B.—l [FT. TV],

TARANAKI MAORI TRUST BOARD—continued. Balance-sheet as at 31st March, 1935. Liabilities. Assets. Grants authorized but outstanding— £ s. d. £ s. d. Compensation grant outstanding— £ s. d. £ s. d Marae renovation .. .. 21 810 Balance as at 31st March, 1934 .. 3,000 0 0 Special: Sir Maui Pomare Memorial 1,121 0 0 Add grant for 1934-35 .. .. 5,000 0 0 General . . .. . . 380 3 9 , , 8 000 0 0 1,522 12 7 LessReserves— 5-per-cent. grant to the GoGeneral reserve .. .. 3,000 0 0 vernment .. .. 250 0 0 Reserve for depreciation .. 19 8 7 Add receipt during the year .. 4,750 0 0 Office sundries outstanding— 3 ' 019 § ? s, ° Q ° ° ° Furniture and fittings .. .. 2 7 1 3 000 0 0 Printing .. .. .. 0 16 4 Furniture and fittings .. .. . . .. 90 4 9 — 3 3 5; Payments in advance .. .. .. .. 10 10 5 Appropriation Account— Sundry debtors .. .. .. .. 108 711 Balance as at 31st March, 1934 .. 3,937 17 6 Bills receivable .. .. . . 88 8 6 Add cheque 546: Cancelled .. 010 0 Cash at bank and in hand .. .. .. 4,767 7 1 Add excess of income over expenditure for period ended 31st March, 1935 .. .. 586 18 6 4,525 6 0 Less (General reserve, £1,000; reserve for depreciation, £5 lis. lid.).. .. .. 1,005 11 11 3,519 14 1 £8,064 18 8 £8,064 18 8 W. Wakarua, Secretary. The Audit Office having examined the Balance-sheet and accompanying accounts, required by law to be audited, hereby certifies them to be correct, subject to the following—Comments : (1) As Parliament has not provided in the Appropriations for the payment of the i compensation grant of £3,000, the item "Compensation grant outstanding, £3,000" should not be included in' the statement of assets ; (2) purporting to act under the authority of section 49 (3) (b) of the Native Purposes Act, 1931, and the Order in Council of the 11th May, 1931, which provides that, subject to the Board's power to expend its funds for the general benefit of certain Maori tribes, it may determine what may be a proper object for which a payment may be made out of its funds, the Board has expended, inter alia, an amount of £100 in making a grant to the widow of a deceased Native Minister, £644 towards the cost of a memorial to that Minister, and an amount in excess of £800 in connection with a hui held at Oeo Pa. In the opinion of Audit the provisions of the law did not contemplate the expenditure of the trust-moneys on the making of grants of this nature. Exceptions : (1) The authority of the Native Minister to the increase in the salary of the Secretary was not obtained as required by clause 19 (2) of the regulations under the Native Land Amendment and Native Claims Adjustment Act, 1928 ; (2) the vouchers for a grant to one Marae Committee are unsupported by details of and receipts for the expenditure of the grant. —G. P. C. Campbell, Controller and Auditor-General.

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