EAST COAST TRUST ACTIVITY

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1934, Page 7

EAST COAST TRUST ACTIVITY

NATIVE AFFAIRS COMMISSION. EVIDENCE GIVEN AT GISBORNE. By .Telegraph—Press Association. Gisborne, Last Night. At a sitting of the Native Commission this morning, a comprehensive review of the history of the East Coast Trust was presented by Messrs. R. F. Gambill and F. J. Williams, members of the Waiapu County Council. They represented to the commission the difficulties of local bodies collecting native rates, and urged the necessity for the completion of consolidation schemes.

Mr. Williams referred to the widespread acceptance by Maoris of unemployment relief, stating that his experience in the last two months provided convincing evidence of the difficulty of securing Maoris to undertake work. Mr. R. J. Thompson, Acting-Registrar, questioned by Mr. Justice Smith, stated that, with the new Reserve Bank in operation, the expenses of the head office would be halved. He provided statements of the board’s affairs and an up-to-da{e balance sheet. . Evidence was given by beneficiaries under the East Coast Trust that Maoris did not deserve the Government to take over trust propertie's and wanted the land to go back to the Maoris as soon as possible. Mr. John Fenn, secretary of, the Ngatiporou Dairy Company and an officer under the Unemployment Act, gave evidence as to procedure and the transactions in. regard to grass seed. Mr. R. H. Quilliam, who appears to assist the commission, referred to the Maori soldiers’ fund which had totalled about £42,000 and was spent on three farms. One was a failure and the others proved very expensive, said counsel. It was felt the fund must be regarded as entirely lost. In regard to grass seed Captain Pitt gave long evidence in regard to the position of the Maori soldiers’ fund, which he said was started in 1917 at the dedication of a carved hall at Sir Apirana Ngata’s house. • On that occasion £3BBO was collected on the marae from visiting Maoris and handed to Sir Apirana Ngata, but he paid it back as the nucleus of the Maori soldiers’ fund.

Captain Pitt detailed the collections, including a sum of £17,000 at a hui at Gisborne. He also detailed farm ventures which had proved unlucky and attributed their failure jo inexperience.