CARE OF NATIVE AFFAIRS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1932, Page 9

CARE OF NATIVE AFFAIRS

EXPENDITURE OF crown REORGANISING THE SYSTEM. LAND BOARDS TO BE MERGED.

A complete reorganisation of the machinery for administering native affairs is recommended by the National Expenditure Commission as a means of eliminating further financial losses and producing greater efficiency. Overlapping of departments is stated to be prevalent and as a first step toward greater co-ordination of services the amalgamation of the Native Trust Office, the Maori Land Boards and the Native Department is proposed under a permanent departmental' head. Criticism is levelled by the commission against the unduly free expenditure of money on native land development, the launching of “ambitious land schemes* is condemned and the widespread powers possessed by the Minister of Native Affairs come in for adverse attention. '•

In stressing the need for amending the legislation, the commission expresses the view that the Minister of Native Affairs possesses powers “whidh constitutionally: should not be in the hand of erne person.” ‘

NATIVE ADVANCES. '

It states: "A recent development has been the advancing of money to native fanners and the development of native lands in sympathy .with the provision, made for assisting European farmers, and during the evolution, of this idea the Native Minister has been given very wide and far-reaching power to deal with the funds of the Maori Land Boards, the Maori Purposes Fund and loan moneys appropriated by Parliament from the Native Land Settlement Ac- >

count. At his direction moneys are expended on native land, development a*d advances to natives to a degree which has no parallel in ordinary departmental procedure. Power is also given to the Minister to place areas of native land in the Native Trustee’s hands for development or farming, and although he then ceases to have control of the expenditure, the Native Trustee has, in the lands so far entrusted to him, embarked upon schemes which are too ambitious considering the funds available.” . y .;

STATE OF PUMICE LANDS.

The further development of pumice lands and “bush-sick” areas is condemned. ‘Tt appears to us,” state the commissioners, “tlyit many \of the schemes now in progress have been pushed ahead too rapidly. It is submitted that operations should have been confined to smaller areas for experimental purposes until euch time as it was definitely • known that the land . could be •brought in and worked ou an economic basis. ,

“In the Rotorua district the Lands De-: partment and the Agriculture Depart-: ment have for many years been experimenting on pumice lands, and the evi-, deuce was to the effect that the results of the operations of these departments were such that they were not yet in a position to state that the land, could be eeonomidally broken in and farmed; .. rather was the evidence to the effect that a substantial ■writing-down of capital costs would be necessary before reasonable re&ulte could be obtained from the working of the pumice areas. This evidence must have been available when the schemes of native development were initiatd, but notwithstanding this the development of many thousands of acres of similar land -has been proceeded with. .

LAND PURCHASES “DISASTERS.”

The coinmission recommends that ho new large-scale schemes be embarked upon until the capacity of the present ventures has been demonstrated.

In recommending, the merging of the ■Maori Land Boards with the department, the commissioners point .out that the boards are substantially “one-man” boards and that their expenditure is “not subject to that supervision and control which is desirable.” They declare that the evidence points to the fact that some lar»e development schemes have been unsuccessfully launched through thia defect. ■ « « , , The abolition of the Native Land Purchase Board is proposed, the purchase of native land for European settlement being transferred to the Dominion Land Purchase Board. The report atatee: “In view Of the disastrous experience of the Crown in regard to purchase of native lands, further purchases, except for the purpose of consolidating areas .suitable for immediate settlement, should cease until economic conditions are such that successful land settlement is possible and the law is amended to provide for a rental return at least equal to the interest payabe on borrowed money.” The present powers given to the Native Trustee to control and manage lands are very wide, in the commission’s view, and in certain instances it is suggested that the law should be amend-, cd to transfer this power to the Court.

FEWER JUDGES.

The commission does not recommend interference with the Native Land Courts, but thinks that the reduced volume of work should permit of a reduction in the number of judges from seven to four. The commissioners of the Native Land Court could perform much o, the routine work undertaken in the past by The d spointment of a strongly-consti-tuted financial and investment board is recommended. . No monetary estimate is placed on the economies which are expected to accrue from the recommendations. The commission states that the department is understaffed in certain directions and an extensive redistribution of duties will be entailed. The changes in administration, however, will, tend to eliminate further losses and be conducive to greater efficiency and more effective control.