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Waimarino County.—-Sub-enumerator H. Tairei. I have the honour to report that during the time I was occupied as sub-enumerator for part of the Waimarino County I found the Natives in good health and prospering very much in farming their lands. Their sanitary arrangements are all that can be desired. On several occasions they refused absolutely to give mc particulars I required, and on these occasions I had to find others who would give mc a true account concerning those who refused to do so. They are suspicious. They think that I came there to get these particulars by means of which the Government would step in and take their lands away from them. Some of them, again, did not really know what lands they owned. In some cases one out of the family works the family property, &c. Waitotara County. — Sub-enumerator H. Pukehika. I have the honour to report that during the time I was acting as sub-enumerator I found the Natives in the best of health. They appeared to adopt the European mode of living. They have plenty of food-supply, with few exceptions only, as far as potatoes are concerned. These few places have been touched by the potato-blight. Some of the families are progressing in farming their lands. They have splendid stock, but their farming occupation is tardy, and this is due to not having all their lands individualized. Some of the Natives were reluctant in giving mc full particulars, and this is due to the fact that they do not know exactly what land they own. Some of them are without record of their lands. Wanganui County. — Sub-enumerator W. Roach. I have the honour to inform you that as sub-enumerator of the Wanganui County I paid a visit to every Maori pa of that county. I found the Natives in the best of health and adopting every European sanitary arrangement within their means to make their houses and maraes healthy. The absence of real Maori houses is quite noticeable throughout the county. It appeared to mc that they are realiz ing the fact that it is time they should work, and send their children to school, to keep up with pakehas in the march of civilization ; but, as their lands are more or less invested in the Maori Land Board, some of them have very little area of land to farm. Again, some of their lands are not individualized. This fact seemed to hinder their advancement in farming their lands. The need of schools at Kaiwhaiki, Parikino, and other places is lamentable, for the children of these places are numerous. However, in spite of this obstacle, they do work; but I cannot expect them to reach the standard of pakeha farmers under the circumstances. With few exceptions they are provided with plenty of food-supply. There was no potato-blight throughout the county, and some of the Natives are enjoying a successful year in potato-cropping. I regret to say that I found most of the Natives reluctant in giving mc the full particulars required. At Kaiwhaiki especially they gave mc irregular information —they gave mc names of trees and lands as substitutes for themselves—and it was afterwards, through Hori Pukehika, that I found the information was erroneous, and many who were not given were in my book. They are very suspicious, as they are under the delusion that I was sent amongst them to find out what the Government could secure in land, &c, from them. These facts made my otherwise pleasant tour unsuccessful. Under the circumstances, I have done what I could to make my work complete.

9. PATEA, HAWERA, ELTHAM, WAIMATE WEST, EGMONT, TARANAKI, CLIFTON, STRATFORD, AND WHANGAMOMONA. Sir,— Wanganui, 22nd May, 1911. I attach the particulars gathered concerning the Maori population of the district from the Waitotara River to the Mokau River. These reveal a sad story—the story of a decadent people. The decrease of population in this area numbers 499. Owing to the birth of new county districts since the last census, strict comparisons of the fluctuations in each county are not possible; but it may be said that the decrease is, with two exceptions, general over the whole area. The exceptions are the notable decrease in Egmont County, and increases in the environs of Hawera and in Taranaki County. Egmont's decrease, in a large measure, is due to the emigration from Parihaka since the death of the leaders Tohu and Te Whiti, and the death of many of the aged adherents of these chiefs. Many people resident in Parihaka at the date of the last census, during the past four years, have returned to their tribal homes in the Waikato and elsewhere. The remnant of " foreigners " left in Parihaka belongs principally to the Wanganui Tribes. Due to the foregoing, Taranaki County and the Hawera counties have gained out of Egmont's loss ; but, in addition to this gain, the Hawera counties provide the one gleam of hope for the Maori : there appears to be a slight natural increase there. From my personal knowledge of the district, I can testify that the number of productive families is greater where the Natives are engaged in an occupation of economic value. This is particularly noticeable in the district extending from Hawera to Puniho. It is there that a larger number of the Maoris than in other districts are engaged in dairy-farming. In the district from Waitotara to Urenui there are 163 milking-sheds in use by Maoris. The number of Natives engaged in dairying is increasing. Proof of this is to be found in the large number of young cattle owned by them. Not having the means to begin dairying by the purchase of milking-cows, their practice is to buy heifer calves and rear them. During the past five years there has been no virulent epidemic amongst the Taranaki Natives, but a large number of the elder people were carried off by pneumonia three winters ago. At the present time the general condition of health is good.