B.—4a

288. The Board has established a school of carving at Rotorua and the expenditure since the inception of the fund has been as follows : — £ s d. Furnishing and equipment of Board's Headquarters at Rotorua .. .. 247 11 6 Purchase of motor-car and accessories .. .. .. .. .. 220 1 3 Expenditure in connection with Ngaruawahia Maori Hostel: Wages of carvers 200 0 0 Purchase of timber for Te Ante College Memorial Hall . , .. 1,161 11 9 Purchase of Piupius (skirts for ceremonial wear) .. .. .. .. 100 0 0 Administration expenses — £ s. d. Salaries .. .. .. .. .. 2,511 8 8 Miscellaneous, including running of car .. .. .. 1,084 7 1 Native Trustee's commission .. .. . . .. 82 13 0 3,678 8 0 Total expenditure .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,607 13 3 Balance at 31st March, 1931 .. .. .. .. .. 194 2 6 £5,801 15 9 289. The necessity for the purchase of the motor-car is not apparent. 290. We recommend that the whole of the assistance given to this Board should be by way of annual appropriation from the Consolidated Fund, with recoveries as far as possible from other sources such as the Maori Purposes Fund. Confiscated Land Boards (1928). Rewi-Maniapoto Memorial Committee (1929). Ringatu Church Trust (1921-22). Whakaeua Trust Board (1928). Hinerupo Trust (Te Araroa) Board (1927). Wi Pere Trust (1907). Ngaitahu Trust Board (1928). Kaiapoi Reserve Board (1924). 291. These represent various administrative Boards and bodies constituted in terms of the Native Purposes Act, 1931, which consolidates previous enactments as indicated. 292. They have little bearing upon the matters under inquiry by us, but any assistance given them should be appropriated by Parliament in the ordinary way. Maori Purposes Fund. 293. By virtue of the Native Land Amendment and Native Claims Adjustment Act, 1924, the Maori Land Boards were required to pay over to an account called the Maori Purposes Fund Account a total of £90,000 from their accumulated funds, and, in addition, it was made obligatory upon them to make an annual contribution to the fund thus established. 294. The. actual amounts contributed by Maori Land Boards to the original fund were as follow :— £ Tokerau .. .. .. .. .. .. 12,000 Waikato-Maniapoto .. .. .. .. 30,250 Waiariki .. .. .. .. .. .. 14,500 Tairawhiti .. .. .. .. .. 11,000 Aotea .. .. .. .. .. ..18,400 Ikaroa .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,000 South Island .. .. . . . . . . 850 £90,000 They have not paid anything since. 295. Under the 1925 Act, the State contributed £3,000 per annum for five years. The fifth payment was made in 1930-31. 296. It should be stated that the Economy Committee set up in 1921 recommended that the accumulated funds held by the Maori Land Boards in respect of commission earned should be paid to the Consolidated Fund, and also that the unclaimed moneys then held by the Public Trustee on behalf of the Boards should be brought under the provisions of the Unclaimed Moneys Act—i.e., paid to the Consolidated Fund. It is from these sources that the Maori Purposes Fund was initiated, and this notwithstanding the recommendation of the Committee set up in 1921. 297. The fund is controlled by a Board of ten members, with the Native Minister as Chairman The purposes for which the fund may be applied are : — (a) Education of Natives, including founding of scholarships, exhibitions, and payment of allowances and contributions to Maori secondary schools. (b) Assistance towards Maori ethnological research and similar purposes in the South Pacific Ocean. (c) Such other purposes as may be recommended by the Native Minister.

36