G.—lo.

The following is a summary compiled from the reports of the Development Officer showing the progress of work on the Onewhero Scheme as at the 31st March last: —

Summary of Development Work (Onewhero).

It should be noted that while a fair area was reported to have been cleared and ploughed on the Koheroa and Waikarakia Sections the areas grassed are less than half of the total ploughed, showing how backward the work was. The buildings oil most of the sections were of palings or raupo.

The stock reported on the sections were as follows : —

Tie statement of receipts and expenditure is combined for all sections of the scheme, and showed a gross expenditure to the 31st March, 1933, of £12,891 (including purchase of land). The receipts amounted to £1,144 to which unemployment subsidies contributed £23. (d) Waahi (Huntly). —This scheme is confined to areas near Huntly owned by the late Te Rata Mahuta and his three brothers, Tumate, Tonga, and Rauangaanga. The Development Officer's report on this scheme is worthy of being quoted : — " This scheme is confined to areas in the vicinity of Huntly owned by Te Rata Mahuta and his three brothers, Tumate, Tonga, and Rauangaanga. " The area occupied by Te Rata himself is referred to as ' Waahi,' and contains 69 acres 3 roods 9-3 perches. The property occupied at present by Tonga is known as ' Hukanui,' and contains 214 acres 2 roods 39-3 perches ; and that occupied by Tumate is ' Rotowaro,' containing 290J acres. " The inclusion of these areas under a development scheme, from a policy point of view, has been of incalculable importance not only to undertakings of a similar nature in theWaikato District, but also to districts beyond it where units, who accept the leadership of the Waikato chiefs, were in doubt as to what action to take. " In Waikato proper adverse comments against the new method of land-development have ceased to be heard, but rather a deluge of applications for the inclusion of their lands in the scheme is constantly received. " The area at Waahi occupied by Te Rata is mostly in fair pasture. He has, without charge to development funds, erected boundary-fences, repaired old ones, erected an up-to-date cow-shed, and also built himself a three-roomed cottage, whither he is wont to escape from the pa worries, to watch with keen interest the progress of the work on his dairy-farm. " A sowing of 6 acres in grass was made during March, and the take was very successful. The portion of the property fronting the road is utilized for planting potatoes, kumaras, and maize. Te Rata is now milking seventeen cows. All work done on the area is undertaken by a band of young men from the Waahi Pa, under the supervision of Taoha, a very capable Tcaumatua. " At Hukanui Tonga has a band of young men working under his younger brother Rauangaanga, and the transformation of what was once gorse and blackberry land into pasture is steadily neafing completion. As soon as this is done, it is proposed to divide the land into two dairy-farms. The northern end is to be occupied by Te Rauangaanga, and Tonga is to continue on the southern portion. At present Tonga is milking twenty-nine cows.

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Manured. . Buildings. <& S 1 T3 &P - a .a a> q .3 : : i s Units. "j£ "ā> I 2 -1 s ~ o m j at r c - Store- CowO g © Old. New. Pr p sheds, sheds. £ Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Chains». Chains. Onewhero (proper) .. 12 486 387 401 93 291 619 412 15 8 6 Opuatia .. .. 8 732 408 356 131 181 779 9 5 5 Koheroa .. .. 11 389 321 186 30 54 369 28 10 5 2 Waikarakia .. 9 404 331 147 36 44 467 53 7 1 2 40 2,011 1,447 1,090 290 570 2,234 493 41 19 51

Cows. Bulls. Heifers. Horses. Onewhero (proper) .. .. 144 5 55 12 Opuatia .. .. . . 131 6 10 7 Kolieroa .. .. 30 1 4 7 Waikarakia .. .. ■. 32 2 .. 14 337 14 69 40