G—9,

BOARD OF NATIVE AFFAIRS. The activities of the Board of Native Affairs are fully covered in parliamentary paper G.-10. These comprise the following departmental operations over which the Board exercises control viz., Native land development and assistance to Maori farmers, promotion of employment amongst Maoris, farming activities and investments of the Native Trustee and the Maori Land Boards, and Native housing. In addition, the Board controls the expenditure or investment of moneys by the East Coast Commissioner or the giving of mortgages over any property vested in the Commissioner. RETIREMENT OF THE CHIEF JUDGE. On the Ist October, 1939, His Honour the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court, Mr. R. N Jones, C.8.E., retired, and was succeeded in office by the senior Judge, Mr. C. E. MacCormick. Chief Judge Jones was admitted as a solicitor in 1890 and was called to the Bar in 1899. He was appointed to the Native Land Court Bench in 1903, and for some time held the office of Judge in conjunction with that of District Land Registrar at Gisborne. In 1919 he was elevated to the office of Chief Judge, and for some years also occupied the positions of Under-Secretary of the Native Department, Native Trustee, and East Coast Commissioner. The retirement of Chief Judge Jones was the occasion for a number of valedictory tributes from the legal profession and the Maori people in recognition of his distinguished record of service. Judge MacCormick has occupied with distinction the office of Judge of the Native Land Court since 1906, prior to which he was a member of the Bar in Auckland. During his period of office on the Bench, His Honour has also undertaken special duty in a judicial capacity in the Cook Islands, and in 1927 he was associated with the late Chief Justice, Sir Charles Skerrett, K.C., as a member of the Commission on Samoan affairs. NEW ZEALAND CENTENNIAL. The participation by the Maori people in New Zealand's Centennial has been marked by important gatherings in both the North and South Islands, while the Native race was represented at the Centennial Exhibition through the medium of the departmental exhibit. At the Exhibition a carved meeting-house was erected. The building was designed in accordance with traditional pattern and is illustrative of the highest form of Maori art and mural decorations. The carvings, both exterior and interior, are perfectly executed examples of Maori craftsmanship, whilst the decorative panels adorning the interior are composed of reeds and coloured native grasses harmoniously combined to produce that artistic effect which is so characteristic of the Maori. Adjacent to the meeting-house, representatives of different tribes were engaged in carving and weaving, and visitors were thus afforded an opportunity of seeing the Maori engaged in his traditional crafts. A series of entertainments were given, and visitors enthusiastically received the items, which mainly comprised vocal music and dancing. The programmes were provided by representatives of the Arawa and Taranaki tribes, and latterly by members of the Ngati-Poneke Young Maori Club, to whose continued efforts a well-merited tribute is due. On the 3rd February, 1940, one hundred years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, a unique gathering was held in which the historical occasion was re-enacted on the ground in the presence of over ten thousand Europeans and Maoris. After inspecting a guard of honour provided by the Maori Battalion and Maori returned soldiers, His Excellency the Oovernor-General officially opened the new meeting-house, which has been erected as the Centennial memorial of the Maori race. The official guests included the Marquess of Willingdon and Senator the Hon. P A. M. Mcßride representing the United Kingdom and the Australian Governments respectively, members of the Cabinet and both Houses of the Legislature, diplomatic representatives, and leaders in many branches of New Zealand public life. Messages were read from His Majesty the King and the Governments of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. A message, accompanied by a gift to provide a piece of furniture for the meetinghouse, was also received from Viscount and Lady Bledisloe, whose interest in the welfare of the Maori people was so strongly manifested during His Lordship's term of office in the Dominion. On the 20th April, 1940, a similar gathering was held at Akaroa as the principal feature of the Centennial celebrations for the South Island. Historical pageantry took the form of the re-enacting of the declaration of British sovereignty and the landing of French settlers. A prominent part in these celebrations was taken by the descendants of the original French colonists, and the occasion was marked by a commemorative gift to the township of Akaroa from the French Government. MAORI LAND BOARDS. The operations of the seven Maori Land Boards have been fully sustained during the period under review The total receipts and payments for the year were respectively £408,619 and £431,815, as against £397,210 and £406,405 for the previous year. As at the 31st March, 1940, funds held or invested by the Boards aggregated £559,979, under the following headings : — £ Government securities 75 1 388 Mortgages and charges 302,825 On deposit with Native Trustee 163,962 Cash balances 17,804 Total £559,979 The area of Native land vested in the Boards as at the 31st March, 1940, amounted to 660,054 acres,

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