strengthening its instructional work now that the conference revealed how keenly Maori leaders appreciate such a service. Greater efforts are being made to strengthen educational work among Maori farmers. The most crucial issue raised during the conference was Maori housing. Here delegates acknowledged that the Department of Maori Affairs had made a greater contribution than any other organisation and expressed their thanks, but at the same time all the three round tables independently thought that the housing programme was too small. It is not surprising that a Maori conference should express such a view. Nobody and least of all a Maori leader, could look at the Maori housing situation with any complacency. It should be pointed out however, that Maori housing has not, over any long period, been held up purely for lack of loan moneys. Until the present government allowed family benefits to be capitalised in advance, there was a gap between the cost of a house and the loan finance available. Maori families found it hard to bridge this gap. The hold-up lay here rather than in the government's total provision for Maori housing. Furthermore, in cities like Auckland where suitable building sites are hard to get, the department could soon build itself out of sites if it stepped up its programme. Although much money was voted for purchase of sections last year, enough suitable building land could not be found on which to spend it. However, now that the Maori benefit can be capitalised, for the first time there is a long waiting list of Maori families who would be able to pay for a house tomorrow, if only a house could be made available. This new situation is a very challenging one, as was pointed out by one of the most prominent conference speakers, Mr T. T. Ropiha, the Maori housing scheme will lose much of its effectiveness, if the backlog is not speedily cleared up.

Makee te weka i te mahanga e hoki ano? (Once a weka has escaped a snare, would it go back to it again?) It's very easy to fritter your money away—you can't think where it's gone to—but like the escaped weka—you can be sure you won't see it again. It's never easy to save—but there is ONE SURE WAY. JOIN A THRIFT CLUB WHERE YOU WORK … and the saving is done for you. Any amount you decide you can afford is then painlessly subtracted from your weekly wage. It soon mounts up—and earns interest too—and you'll find that when you want money for larger expenses such as holidays, clothes, sports, etc. … the money is there when you most need it—you can withdraw it whenever you want to. Just arrange with your employer to deduct a fixed amount from your pay each week. Join the Post Office Thrift Club where you work AND WATCH YOUR SAVINGS GROW! Issued by the New Zealand Savings Committee