a means of providing an income for some people here, if alcohol is providing some benefit for people, why not drink it? But do we see on the [2] Maori side any good arising for people generally? Each person takes thought for himself only and pays no attention to others. Is it the fault of the man that he pursues drink, or is it the fault of the drink in being present to the man? If the fault lies with the man then those who engage in the battle are those who are lazy, weak, common and stupid. But it is the case that while the lazy are overcome by it, so are the industrious; both the anxious heart and the wise are carried away. It doesn’t distinguish between its people. It is for your to look: [?he koia], alcohol is a nasty spirit.

The Victim of Alcohol.

Drink is not pleasant to look at. My work involves looking at people who are drunk. Most are young men. Perhaps it is because the elders have been swept away that one sees many young people. To me this is the loathsome thing about alcohol. It is grasped by the young men, the pillars of the people. But consider the ancient world. From his beginning right up to the time of his death, he saw people who were upright. But in the new world he fishes for his shadow, fishing in the fog of the vapour of alcohol, and will he get to the dawn or not?

Why has the Maori leader been put down? Why did the word get on top of those who were anointed? Why were the descendants of great people contaminated by a drink that is vapour? You say that it is because of the new laws, because of the new teachings, because of new ways of doing things. I say, with a sorrowful heart, that it is because of alcohol.

At the time when the patu ruled, men were brave and there was no alcohol. There was sadness then, there was cold, there was hunger and there was weariness, but there was no alcohol.

If I am leaning spiritedly to the side which is critical of alcohol then the fault is mine alone.

Seen by Everyone.

Many of the children sent to the large schools are drinking alcohol. Many educated children whose hearts were captured so that they would become guides of their people are heavy drinkers. Many of the young men who are going to fell the bush, dig roads, or shear sheep, are putting the pay for their efforts into buying alcohol. It is the case that it is their money. But, have they not come to realise that it would be a good policy to retain some of that for which they worked with such effort?

The Opinion of the People.

What is the opinion of the Maori People about this thing, drink? Do they approve of it or condemn it? By my count there are more people who condemn alcohol than approve of it. The Pakeha have the power to prohibit alcohol in their constituencies. Some constituencies have voted to prohibit alcohol. What do Maori think about this power?

Final Word.

Consider carefully these fighting words of mine. Does one find death or life in alcohol? Does one find death for the body and the soul or life? There are people who can give up drinking if they wish to. I commend such people and let them ally themselves with those seeking to ban alcohol in Maori areas. There are those who wish to get rid of alcohol so that they will not get drunk. These are the people I respect. Therefore I wish to do away with alcohol.

I ask each Maori to consider this matter carefully.

T Wi Repa M.B. Ch.B.

TORO

Bishop Tucker has been preaching the Gospel in the district of Toro for ten years. This area, Toro, is part of the Uganda, whose king and administrators are under the authority of the English. The wonderful thing about this country is the strength of the growth of the faith. During this year 11 churches have been completed. Some 3000 people come to church services and 1400 take communion. Two of the leading chiefs of this country were recently ordained by the Bishop as clergy. They gave no thought to their chiefly status when they went to the theological college, rather the two of them discarded all the goods of this world when they gained Christ.

[3] 

THE NEW CHURCH OF THE PAKEHA.

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

Greetings to you and to all those who take the paper within the Dominion and even in the islands of the ocean. Best wishes, best wishes for a long time, best wishes still. Enough for the greetings. Happy are those who choose the fine pearls, who get what they desired. As for the responses of Paora Tukupoto of Waikato to my words of warning to those who are blind in heart, those who chastise the Church in Number 117, that saying of mine is firm and established for ever. Do not join up with the proliferating churches of the Pakeha. ‘If your trust is in Christ in your Church,’ if your rejoice in your Church, with your baptism, your Sunday, your beautiful ways, your sound teaching, then continue on your journey. Poari Riwai says, ‘Sir, the heart has its reasons’, that is, to accept or reject. To elaborate: if you sought your salvation by faith amongst the Churches, it could not be accomplished by the emotions or by learning, for there is no way except for ‘accepting Christ as Saviour (Acts 4.12).’ ‘There is salvation in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given amongst mortals by which we must be saved.’ I will not boast like Hopere who is all quarrelling, name-calling, tossing out words to spear the heart, and who calls himself a minister. But if Hopere claims to be superior in faith to all the ministers in all the churches of New Zealand, how can he be said to fulfil the Scripture (2 Timothy 2.24)? ‘And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, and apt teacher, patient.’ When I see Hopere’s responses to my articles, in no way does he conform to this Scripture, and although he tries to hide himself and become invisible he re-emerges in Number 119. He is truly a man with a darkened heart, a drowsy spirit, and his statements are dreams. The statement of Scripture very much applies to him (1 Timothy 6.3-5). ‘Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is accordance with godliness, is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such things.’ [NRSV] I said that Hopere was dreaming: First, he has his Church and we should join his Church. Secondly, my words were not designed to criticize the Mormon Church but I was pointing out the right applications of some of the teachings of one of the Churches, but of some which are far away but have the one Sabbath. Some other Churches have a different Sabbath, and those Churches still pierce the heart with their teaching. Thirdly, the Scriptures lay down that after Christ Sunday is to be observed as the Sabbath. These are his words in response to my reasons. They are as follows. First, although I had a church I left it and joined the Church. Secondly, I do not have a Church, but I will go to the Church that promises me salvation. Thirdly, it is true that the baptisms and the holy days of the Churches are the same, so why are they different and not at unity? Fourthly, I do not agree with the Scriptures cited by Hapeta which give the reason why people worship on the first day of the week – Sunday. If the heart of the man is overcome by sleep, along with boasting, his progress is like that of Hopere whose responses to my statements in Number 117 are found in Number 119. Most of Hopere’s words are directed at me. My response is, ‘Best wishes, Hopere, the man who saw Joseph Smith and God’s giving of the Bible. As you sow, so shall you reap.

Your servant,

Hapeta Renata.

Kaeo, March 14th, 1908.

TOA KAI PEA, MAKAU! EXPERT EATER, MAKAU!

This proverb is used frequently by people here on the East Coast. If a man is seen voraciously eating food and it is known that he is lazy, it is said,

Toa kai pea, Makau!
‘Expert eater, Makau!’ [ cf. Nga Pepeha 2527], 

and if he is a man who is active in producing food, he will reply, ‘Expert eater, expert with tools.’ [Toa kai ra, toa rakau.] Ngati Porou is the tribe that has preserved this proverb and so I mistakenly thought that Makau belonged to Ngati Porou, however Mohi Turei told me that Makau was from Gisborne and that his direct descendants are Hori Rorekata and Winiata te Moeau. This is the story of Makau: “The Te Whanau-a-Apanui war party was going to attack Orakaiapu, a pa at Te Arai. In the party were Makau and his elder brother. When they got to Nga Wai-e-rua at Pipiwhakao they stopped there. In the evening when they were eating, Makau snatched at the food. [4] His brother was angry and called out, ‘Expert eater, Makau!’ Straight away Makau replied, ‘Expert eater and expert with weapons!’ [E, toa kai ra, toa rakau!] The brother muttered, ‘Where?’ Makau answered, ‘Aren’t we are on our way to fight.’ In the morning they attacked the Rongowhakaata pa at Orakaiapu. The warrior Makawe-o-rongo headed for Makau. Makawe thrust at Makau but he was struck by Makau. Makawe it was who fell. When Makawe fell, Makau said, 

 Tamarahi kai a toa kai te ika i te ati.
‘Men, it is the expert eater who has the first fish.’ [cf. Nga Pepeha 2208] 

When the warriors came to hide Makawe lest he be found, Makau said, 

E, kia watea, kia watea i ta toa kai! 
‘Keep clear, keep clear of expert eaters!’ [ cf Nga Pepeha 1341]

[The Editor asks you to send to Te Pipiwharauroa similar stories from all parts of the country.]

THE REPORT OF THE REV H A HAWKINS AND THE REV H T PAPAHIA ON THE ADVISABILITY OR NOT OF SENDING MAORI TO PREACH THE GOSPEL IN MELANESIA.

Given in the presence of the Bishops of Auckland and Melanesia.

In response to your wishes the two of us went to the Melanesian Mission on board the Southern Cross. The two of us left Auckland on 6th September and returned on 22nd November. The purpose of our journey was to see whether or not it would be good to send Maori to preach the Gospel to the many islands of Polynesia near the Diocese of Melanesia. We present this report to the two of you about the things we thought.

1. The Islands We Visited.

The islands of Polynesia the two of us visited were Bellona, the Reef Group, and Tikopia. Other islands are Hikiana and the Duff Group but as the steamer did not go there we were not able to visit them. However we understand that the languages and the ways of life of all those islands are the same.

2. The Language.

We observed that the language is like Maori in its rhythm, intonation, pronunciation, sound and vocabulary. They have many words the same and therefore we think that it would take less than two months for a Maori to learn to speak that language easily.

3. Food.

The food eaten is identical with most of the food eaten here by Maori today – fish and kumara; the things that are different are yams, coconuts, potatoes, apples and other things. Pakeha foods too are brought by the steamer when it calls there.

4. Health.

In this respect we think that the islands of Polynesia and better than those of Melanesia in that the people are healthy and are not greatly afflicted by sickness. However we are well aware that the fever has not arrived there. But we are not able to say whether Maori will suffer illness there; that will only be known when Maori go there. As we see it there is no reason why Maori should suffer illness there.

5. Our Conclusions.

The two of us see no reason for not sending Maori to go and carry the Gospel to their brothers and sisters in Polynesia. When we had understood the above matters about life there, we saw nothing to stop Maori going there, and in the short time we spent there we said that it would be easier for Maori to live there than for Pakeha. Therefore we say it would be very worthwhile to try this out and to send a Maori there to see how it works.

6. Recommendations.

My Lords, if you wish to try out this thing, we offer these words of guidance as to the way you should proceed. We would make these two suggestions to you. The first arises from the nature of the land and the people we saw, and the second from the advice given us by the people of the Melanesian Mission, people who know how to go about the work with those people.

(a) The Toka Group should be the station for the first person to go there. The advantages of these islands is the friendliness of the native people there, the large number of people and islands there, and, thirdly, they are close to the Duff Group, [5] places which have not yet been reached. A Melanesian teacher is established in Tikopia so there is no call for someone to go there. We did not get to Bellona even though the steamer (Southern Cross) came close on three occasions, so we do not know anything about the people or the land. We do not think it would be good to place a Maori on this island now, but rather that first a Pakeha missionary be sent soon to clear the way. Were a Maori to be settled at San Cristobal it would be easy for him to go with a Pakeha missionary to Bellona for a year the find out if the people were accepting and then he could extend his stay there.

(b) We are convinced that those sent to the Toka Group should be married people and should take their wives there with them. The man living at San Cristobal alongside the Pakeha should be unmarried so that it would be easy for him to go to Bellona and when he returned from Bellona there would be many villages for him to go to – he might even be free to teach at the school at Pamua. He could stay in the home of his Pakeha companion.

(c) Should a person go it would be good for him to stay for a time on Norfolk Island, and he could travel on when the time came for the departure of the steamer for Polynesia. There are many reasons for us saying that he should stay here. First, he would see that Norfolk is the base for that work, and not New Zealand. Second, he would see the kind of things done by the Mission. Third, he would learn the rules and the procedures for that work. He would learn some words of the Mouta language. This is the main language of all of the islands so it is important to know it. Fifth, he would hear the language spoken on the Toka Group being spoken by children from there being educated on Norfolk. Sixth, he would become aware that there are others who are concerned about him while he is working; he will find that the people of Norfolk are a united family and therefore he will not be lonely.

(d) When the Maori first arrives there he should engage in frequent visits. It would be good to have one Pakeha, a Maori couple living on the Toka Group, and a Maori couple living on the Duff Group. The Pakeha would supervise the four of them.

(e) At the beginning we think it would be good for two married couples to go to the Toka Group, and for a single man to go to San Cristobal and to go on from there to Bellona.

(f) We think they should be on probation for three years. After the three years they should be confirmed in the work or perhaps do something else.

(g) As for payment, we think, following our conversations with the people of the Mission, that a person should initially be paid £40 a year, and when this is reviewed it will be determined whether this amount is too little or otherwise.

H A Hawkins

H T Papahia

THE EMPIRE OF KING EDWARD

The English boast about the extent of their rule, saying, ‘The sun never sets upon the empire of England.’ It will be good to point out to the subscribers to Te Pipiwharauroa aspects of this empire.

The number of people under the rule of King Edward is 387,991,000, and the area covered by the empire is 11,323,000 square miles.

People / Square Miles

England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland 44,104,000 / 121,000

India 204,317,000 /1,767,000

The Colonies 49,570,000 /9,435,000

The size of Canada is 9,745,574 square miles. Australia is 2,974,581 square miles and its population is 4,139,828. In England there are 364 people per square mile while in Australia there is one person per square mile.

The largest cities of the Empire are:

London 4,758,218

Calcutta (India) 955,926

Bombay (India) 982,000

Glasgow (Scotland) 847,584

Liverpool (England) 746,584

Manchester 643,148

Birmingham 553,155

Madras (India) 548,974

Sydney 538,800

Melbourne 526,400

The total amount raised by the Empire from trade is £1,129,778,000.

The busiest shipping ports of the Empire are:

Tonnage

London 11,222,542

Hong Kong (China) 11,059,070

Liverpool 8,145,441

Singapore 6,466,411

Colombo (India) 6,280,164

Cardiff (Wales) 5,295,331

Glasgow 1,842,416

[6] 

A SERMON

‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’ Luke 9.23.

Jesus Christ is the greatest teacher ever to have lived on this earth. If we want to know the true way of salvation we must listen to his teachings. But he is more than the Teacher. He alone is the person whom it is right to call the Saviour. If he is unable to save us then no-one else is able, because all power in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and there is no other name given to people under heaven whereby we might be saved. If we rather turn away from Jesus it is a great fault on our part. Do not turn the back of your head to Jesus and he will not deny you. Remember that he said, ‘For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’ [John 3.20-21] Now I believe that you want to come to the light, to follow Jesus – and you are perhaps wanting to know what way you need to take. This is what he teaches about this: ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’ [Luke 9.23] These words point out the basis of Christian life. Let us understand the meaning of these words - that a person should deny themselves, and think about how Christ denied himself, because he has not only told us what we are to do but has shown us and left us an example so that we may follow in his footsteps. Christ did not do what might have been sweet for him. He sought what was good for other people. It was the needs of other people that Jesus was concerned about. He continually did the things that pleased his Father. He said, ‘I seek not to do my own will but the will of the Father.’ [John 5.30] And in Peter’s address to Cornelius and the others he said about Jesus, ‘he went about doing good’. [Acts 10.38] Indeed, Christ thought first about God – the Father’s will was his first thought, and afterwards about others, and last of all about himself. Myriads of people think first about themselves, then they think about others, and last of all they think about God. One’s first thought is to be for God, then for the sorrows and sufferings of others and how we can help them. This is what it means to deny ourselves. This is Jesus’ teaching. This is not a very difficult thing. Many good people deny themselves and do many good works. During the past five years a good man died in London. His name was Quinton Hogg. He was a wealthy nobleman. As a young man he was moved with compassion for the poor boys on the streets of London. After finishing school he began teaching two poor boys on a small London street to read the Bible. But he realised that if he was going to help poor children he had to identify with them. Therefore for six months he lived with the poor children and on two days each week he worked with them blacking shoes, holding horses, or sweeping streets. After this he built an evening school for these children and taught them every night. Afterwards he became a great London merchant. He did his demanding and difficult work every day but, after work, he went each evening to teach and help the poor children. He was a true Christian. He followed Jesus. He denied himself to help others. This is what we meant when we said that the person who looks first to his own interests is not able to grow in grace. If we wish to follow after Christ we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, that is, we are to live prepared to suffer for Christ. Christ suffered greatly in doing God’s will. Likewise, if we follow him we will also rule with him. Christ has opened the door of heaven for us; he has climbed the sacred mountain and has shown us the dawn. And now he is our guide to lead us there. Let us not sleep at the foot of the mountain, but let us grasp the right hand of Christ and be led by him into the presence of God. Let us take up our cross and follow Jesus.

A MAJOR HUI IN WELLINGTON.

On 14th July a great Hui of the Maori People will be held in Wellington. It will end on the Saturday. The Governor will open the Hui.

[7]

A PETITION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF ALCOHOL

The Maori women of Northland have set up an organisation for the prohibition of alcohol. They have written the following petition to be submitted to the Maori Hui to be held in Wellington on 14th July, to be presented by the Hui to Parliament. This organisation is very strong. It has 1100 members. The President is Lady Stout. The organisation will hold a hui in May. The petition says that the sale of alcohol to Maori should be prohibited, and if that is not possible Maori should be given the power to vote on the prohibition or retention of alcohol.

To the Speaker and the Honourable Members of the New Zealand Parliament meeting in Wellington.

A Petition from us Maori People who have added our signatures below.

We point out:

(1) We Maori are suffering a great deal because of alcohol and we have seen that drink has increased the fragility of our fragile people. It has caused the waste of our possessions, it has hindered the growth of habits of industry, it undermines the teaching of the schools, it strikes at the teachings of the faith, and it attacks the bodies of elders and children even.

(2) We appreciate that day after day Parliament has made laws to ease the damage inflicted on our people by the consumption of alcohol.

(a) The sale of alcohol has been forbidden in the area known as the King Country and that restriction applies to this day.

(b) It is forbidden to provide alcohol to Maori women, even if those women are married to Pakeha men.

(c) Under the Maori Council Act 1900 power was given to the Maori Councils to make rules for punishing people who are drunk who travel to Maori villages, and to prevent alcohol being brought to those villages or to Maori gatherings.

(d) In most Maori Council districts it has been laid down that it is not permissible to sell alcohol for Maori to take and consume outside the hotel, but this rule does not apply to half-castes who live as Pakeha.

(e) Judges are able to issue binding orders prohibiting the sale of alcohol to Maori, and that prohibition applies for the life of the person.

And we are grateful for the thoughtfulness of Parliament in making these laws to prevent Maori drinking, lest the situation deteriorates.

3. But although the law is tough there are weaknesses in the implementation, namely:

(a) We hear that alcohol is being sold secretly in the King Country area, because it is only the sale of alcohol that is prohibited and not the importation of alcohol into that area.

(b) We know that some Maori women are being given alcohol by publicans and other men.

(c) Although alcohol has been banned from village marae and from hui, the Councils are lax about enforcing punishments for transgressions of their by-laws. Regulations about Council members and Committee members not drinking are disobeyed. And in distant, isolated villages, in the bush, and on gum diggings, the Councils are not able to pursue those people who are disobeying their rules.

(d) The implementation of the law forbidding the giving of alcohol to Maori to be consumed outside the hotels is very lax because bottles of beer are acquired by half-castes or Pakeha friends for those Maori who want them, and there is no law preventing this.

(e) Maori custom makes it difficult for families of those who drink heavily to ask for orders restricting such people. This causes the growth of ill-will within the families.

4. There is a great gap in the law in that we Maori have not been given the power to vote on the licensing of public houses. A consequence is that amongst the Maori People there is no thought given to coming together as people opposed to alcohol so as to be strong when the vote is taken. This also gives rise to the thought that it would teach our people to discern the evils, the many troubles caused by that drink.

[8]

5. Therefore we, your petitioners, have thought to beseech your honourable house to consider the weakness of the implementation of the laws in force, and ask that the laws be strengthened to diminish the role of those charged with their implementation in executing, easing or ignoring them.

6. We ask that a law be made prohibiting the sale of alcohol to Maori or to half-castes living in Maori villages amongst Maori, or alternatively, that we be given the power to vote within the Maori Constituencies or the Maori Council areas on whether to permit the sale of alcohol in those Maori areas or not.

We your petitioners humbly pray.

THE TEACHING OF THE BIRDS

The birds of New Zealand have something to teach us which is that they are in decline every year because they are lazy, and are not active and working. This is the main thing that our birds teach their chiefs, the Maori people of these islands. The road to the pa of laziness is a heart at ease. It is widely observed that lazy people reap the rewards of laziness, death. It is a law of this world: strong things prosper, weak things decline, and the village is vacated for the strong. It is now 70 years since New Zealand took on its new aspect, and had the birds of New Zealand taken up the practices of the new world they would have survived. As it was, in their laziness they did not bestir themselves; rather they followed their ancient ways. New Zealand is now filled with English birds, some of them very small, but because of their industry, their activity, they have taken over the land of the moa, the kiwi, the huia, the kakapo, the weka, and other Maori birds. God gave wings to the birds so that they could survive, but the lazy moa did not exercise his wings and soon his wings became soft and grew smaller and disappeared so that when his enemies arrived he was attacked indiscriminately and disappeared from the face of the earth. Laziness was the reason for the disappearance of the moa. In its day the tuatara was a superior reptile but in these days, because of its laziness and its weight, it is now food for cats and pigs, and this reptile has disappeared, though the tuatara can still be seen on the islands where it is not found by its enemies – pigs and suchlike. Likewise it is the peoples who do not bestir themselves, who are not lively and hardworking and industrious, and who do not follow the practices of the new world – those are the people who will disappear from the earth, leaving it as a home for the strong peoples, the keen peoples, the industrious peoples. However they are attacked, however they are oppressed, whatever laws are passed against the Chinese, no-one is able to suppress or crush them; rather, they continually charge like the heavy seas, because, of all the peoples of the world, the Chinese are foremost for being industrious. Those Maori tribes which are eager and industrious prosper, while the lazy tribes who will not use their hands or break sweat decline. An important person is the one who slips up the sleeves of his shirt and works in the heat of the sun and the perspiration pores from his face, this is a chief of status. The saviour of the Maori People is not the person with a fat belly, who receives large rents, who wears beautiful clothes, red [?reeke], tall hats, white collars, gold watches, and greenstone pendants. Let us honour the industrious person and despise the lazy one. Arise, bestir yourselves, people. lest we be suppressed by the Pakeha, just as the songs of our birds are no longer heard in the great forest of Tane.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

The number of married people in France is 11,315,000; of these, 1,804, 710 have no children; 2,966,171 have one child; 2,661,987 have two children; 1,643,425 have three children; 987,392 have four children; 566,768 have five children; 79 have sixteen children; and 45 have 18 children.

When a short man (he was nearly two feet tall) was taken to see America, he turned to the faith. He had the idea of returning to his people as a missionary. Afterwards he was locked up for a short time in a monkey cage, but a black minister in New York had him released because the man was being treated like an animal.

At the gathering of bread bakers in Dunedin it was pointed out that it will not be possible to return to a price of seven pence for a four pound loaf when the price of a ton of flour remains at £11/5/-, and they have to pay Union rates.

[9]

A man and his wife were eating a plate of fruit together. The thing that was best was a peach. The man asked his wife what was his besetting sin. The woman replied, greed. The man sighed and said, ‘I thought that of all the sins I was not guilty of being greedy.’ After he had said this his wife handed him the plate of fruit and he took the peach, the best thing, for himself.

A certain minister used to have two eggs for breakfast while his wife had one. One day the minister went to fetch the eggs for their breakfast, As he was returning he broke one of the eggs. When he came in his wife saw his expression and said, ‘What has happened to you?’ The minister replied, ‘I’ve had an accident.’ ‘But surely it was not serious?’ ‘No, but, my dear, one of the eggs has broken and it was your egg.’

A doctor has discovered a treatment to put people to sleep. The treatment is electricity. The treatment has been tested on animals. The end of the wire is attached to the animal and the machine produces electricity. When the electricity is removed the animal wakes up. But the treatment has not yet been tried on people.

A priest was shot while he was administering the sacrament to his congregation. The murderer said that he shot the priest, not because he had anything against him personally, but because he was against other priests. He thought that he would go and take the sacrament so that he could be certain of shooting the priest. That murderer is now in prison.

The memorial stone to Queen Victoria in London, put in place in June, has been completed. It is said that 500 tons of the finest marble was used to make that stone.

A WAIATA FROM HAWAII

By ‘Tipiwhenua’.

A Prayer to Rongo.

Rongo is one of the Hawaiian gods. This is the ending of the prayer to Rongo.

(Hawaiian)

Kani ke ka leo o ka pupu;
Kani kaulele ka leo o ke kahuli;
Kani halale ka leo o ka manu;
Uwi ka leo o ka lauui ka nahele;
Eia ko kino manu. E Lono!
Ke wili nei ka la i ka lani;
Lele na maka o Lono i lele o Hoomo;
Ken oho mai la i ka wa o ka moku.
E ola au ia oe, e Lono, kau Akua!
E ola i kalel pule!
E ola i ka wai oha!
E ola i kanaenae ia oe, e ke Akua!
Eia kanaenae la, he mohai leo.

(English translation of the Maori version.)

The sea shells sing out;

The land shells sing out;

The birds sing as they fly;

The trees creak in the forest;

Such is your bird-like body, O Rongo!

The dust is whirled into the sky;

The eyes of Rongo gaze on the altar of Hoomo;

Dwelling there where the islands are.

You give me life, Rongo, my god!

Life through prayers offered up!

Life through living water!

Life by an offering of praise to you, O god!

Here is the sacrifice, a sacrifice of prayer.

[10]

THE MAORI AREAS

With the death of Te Whiti, Taranaki has been born again, leaving behind the ideas of Te Whiti. They have taken their rents and have improved their lands, that is, they are following the good news of hard work. Taranaki is foremost amongst all the areas when it comes to dairy farming, that is, for the number of Maori undertaking that work.

The Maori Land Commission praised Te Arawa for the decrease of drunkenness on the marae, for their industry, and for timber milling. According to the Commission, Te Arawa is foremost at milling timber.

The Commission praised the people of Ngapuhi for the number of children. Ngapuhi is the tribe which is growing rapidly.

Ngati Kahungunu tops the tribes for motor cars. Many of the chiefs have acquired this Pakeha method of transport. One Maori, Tuahine Renata of Hastings, has six motor cars. Her job is transporting people and some of her drivers are Pakeha.

Farming continues to increase amongst Ngati Porou. Not much bush was felled this winter because of the fall in the price of wool. The Ngati Porou telephone wire stretches 200 miles from Waipiro to Omaio. Many of the sheep stations have installed shearing machines.

The Mormons held a large hui at Nuhaka this month. The main business of that hui was entertainment, eating, and denigrating the Church of England. The champion of the Mormons is a half-caste from Wairau, Tuiti Makatanara. This man is a real battler to see, but no informed Church members listened to his speeches. He is the ‘bush lawyer’ of the Mormons. It is said that between £400 and £500 was raised by him. That will postpone his burial. Rua is like a person calling out to his [?pakake] challenger, ‘Tana apu – tirotiro marire!’ Prophets are a people [?parangitia sic - ?parangia overcome with sleep] by women – and by all children. We have heard that one of our recent prophets has increased his number of wives. Hone Heke spoke truly when he said in Parliament, ‘The beginning and the end of the tohunga’s work is to get women or men.’

SUPPLEJACK SEEDS FOR OUR BIRD.

10/- Rev T Paerata, W G Stainton; 5/- Heta Hakiwai, Hare Kawenga, Pairama Keena, Te Whero, Eru Titi.

WORLD NEWS

England.

Because Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman is very ill, he has resigned. The King has made Asquith, a friend of Bannermann’s, Prime Minister. This man is just a [?commoner - ?wita small branch] and has many Lords under him.

Bannermann died on 24th of this month. People grieved greatly over this great, good and stout-hearted man.

Australia.

On 20th of this month a major disaster happened in Victoria when trains collided. As many as 100 people were killed or injured; 53 have died. Some of the carriages were completely smashed, others were concertinaed and after the crash fire broke out so that some of the injured were burned alive. It was a major and horrifying event. One of the drivers was at fault for not stopping his train. That man is overcome with sorrow.

America.

On 25th there was disaster in the United States of America. A cyclone killed 500 and injured 1000, most of whom were African Americans, besides destroying houses and railways.

India

The Indian tribes near the border are very unsettled. When the fighting ceased last month another group, the Mohmands [sic], rose up. In the fighting on 25th, 9 English and 400 natives were killed.

China

On 14th one of the largest rivers in China flooded killing 2000 Chinese and destroying 700 boats.

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

‘More than half the people of the world are ignorant of the right path to take to find true joy. Some of them think that happiness is to be found in having many possessions, in the accumulation of wealth, and in having most other people working for them. This is not how you will find tranquillity of mind. Rather you will find it by having a generous heart and by being swift to help others with your own things, and by giving yourself to work for the good of others.’ – Drummond.

At a picnic in Melbourne 70 people were poisoned through eating beef tongues. Fourteen were taken to hospital.

[11]

THE MARKETS

Livestock, Produce, and Fruit.

Skins. The prices are good and there is continuing strong demand. For strong ox pelts, 7d to 7½d, for those less strong, 6d to 6½d, for those that are weak, 5½d to 6d, for light pelts, 4¾d to 5⅜d, a pound. For cow pelts – very good, 4¾d to 4⅝d, good, 4¼ to 4½, a pound. For bull pelts, 2d to 2¾d a pound. For calf skins, 3½d to 4d a pound. Sheepskins, large together with those of rams, the best, 1/6 to 1/9; those not good, 1/- to 1/4.

Potatoes. The price is good on the other island at £6 a ton, and it appears to be rising.

Oats. The price of oats is stuck. The prevailing price is at present 2/11 to 3/-. It will surely not be long before this price rises because it is too low.

Chaff. There is plenty of chaff this year but those who have chaff are holding on to it lest the price falls. The price in Auckland is £6 while on the other island it is £6/10/- a ton.

Corn. There is no corn in the markets and consequently the price for a bushel is high. The 65 bags belonging to Aupori and Mangapapa, brought from the Opotiki district to Auckland, were snatched up by the market. The price on the wharf at Auckland was 5/1 a bushel.

Wheat (Chicken Feed). Because of the shortage of corn this year the price of wheat for chicken feed is high. The price is 5/- to 5/3 a bushel.

Barley. There is a strong demand for barley. The firm price is 4/2, and for seed barley it is 4/6 a bushel.

Ear Fungus. There is little of this available. That which reaches the market is soon taken. The price is 4/¾d a pound and this price continues stable.

Auckland.

Farm Produce. Butter, 11d to ½. Cheese, 2d to 4d a pound, and from the factory, 7d a block. Bacon, from the bacon factory, 9d to 9½ a pound. Eggs, fresh, 1/7 to 1/8 a dozen. Chicken, 1/3 to 2/- for a single bird to eat, 3/- to 4/9 for a large bird and for a small one, 2/- to 2/9. Duck, 1/6 to 2/-. Goose, 3/6 to 4/-. Turkey, 3/- to 13/-.

Fruit of the Earth. Potatoes, good, 7/- a hundredweight; imperfect, 4/6 to 5/-. South Island potatoes, 6/- to 7/6. Tasmanian potatoes, 7/- to 8/6. Kumara, 6/- to 7/6 a hundredweight. Chaff, 6/- to 6/9, and South Island chaff is the same price.

Wellington.

Fruit is selling very well in the market and the price is going up. The most expensive are lemons. Pumpkins are 7/- to 9/- a bag. Marrows are 5/- to 6/6. Large potatoes are 6/- to 6/6 a hundredweight. Eggs are 2/1 a dozen.

Christchurch.

The price for sheep in the market was not very good because there were few buyers. It had gone down by 1/- or 1/6 from the former price. Very good wethers were 19/- to 25/-; less good were 14/- to 18/-, and satisfactory were 10/- to 13/-. Very good ewes were 17/- to 19/-, less good were 12/- to 16/-, and aged were from 9/- to 11/6.

Rams sold strongly. The best fetched 18/-, those good for the freezing works, 13/6 to 16/6, and undersized, 11/- to 13/-.

Good prices were received for pigs.

THE GARDEN.

The Pakeha does not wait until spring arrives before he begins work on his garden: he works in it every month of the year. Having observed the Pakeha I say that we should take the Pakeha as an example in everything though I must say that the Maori is superior to the Pakeha when it comes to producing food, that is, the foods that Maori grow. The purpose of this article is not to give guidance about how to grow the food we know but to point out how one can be planting each month so that the garden is not left idle to grow weeds.

During March one can improve the garden for the winter. So, one should dig trenches for the water to flow off. The trenches should be deep. It is good if there is water flowing through the garden, but it must flow and not be left to lie in pools in the garden. Renovate all the trenches in March. Plants and garden weeds should not be left lying in a heap because these things provide a home for slugs and other beasts that eat plants. The best thing is to burn them and to scatter the ashes about as fertilizer.

In April plant the appropriate crops for winter, namely cabbages, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, turnips, radish and onions. Begin to plant strawberries, planting them in rows two feet apart when the seedlings are nine inches. Sow oats or Italian rye as feed for horses and cows in the winter.

In May, plant more cabbages, cauliflower and strawberries. During this month prepare places for planting hedges, the kind of decorative shrubs used by Pakeha, because June is the month to begin planting such shrubs. This is the last month for sowing grass in front of the house. Plant in seedbeds spinach, cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce, and onions for planting for winter.

[12] 

 CALENDAR : MAY : 1908

Day 1 ● 3h 3m a.m. Day 16 ○ 41h 2m p.m. Day 30 ● 2h 45m p.m.

1 F Philip and James, Apostles Fast

Morning Evening

Isaiah 61 Zechariah 4

John 1.1-43 Colossians 3.1-18

2 S

3 S Second Sunday after Easter

Numbers 20.1-14 Numbers 20.14 – 21.10

Luke 22.31-54 Colossians 4.1-7

4 M

5 T

6 W

7 Th

8 F Fast

9 S

10 S Third Sunday after Easter

Numbers 22 Numbers 23

John 1.1-29 2 Thessalonians 2

11 M

12 T

13 W

14 Th

15 F Fast

16 S

17 S Fourth Sunday after Easter

Deuteronomy 4.1-23 Deuteronomy 4.23-41

John 5.1-24 1 Timothy 6

18 M

19 T

20 W

21 Th

22 F Fast

23 S

24 S Fifth Sunday after Easter Litany Sunday

Deuteronomy 5 Deuteronomy 9

John 8.1-31 Titus 3

25 M Litany Day Fast

26 T Litany Day Fast

27 W Litany Day Vigil, Fast

28 Th Ascension Day Psalms: Morning 8,18,21

Evening 24, 47, 103 Athanasian Creed

Daniel 7.9-15 2 Kings 2.1-16

Luke 24.1-44 Hebrews 4

29 F Fast

30 S

31 S Sunday after Ascension

Deuteronomy 30 Deuteronomy 34

John 12.1-20 Hebrews 7

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1. Te Pipiwharauroa is published monthly.

2. The cost of the paper is 5/- a year, payable by Postal Note or stamps.

3. When the shillings sent in by someone are used up then his paper will be wrapped in red; after two such postings of the paper it will cease to be sent.

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5. Address your letter like this: TO TE PIPIWHARAUROA, TE RAU, GISBORNE.

A NOTICE

To those wanting a Prayer Book or Hymn Book. I now have plenty of books. The prices are:

Large, soft cover 2/6

Large, red cover 3/-

Large, hard cover 4/-

Large, superior cover 5/6

Small, soft cover 1/-

Small, red cover 1/6

Small, hard cover 2/6

Small, superior cover 3/6

Prayer Book with Hymns, soft cover 1/6

Prayer Book with Hymns, red cover 2/-

Prayer Book with Hymns, hard cover 3/-

Prayer Book with Hymns, superior cover 4/-

Hymns -/6

I will pay the postage to send the books to you

H W Williams,

Te Rau, Gisborne

People wanting a Bible or a New Testament should apply to the Bible Depository Sunday School Union, Auckland.

Bible, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 1/-.

New Testament with explanatory headings 2/6, 3/-, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.

Small New Testament with Psalms 2/-, 2/6, 3/-, 3/6, 4/-. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.

Printed and published by H W Williams, at Te Rau Printing Works, Berry Street, Gisborne, New Zealand.