MAORI PURPOSES FUND BOARD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1946.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1946 Session I, G-11

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1946 NEW ZEALAND

MAORI PURPOSES FUND BOARD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1946.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 14 of the Maori Purposes Fund Act, 1934-35

\ Meetings The statutory annual meeting of the Board was held on the 20th November, 1945. No other meetings were held during the year. Operations Education. —The Board again granted a sum of £5OO to the Education Department towards the costs of Maori Free Place Scholarships, and a further grant of £250 was made to assist deserving Maori students not eligible for scholarships. Ethnology.—The thanks of the Board are due to the beneficiaries in the estate of the late Mrs. Humphrey Haines for the presentation of a compendium of Maori proverbs from the collection of the late Dr. Humphrey Haines. These proverbs constitute a most useful addition to the Board's records. In January, 1946, the Secretary, on loan from the Native Department to the Internal Affairs Department, accompanied Mr. W. J. Phillipps of the Dominion Museum to Rotorua to gather .ethnological data relative to some of the old carved houses in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty area. A considerable amount of useful and interesting information was obtained. As in previous years, a grant of £3OO was made to the Polynesian Society to assist in its ethnological publications. Requests were made during the year for assistance in publishing several manuscripts on Maori history, but it has been necessary to defer consideration of these requests owing to the present limited income of the Board. One manuscript submitted was in the Maori language and, if publication should be possible, this work should prove extremely useful to students of the language. Sales of the Board's publications amounted to 301 volumes, as compared, with 434 during the previous year. Grants from Maori Land Boards. —Grants totalling £750 were received from the various Maori Land Boards for specific purposes, including contributions to carved halls, a welcome home to the Maori Battalion, a water-supply for a Maori village, and river-protection work in a Maori settlement.

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Finance The Board is pleased to report that the Minister of Finance has agreed to the recoupment to it of the sum of £13,000 which represents the balance of moneys and interest expended by the Board in providing additional accommodation for certain Maori secondary schools in excess of the payments authorized by section 13 of the Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Act, 1925. An item covering this sum is included in the estimates of the Native Department for the current year, and on the passing 'of the Appropriation Act the amount will be paid into the Maori Purposes Fund Account. The following is a statement of receipts and expenditure for the year ended 31st March, 1946 :

Receipts Payments £ £ Cash balance as at Ist April, 1945 .. 46,705 Administration expenses .. .. 128 Grant from Consolidated Fund .. 375 Grants— £ Interest .. .. .. .. 1,401 Meeting-houses, &c. .. .. 350 Grants from Maori Land Boards for Miscellaneous .. .. 450 specific purposes .. .. .. 750 800 Miscellaneous receipts (sales, &c.) .. 215 Purchase of books .. .. 1 Cash balance with Native Trustee at 31st March, 1946 .. .. 48,517 £49,446 £49,446

Note. —Annual grants for Free Place Scholarships (£500), special education (£250), and Polynesian Society (£300) were not paid until after the close of the financial year.

Budget for Year ended 31st March, 1947 Expenditure Income Administration expenses— £ £ £ Audit fee .. .. 8 Interest from Native Trustee .. 1,600 Native Trustee's commission .. 60 Annual grant from Consolidated Fund 375 Depreciation .. .. 10 Profit from sale of publications .. 25 Freight .. .. 2 Income allocated but unexpended before Insurance .. .. ..10 31st March, 1946 .. .. 1,450 Printing and stationery .. 5 Grant from Consolidated Fund to recoup Rent, repairs, &c. .. .. 100 expenditure on Maori secondary Salary .. .. .. 35 schools .. .. .. 13,000 Travelling-expenses .. .. 25 Sundries .. .. 5 260 Grants (subject to separate approval of Board) — * Education .. .. .. 750 Publishing .. .. .. 700 1,450 Grants approved but unpaid as at 31st March, 1946 Education . . .. .. 750 Polynesian Society (publishing) .. 300 Grants from Maori Land Boards 400 1,450 To be added to capital .. .. 13,000 Balance available for miscellaneous grants, &c. .. .. .. 290 £16,450 £16,450 Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (548 copies), £3 10s. By Authority: E. V. Paul, Governmedit Printer, Wellington.—l 946. Price 3d.']

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