B —l [Pt. IV]

NATIVE DEPARTMENT— continued NATIVE LAND DEVELOPMENT AND SETTLEMENT SCHEMES— continued Balance-sheet as at 31st March, 1946 Liabilities £ £ Assets £ £ Loan capital— Development and settlement: Development Public Works Fund .. .. .. 2,212,543 schemesLand for Settlements Account .. Dr. 115,939 Expenditure .. .. .. .. 1,111,028 2,096,604 Crown lands not paid for .. .. .. 9,445 Liability to Consolidated Fund— Advances under section 8, Finance Act, 1929: 1,120,473 Principal .. .. .. .. 1,800 Unrecouped and accrued interest .. .. 156,757 Interest on loan capital .. .. .. 83,338 Unrecouped and accrued departmental charges 25,535 85,13S Sundry creditors— 1,302, 765 Lands and Survey Department .. .. 9,445 Advances to settlers .. .. .. 1,167,675 Sundry .. .. .. .. .. 372 Advances under section 48, Native Land Amend9,817 ment Act, 1936, including accrued interest .. 9,690 Writings-off in Suspense .. .. .. .. 27,490 2,480,130 Net Revenue Account— I Advances (including accrued interest) : Maori Land Balance, Ist April, 1945 .. .. .. 264,143 j Boards, under section 340, Native Land Act, 1931 .. 406 Add net increase for 1945-46, including adjust- Sundry debtors .. .. .. .. .. 5,849 ments for previous years .. .. 30,683 Losses in Suspense .. .. .. .. .. 27,490 294,826 £2,513,875 £2,513,875 Notes.—(1) Expenditure from employment promotion grants on development schemes since inception, amounting to £2,053,644, is not included in the development and settlement expenditure above; (2) administration expenses have been paid from Consolidated Fund, vote " Native," since Ist April, 1936, prior to which the salaries and expenses of the Field Supervisors were paid from vote " Native Land Settlement" and were debited in those years to Revenue Account. G. P. Shepherd, Under-Secretary. M. J. Lawless, A.R.A.N.Z., Accountant. I hereby certify that the Revenue Account and Balance-sheet have been duly examined and compared with the relative books and documents submitted for audit, and correctly state the position as disclosed thereby, subject to the departmental notes enfaced thereon and to the explanatory notes dealing with departmental accounts generally as appearing at commencement of parliamentary return 8.-l [Pt. IY] and to the following comments : (1) The loading of the various schemes for administration expenses is not sufficient to cover the full cost; (2) moneys expended out of the " Surveys of Native Land Account " on Native land-development schemes have not been recouped ; (3) in the opinion of the Audit Office, expenditure from the Public Works Fund on Native landdevelopment areas incurred prior to the assumption of control by the Native Department and included in the Crown Lands Balancesheet should be reflected in the accounts of the Native land-development schemes.— J. P. Rutherford, Controller and AuditorGeneral.

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