NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 945, 15 December 1933, Page 11

NATIVE AFFAIRS.

Commission to Make Investigation. REPORT OF COMMITTEE. (“Star” Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, December 15. The announcement was made by Mr Forbes in the House last night that the Government intends to appoint a commission to inquire into the whole administration of the Native Department. The Audit Department will continue and complete its inquiries into the present irregularities and the commission will then look into the wider questions involved. Although Mr Savage attempted to extract from Mr Forbes a promise that the commission would be a Royal one, presided over by a Supreme Court judge, the Prime Minister would not commit himself on this point. Earlier in the day a recommendation that a commission should be set up to investigate the whole of the administration of Native affairs 'was made by the Public Accounts Committee, which has been sitting long hours for the last two days considering the annual report of the Auditor-General. As a result of this report, the Native Minister, Sir Apirana Ngata, placed his resignation in the hands of Mr Forbes, but this was not accepted in the meantime. The committee expressed the opinion that the Auditor-General’s 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 opinion that the public accounts represented the 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. Native Land Settlement. In reference to Native land settlement administration, the committee reported as follows: (1) In view* of the great expansion of its activities, especially in 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 details of expenditure. (2) That if the matters specifically Indicated in the report of the AuditorGeneral as arising in the Rotorua and East Coast districts are the only issues for investigation, the committee is

satisfied with the view of the AuditorGeneral 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 policy of assisting Maoris to develop and farm their lands, and the danger that may arise at this juncture from 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 disquiet in the minds of the taxpayers of the country, the committee is of opinion that the leope 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 de\*elopment of Native land and administration of the estates of the Maori people. Steps Taken.

(3) The committee hopes that steps already taken and in process of execution by the Government wdll establish this department of State on a satisfactory and efficient basis. These steps are-: (a) The establishment of a Native Lands Development Board, (b) Amalgamation of control of the Native Department and Native trustee and appointment of a new departmental head to reorganise the whole of the joint activities. (c) Decision to rescind various statutory powers in the hands of the Native Minister, which are now transferred to the Development Board already referred to. 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 to-morrow. In regard to the deliberations of the committee in respect of Native land development, 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-staff-ed and had not had sufficient accommodation. About fortytwo development schemes had been put into operation very quickly and the result had been that some discrepancies had arisen.