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Greymouth Evening Star, 25 March 1925, Page 2

Some seventeen years ago a number ol natives subscribed amounts of approximately £3O each so as to provide a reserve fund to meet any deficiency that- might occur at native gatherings in the district. The money was placed in'the Post Office and apparently was never used, and with compound interest has doubled itself. Since th&n some of the originators of the scheme have passed awey, an dtheir relatives are now taking a keen interest in the nest egg. Not so long ago the money was transferred to a bank at Marton, and some followers of Ratana. now sug. gest that it should be placed in the Ratana bank for investment. Others interested claim that the money should be divided up pro rata among those entitled to participate. So far both sides have been unable to agree. The Ratanaites claim that their bank is able to prpvide a much more liberal rate of interest than inostj banking institutions. Others claim that the money should still be used for social purposes. The matter will form one of the interesting subjects for discussion at tho big gathering to be held at Ratana at Easter. Some years ago a vej-y lucrative ( business in Maori curios was done in various parts of the Dominion. There ajipears to have then been a slum]) period, but recently with the number of tourists visiting the country, there has been a revival of the trade, particularly among Americans. In Wanganui of late articles of gi-eenstone — tikis, axes, pieces of carving, etc.-— have been readily snapped up by those who know the value of these curios, and no doubt they will return a substantial profit to the holders.