a.—io.

rate compromises were effected insisted that the Crown should remit a substantial proportion of the survey costs, so that the State might share with themselves the sacrifice demanded in the interests of settlement. In regard to the North Auckland lands the position was as follows: —

The amounts recommended to be remitted in the case of the first three districts were £35,619 2s. 9d., leaving to be paid in cash or land by the Natives interested £11,000. In the case of the Kaipara district the amount recommended to be remitted was £2,863 9s. 4d., leaving £512 to be paid in cash or land. The total balance of £11,512 has to be added to the £17,757 10s. paid in settlement of rates and apportioned by the consolidation officers to the various titles concerned. Successions, Consolidation Proposals. It was found that where revenues, such as rents or royalties, were derived from lands, the succession to deceased owners in those lands was well maintained. Those entitled to succeed found it worth while to seek the jurisdiction of the Court and to pay the fees and succession duties. Where land was not revenue-earning successions were greatly in arrear. It was necessary in the consolidation plan to bring these up to date, and a great deal of the time of the consolidation staff and of the Court has been occupied in the last three or four years with this tedious but unavoidable task. The magnitude of it may be realized from the fact that 7,900 succession orders were made under consolidation, and data prepared for a further 5,100, involving protracted investigations in the Maori villages under trying physical conditions, and also numerous special sittings of the Court to supervise and confirm the results thereof. As part of the inquiries made, the officers examined and noted the proposals submitted by individuals and families for the compacting of their scattered interests in some selected locality or localities. When it is understood that these proposals might in the case of a single individual involve interests in twenty or more separate blocks of land distributed over two or more counties, and that with those of his wife or children or grand-children these interests might comprise twice as many areas again of divers quality and value with liabilities for rates and survey liens to be assessed in detail the enormous difficulties of the work may be visualized and appreciated. It was a gruelling task performed under conditions which demanded special qualifications and great endurance. It was work that could not be performed under normal service conditions and could not have been efficiently carried out unless the officers were deeply interested in it and thought it worth while. Motatau No. 2 Bloch. In any consolidation scheme those engaged in the conduct of it discover early in their survey of the factors and conditions some area presenting special problems, the satisfactory solution of which is fundamental to progress in other directions. In the North Auckland territory brought under consolidation such a key area was met with in the Motatau No. 2 block, situated in the Bay of Islands. The history of this block and of the difficult position it was in when the consolidation scheme was undertaken is recounted in the reports of the Consolidation Officers, who stated that, unless the balance of a long standing debt due to Treasury was written off and adjustments made of internal liabilities, the Motatau No. 2 Block could not be dealt with under the consolidation scheme. It was impracticable in the circumstances to attempt to assess the value of the interest of any individual or family in a block of nearly 35,000 acres, owned by a leading sub-tribe of the Ngapuhi, whose most influential men set the policy for a very large section of the Maoris of the Tokerau District. Until this was done consolidation in the Bay of Islands area could not proceed, and there would have been an effectual check to progress in any other part of the North, which awaited the lead of the Motatau chiefs, who found themselves fettered by administrative acts for which they were not responsible. Recommended in March, 1928, the matter of writing-off the balance of the Treasury loan on the Motatau No. 2 block was under close investigation until 1931, when it was decided to remit the same. This removed one of the most formidable obstacles to the progress of the consolidation schemes in the North. The writing-off was justified in the interests of settlement. LAND-DEVELOPMENT. The stage had been reached when the process of readjusting titles through consolidation of interests should be definitely and more closely linked up with the development of the lands under review. During 1930, two years after the launching of the .consolidation schemes, it became apparent that the Natives in the district were experiencing hardship and distress owing to the tailing-off of public works, both local and departmental. The resources of the Maori Land Board were practically exhausted^

5

UnimName of Consolidation Scheme. Total Area.; proved Principal. Interest. Total. J Value. Acres. £ £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Mangonui (including Whangaroa) 131,442 103,981 6,339 17 4 3,676 7 7 10,016 4 11 Hokianga (including Koliukohu 114,567 174,270 9,463 0 8 4,602 5 10 14,065 6 6 Town Board) Bay of Islands (including 201,733 335,371 13,564 8 0 8,973 3 4 22,537 11 4 Whangarei and Kaikohe) Kaipara (including Waitemata, 74,603 126,612 2,046 1 0 1,329 8 4 3,375 9 4 Rodney, Otamatea, Hobson, Great Barrier) Totals .. .. 522,345 740,234 31,413 7 0 18,581 5 1 49,994 12 1