(J. !).

The detail work involved in the collection and distribution of revenues from the West Coast Settlement Reserves in Taranaki was, in August, 1937, transferred to the Department's district office at Wanganui ; and in pursuance of the policy of making greater use of the facilities available in the local district offices a similar transfer of routine work affecting Native reserves in the lkaroa and the South Island Native Land Court districts was made to the Wellington district office in February, 1939. This entailed the transfer of accounting and administrative records in connection with approximately 21,320 acres of Native reserves, the annual rent roll of which is £13,000. Since June, 1938, the farms and stations controlled by the Native Trustee in the East Coast district have been administered through the Gisborne district office. FINANCE. The following figures indicate the volume of business transacted by the Department during the year. The corresponding amounts for last year were—payments, £1,712,369 ; receipts, £1,273,001.

NATIVE LAND COURT. A statistical return of the activities of the Native Land and Appellate Courts during the year is appended in Table A (a). A general increase in the volume of business is apparent. PROMOTION OF EMPLOYMENT AMONGST MAORIS. The wages bill of the Department for the year in respect of some five thousand Maori workers was £507,250, towards which a grant of £415,000 was made from the Employment Promotion Fund. Productive work in the form of land development carrying subsidies ranging from 50 per cent, to 100 per cent., according to the ability of the land to bear a proportion of the cost, accounted for £457,250, whilst the labour costs of the erection of houses financed from the Special Native Housing Fund amounted to £50,000. With few exceptions the work was carried out on a contract basis enabling reasonably efficient workmen to earn not less than 16s. per day. ALIENATIONS OF NATIVE LAND. The number of alienations during the year was 526 and the area affected 59,490 acres, compared with 630 alienations and 60,425 acres respectively last year. Particulars are as follows :—

No Native land was purchased by the Crown during the year.

4

| Total Payments. | Total Keceipts. Consolidated Fund— £ £ Civil List (Native Purposes) .. .. .. .. 6,742 Special Acts (Arawa tribes) .. .. .. .. 6,000 Vote "Native" .. .. .. .. .. .. 145,505 22,572 Court fees .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,748 Public Works Fund VoteNative Land Settlement" .. .. .. .. 1,166,104 672,408* Receipts under Native Housing Act .. .. .. .. .. 1,960 Native Trustee's Account .. .. .. .. .. 199,431 198,079 Maori Land Boards .. .. .. .. .. .. 406,405f 397,210j 1,930,187 1,297,977 * Keceipts from Native land development schemes, £257,408; grant from the Employment Promotion Fund, £415,000. f Does not include deposits and withdrawals in respect of Deposit Accounts with Native Trustee.

I I ■ 1937-38. 1938-39. Number. Acres. Number. Acres. Sales .. .. .. ..233 10,255 175 10,158, Leases .. .. .. .. 397 50,200 351 49,332.' Totals .. .. .. 630 60,425 526 59,490, Note.—A large number of these alienations were in favour of Native alienees.