G. H

1909. NEW ZEALAND.

EAST COAST NATIVE TRUST LANDS (REPORT, BALANCE-SHEET, AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS IN RESPECT OF).

Pretentei I" b»th Howes of Hie General Assembly in pursuance <>j Section 13 of " The East Coast Native Trust Lands Act, l'.)()2."

Ki.ruiM tn 111 Kast Coast Commission^;.

glß _ Gisbome, N.E., 1 <>tli November. L 909. I bave the honour to submit the following report of the I raiisacl ions of the Trust, together with the balance sheet and statement of accounts to the :tlst Marcli last. Scheme of Adjustment of Intermix. Since the date of my last report there has been laid before Parliament the scheme which, under section 11 of "The Maori Land Claims Adjustment and Laws Amendment Act 1907 " the Validation Court was directed to prepare for the purpose of adjusting the couitiee as between the beneficial owners of the respective blocks constituting the Trust estate. By its decision the Court formally ascertained the amounts owing by or to the respective blocks as at the 31st March 1907, thus enabling the account of each block to be stated with accuracy as from that date I therefore beg to submit herewith, in addition to the balance-sheet and statement of receipts and expenditure required by statute, statements of the accounts of the respective Mocks, founded on ihe balances ascertained by the Court as at 31st March, 1907, and giving an abstract of the transactions of the respective blocks fro,,, that date to the 31st March. IW». A statement Hie posttton o the blocks as between themselves is also annexed. The accounts of the MangapoJke and 1 ahora .locks have been further divided so as to show the position of each subdivisional block. In there arc seven and in Tahora five blocks, each block having in nearly every instance entirely different groups of owners The accounts of these two blocks are therefore now shown in twelve separate statements. Rents -Out of the sum of £4,334 4s. 3d. received for rents during the year £1,323 13s 9d. has been Mid over to the beneficiaries, as against £540 10s. last year. The balance has been placed to the credit ~f the respective blocks from which the rents were derived. Borne of the leased lands are still in debt to the Trust ..state to such an extent that it is not yet possible to pay over any part of the rent to the beneficiaries. Several of then, are. however, now altogether treed from debt, and I purpose paying m ,,,. ,„,!„. beneficiaries in these blocks the cent* as received, less the proportioa of expenses olmanage- ,„,,,, fairly chargeable against them. Other, of the leased lands, although stffl indebted to the Hut estate, are in such unproved crcumstances that from this out ii will be posstble. after ~v fn, asule such portion of the rents as w>ll provide » sinking fund for the redemption of the block, to pay the balance to the beneficiaries. Farms - -Duriii-' the Ml further areas of bush have, been fallen and sown for the purpose of farming the lands for. and by, the Native owners. In Tahora No. 3o I. Sen,,, 3 (commonly known as the Stock Track) about 1,100 acres have been cleared and sown, and are carrying about 1 800 sheep besides cattle. At the Papuni Farm, in the Tahora No. 2k Block, on the RuaktturK ,300 acres o bush have been clear,,!, and are now SfiM wethers. On Marae.aha No Lo (Te Kopu ) m> ac-tvs have been dear,,!, iv addition to 360 acres felled by the Nattve ( onumttee befce I took over the block, and which I have since paid for, and a further area of about 100 acre. wh,ch was clean, by one of the Native owners. Altogether about 1,200 acres of bush are ,n beside* 400 acres of fern partially grassed. There are now depasturing on the block 8000 sheep and 200 bead ol cattle. In Paremata No. 3 further improvements have been made, chiefly by diaining at the foot of the in sowing the swamp which had been drained the previous year, and in fencing. This year the arm has carried 2,500 ewes, 200 hoggets, and 140 steers. The whole of the live-stock on the farm ».e of good quality, and are doing well. The profits on the, working ot the Pwm*te Farm for the year

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