Gr.—9

NATIVE TRUSTEE. The Native Trustee acts in the capacity of agent or trustee for some ten thousand Native beneficiaries, and the various functions of the Native Trust division have been maintained. There are 1,821 estates under administration, in respect of which funds total £82,823. Native reserves comprise an area of approximately 94,000 acres, and the aggregate amount received annually by way of rental from those areas under lease is approximately £41,000. A detailed account of the operations of the ten stations farmed by the Native Trustee appears in the report of the Board of Native Affairs, but the following table indicates the scope of operations during the year : — Total area of farm stations 42,510 acres. Number of bales of wool produced 1,270 Proceeds of live-stock sold—Sheep £19,522 Cattle £6,637 Live-stock on hand at 31st March, 1940 — Sheep 50,491 Cattle • 5,362 The following are particulars of the funds invested or held by the Native Trustee at 31st March, 1940 :— £ Local bodies' securities 5,100 Mortgages — £ To Natives . 405,676 Toothers . 6,617 ——— 412,293 Station and other overdrafts . 170,634 Properties acquired under mortgages 14,501 Cash balance .. 36,650 £639,178 The Native Trustee's liability to beneficiaries, including the Maori Land Boards, at 31st March, 1940, was £418,071, and his accumulated reserves totalled £120,000. FINANCE. The volume of business transacted by the Department during the year is indicated by the following figures. The corresponding amounts for last year were Payments, £1,930,187 receipts, £1,297,977 i I

NATIVE LAND COURT. A statistical return of the activities of the Native Land and Appellate Courts during the year is appended in Table A. The volume of business shows a slight decrease as compared with that of the preceding year. PROMOTION OF EMPLOYMENT AMONGST MAORIS. Approximately four thousand Native workers were employed by the Department during the year The total expenditure on wages. was £454,600,; of which. £383,000 was in respect of Native land development schemes.; and- the balance applied towards-the. improvement of privately owned Native land and the erection of dwellings financed from the Special Housing Fund. On land development schemes subsidies ranged from 50 per cent, to 100 per cent. With a few exceptions all works were undertaken on a contract basis enabling reasonably efficient workmen to earn not less than 16s. per day

3

| Total Payments, j Total Receipts. Consolidated Fund— £ £ Civil List (Native Purposes) " 4,625 Special Acts (Arawa tribes) 6,000 Vote "Native" 161,511 25,767 Court fees 5,658 Public Works FundVote "Native Land Settlement" 1,052,777 694,959* Receipts under Native Housing Act 7,176 Native Trustee's Account 168,895 197,948 Maori Land Boards 396,068f 373,033f 1,789,876 1,304,541 * Receipts from Native land development schemes, £294,959 ; grant from the Consolidated Fund, £400,000. f Does not include deposits and withdrawals in respect of Deposit Accounts with Native Trustee.