MAORI POPULATION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 194, 2 August 1940, Page 5

MAORI POPULATION

INCREASE FOULLY MAINTAINED j- STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR ! ■ ■ "The increase in the Maori population lias been fully maintained during the year. The fibres as at Marclr 31,. 1910,. stood at 90,980, compared with 88,150 at the correspondj ing date in the previous year," says ! the annual report of the Native Department, which wa» presented by the Minister' of Native Affairs, the Hon. F. Langstone,. in «ie~Hou<se of Representatives. "The Government's programme of native land development and native housing has* been vigorously carried out during' the year and,, with the necessity for maintaining primary production 1 during. the wa»r period, there is every indication of an even more intensive- prosecution of land development activity,'* the report says. There is reference to; the- work of the seven Maori land boards,, the total receipts for the year being £409,619 and the payments £131,815. Funds held or invested by the boards aggregated £559,979 as at March 31* 1940, The area of native lands vested in the boards at the same diate amounted to. 660,054 acres. "Approximately 4000 native workers were employed by the department during the year," the report continues. "The total expenditure on wages was- £451,600,. of which £383,r 000 was in respect of native land development schemes, and the balance applied toward the improvement of privately-owned native land and the erection of dwellings financed from the special housing fund on land development schemes. With a few execrations, all works were undertaken on a contract basis, enabling reasonably efficient workmen to earn not less than 16s :t day. The gross expenditure from the native vote during the year was £561, ~ 511 and recoveries totalled £25,767. General administration cost £108,457, grants for native purposes amounted to £416,189, and protection of native lands £6098.