NATIVE AFFAIRS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 143, 14 December 1933, Page 10

NATIVE AFFAIRS

FINANCIAL ASPECT

REPORT TO PARLIAMENT

COMMISSION PROPOSED

The report of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives in reference to the charges made in the Controller and AuditorGeneral's report was presented to the House this afternoon. The Committee said that the report had mistakenly created a feeling in the minds of those not well versed in public finance that the financial administration was at.fault. The Committee was of the opinion that the public accounts represented a true and correct position of the financial administration of the Dominion. The Committee felt that efforts" should be made by the Departments concerned to reach an agreement as to the accountancy practice to be adopted. In reference to the Native land settlement administration the Committee reported as follows: — 1. In view of the great expansion of its activities, especially in the execution of the policy of .developing Native land, the administrative machinery of the Native Department has not been sufficient to keep pace therewith or to establish efficient control over the details of expenditure. 2. That if the matters specifically indicated in the report of the Audi-tor-General as arising in the Rotorua and East Coast districts are the only issues for investigation, the Committee is satisfied with the view of the Controller and Auditor-General that the necessary investigations can be most efficiently carried out by his officers. But in view of the great importance to the Maori. race and to the Dominion of the maintenance of the policy of assisting Maoris to develop and farm their lands and the danger that may arise at this jupcture from a misunderstanding of the difficulties they labour under or of their methods and customs in relation to the organisation of their labour and activities, and in view also of the disquiet in the minds of the taxpayers of.the country, the Committee is of the opinion that the scope of any inquiry should be much wider than these specific issues, and therefore recommends that a Commission be appointed to investigate not only the matters arising out of the report of the Auditor-General, but the whole of the administration of Native affairs, especially in regard to the development of Native land and the administration of the estates of the Maori people. 3. The Committee hopes that the steps already taken and in process of execution by the Government will establish this Department of State on a satisfactory and efficient basis. These steps are: (a) The establishment of the Native Lands Development Board; (b) the amalgamation of control of Native Department arid Native Trustee and the appointment of. a new departmental head to reorganise the whole of the joint activities; (c) the decision to rescind various statutory powers in the hands of the Native Minister, which are'now transferred to the Development Board already referred to. UNDER-STAFFED. The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (Mr. J. A. Nash), in presenting the report, said that copies of the evidence- would be tabled in the House tomorrow. In regard to the deliberations- of the Committee in respect of Native land developments, Mr. Nash said that a large number of witnesses had given evidence in detail. These included the Native Minister, ■who was before the Committee for three hours. It was evident that the Native Department had been under-staffed and had not had sufficient. accommodation. About 42 development schemes- had been put into operation very quickly, and the result had been that some discrepancies, had arisen. The Minister himself had had a very arduous task to perform, and had undertaken a good deal of the work that should perhaps have been done by others. He said it was not possible for the Committee to go into the question of the purchase of stock and supplies fully, but that no doubt would be done by the tribunal. Mr. Nash reviewed tho unemployment situation among Maoris, and remarked that the Maoris working under i the Native development scheme/ in particular where the subsidy was being paid, were not receiving the same rate of pay as was paid to tho pakeha. Mr. P. Eraser (Labour, Wellington Central): What has that to do with the alleged defalcations? It is quite extraneous altogether. (Proceeding.)