sponsors quickly convinced them that all cheques don't bounce, and that even some quite respectable people make use of them, and that their money was safer that way. Some of the case histories made sad hearing. We heard of one family constantly in financial difficulties. The husband had some land in the neighbourhood which he was selling piecemeal, in order to defray his debts. One Friday afternoon, £250 was paid into his Post Office account. His wife did not see him again until Sunday night when he returned home without a penny, and this had happened three times when the wife asked the Council to help. From these depths, the family has been raised to confidence and security by the work of the Council. Many others told of homes crippled by inordinate drinking: now, after some months of guidance, these families can face their lives ahead with confidence. And the community? Do they welcome the Scheme? It seemed so, almost generally. Grocers, fruiterers, butchers, and other providers of food and goods, would obviously welcome a scheme which ensured prompt payments. The newspaper gave the scheme much editorial comment and favourable publicity; only the hotel proprietors viewed with a somewhat jaundiced eye a plan to limit their best customers to £1 per week. But generally, the whole of the business, professional and social community welcomed the scheme with the liveliest sympathy.

DEPARTMENT GIVES FULL SUPPORT Mr Hunn's reaction was immediate. He welcomed the scheme, highly praised its practical idealism and offered the support of the Department of Maori Affairs, subject to his Minister's approval, to what he said would be known in future as “The Kaikohe Scheme” in honour of its first movers. The Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Hanan, proved equally enthuiastic and a Press Statement was released at the beginning of March, endorsing the Kaikohe Scheme, recommending its adoption in other areas, and praising the whole conception as “a vital step to aid the Maori people to establish themselves in modern life.” From such small and apparently insignificant beginnings a whole people may be transformed, as history has frequently shown. In our own context, the great value of this scheme, as Mr Hunn pointed out, is its voluntary and spontaneous character. It cannot be considered as a State handout, with the blessing of officialdom: this is a body of private citizens working for their community. To Maoris, the Pakeha may often seem grossly marterialistic, his first care and greatest energy devoted to feathering his own nest; to the Pakeha, the Maori can seem shiftless, feckless and improvident. That both pictures are partial and false, this fine Scheme demonstrates; in it, we have Maori and Pakeha working together for the benefit of the community as a whole.

TEST YOUR ABILITY TO USE MONEY WISELY The Kaikohe Citizens' Guidance Council has prepared a questionnaire to help its clients to learn budgeting. It is very revealing: just try it out yourself. Check only the questions to which you can truthfully answer yes. If you check none of them, you should apply to the Council for immediate help; if you check them all, you are just bluffing. ( ) Do you shop around to compare prices before deciding? ( ) Do you avoid buying “fads”? ( ) Do you buy gifts well in advance of the occasion—especially for Christmas giving? ( ) Do you always base your buying on real needs rather than what your friends have? ( ) Do you make efficient use of electricity, hot water, heat, and other utilities in your home? ( ) Do you plan your wardrobe—choosing colours, styles and fabrics that can be interchanged? ( ) Do you avoid buying “gadgets” or gaudy items? ( ) Do you dress for the occasion—thus avoiding strenuous wear on fragile garments and shoes? ( ) Do you avoid buying on the spur of the moment? ( ) Do you make a list before going shopping so as to avoid forgetting necessities and buying non-essentials displayed to tempt you? ( ) Do you buy your groceries on the basis of providing well-balanced meals, keeping all purchases in line with your food budget? ( ) Do you plan your cooking so as to avoid waste of food and fuel? ( ) Have you acquired the habit of saving?