REORGANISED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 260, 2 November 1932, Page 8

REORGANISED.

NATIVE DEPARTMENT. ECONOMY RECOMMENDATIONS OVERLAPPING ELIMINATED. A LAND SETTLEMENT BOARD. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The reorganisation of the Native Affairs ' Department, ■ which, will; be brought auout by legislation shortly to ; be : introduced, will make tf or greater efficiency in the Department and reduce overlapping. On' the other hand, the settlement of;native lands will be delayed and the present scheme for purchasing native land for European settlement will come to a standstill.

The legislation follows 'the principles laid down by .'the' National Expenditure Commission's report. There are 30 different .boards or officers with powers of boards dealing ; with many . phases of native life. Three of the most important- of thescj Native Trustee, East Coast Commissioner and, Maori Land Board, will be amalgamated, with the Native Department.. In. place of these institutions there will be set' up according toithe i proposals- contained in the bill a Native Land. Settlement' Board.

The new board will comprise the Native Minister, the Under-Secretary of Native Affairs, the Under-Secretary of Lands, the Valuer-General, a representative of the Treasury, and two other members to be appointed by the Gover-nor-General. One of these will probably be the. Director of Agriculture. This newboard,-will, correspond in a general way with the, Lands for Settlement Board.- . . . s ■ . , Duties, of-New. Boar 3. Ther duties.-.of the.. new-Native Land Settlement Board ,:will ne to supervise the. lending of money, a-function which is how'exercised by the; Native Trustee and-the Maori Land. Board. ; It will also sapeivisß'arid direct land development, the ..'appointment:- of supervisus and farm managers and' similar matters; the appointment these officers being, sub-ject-.to control by the Public Service Commissioner.- It is' also intended that certain judicial functions.which are now exercised by the Maori Land Board will be .transferred to the • Native Land Courts, These include the confirming of sales,- .leases .and. mortgages on native land, , :

The f :natiye land >,settlement account, which was established 27 years ago for the purpose of acquiring native land for European settlement, will be wound up. This course was agreed upon about two years ago by the Native Department, Lands Department, and Treasury, and although'.such a step was recommended by the Economy Commission, steps had already been taken to put the matter in hand. There .have .been-, no purchases under this system, for the past; two years. cost of native land surveys has been found in part from that account*'but it has already been decided that' ifw further surveys are to be carried out until the cost.has been deposited or satisfactory, to,, the Land Board:'las "bieeri -given. In'future no native.:'land will"' be purchased for European settlement except- on the recommendation' of the Dominion Land Purchase Board. * Since arrangements were'made •in 1909 .for the survey of native.-lands the. amount- paid; by the native> land settlement account has totalled £690,000. '-■'■) "' '"'•-

'' Land Purchase Cessation,

At, the'-end of' November,.' 1930," the sum. of '£4,000,000 i! had 'been paid-by natives, '.leaving ..£290,000 -outstanding. In. ordef vtpt get --individual: land= ; titles in North 'Auckland,. the r King,Country, Pvotorua, the. Bay of Plenty andthe East Coast district," it; was . agreed •by the the Lands "Department .a3id, the'. Treasury, that £116,000 of the outstanding amounts should be dealt with." It was found in most areas that, Buryey costs-iad been out-of \all proportion to -the value 'of •• the land;' sometimes being as high, as 50 per cent of the land value. Individual titles were considered to be mdispensafble to, bring about settlement, and' it was, agreed to write off -pari of the*, -principal and the whole of .the interest, making a reduction of £82,000. Authority was given in 1931 for writing' off this amount at the rate of £5000 a year.

The new requirements in regard to native land survey will probably mean that ijative land settlement will cease for a .time. ParEaanent will have to. take the respohsibUity for this step, as it will also have to take the responsibility; for the virtual cessation of purchases of native land for European settlement.