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EAST COAST TRUST LANDS 82. The East Coast Maori Trust continues to function as provided under the Act, and, in pursuance of the authorities conferred on him by statute, the East Coast Commissioner has been responsible for administering a total area of 121,788 acres of vested lands during the past year. 83. Of this area, 6,639 acres are leased and 355 acres are occupied by owners. One thousand seven hundred and seventy acres remain undeveloped and the balance of 113,024 acres are comprised in seventeen stations, which carried last year 104,404 sheep and 13,726 cattle, the production of wool being 2,968 bales. MAORI LAND BOARDS 84. The administration of the large areas of Maori land vested in them for leasing, and the collection and distribution of funds derived from alienations of Maori land generally, continue to form the major part of Maori Land Board activities. 85. The Boards assist many Maori farmers with finance, and the volume of Board advances for farming and other business purposes is increasing. These advances meet a number of cases where, for various reasons, more general sources of finance are not available. 86. The Boards have continued the control and management of six large stations covering an area of 42,365 acres. In all, 1,007 bales of wool were produced on these stations during the year, and the sales of live-stock returned £33,784. The number of sheep carried at 31st March, 1950, was 42,669, and cattle, 5,251. 87. An increasing use is being made by the Maori people of the provisions of section 8 of the Maori Purposes Act, 1943, whereby the Maori Land Court may, on application, vest Maori land in a Maori Land Board on suitable trusts for the benefit of the owners. Many areas have been vested in the Maori Land Boards under these provisions for subdivision and sale or lease. In the Tokerau (North Auckland) District particularly, this has resulted in the placing on the market of large numbers of building sections and in considerable returns to the Maori owners. Several sections in Kaikohe Borough, for example, with an area of 17 acres 1 rood 16 perches, were cut up into sixty-six building sections, of which 10 were reserved for occupation by the Maori owners. Twenty-one sections have so far been sold, and 37 chains of roading is now under construction. Two areas in the Whangarei district have been cut up into eighty-one sections for leasing as seaside cottage-sites. REHABILITATION OF MAORI EX-SERVICEMEN 88. During the year the Maori Rehabilitation Finance Committee held seven ordinary meetings and one special meeting. Loans totalling £205,000 were authorized—an increase of £26,000 on the previous year. 89. As at 31st March, 89 Maori ex-servicemen had been granted farm loan assistance—sl through the agency of the Maori Rehabilitation Finance Committee and 38 through the Rehabilitation Loans Committee. 90. A further 100 Maori ex-servicemen are in occupation of farms under the various Maori land development schemes. A considerable number of these men are part-owners in the blocks they occupy, and there is little doubt that eventually many of them will become sole owners by exchange, purchase, or consolidation. 91. There are 204 Maori ex-servicemen graded A awaiting settlement, and 84 graded B and Cto undergo training. Most of these will seek the assistance of the Department in their settlement. At present 17 properties are being developed which, it is anticipated, will establish 77 men. 92. The training farm at Huramua, near Wairoa, has done good work in fitting young men to become successful farmers under rehabilitation, and a smaller farm is to be established at Tauranga to train fully qualified men to take up farms under rehabi itation in that locality. 93. Tables 5a and 5b set out the position in detail.

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