LATER.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1555, 22 June 1882, Page 2

LATER.

Waitara, Yesterday. The Mahakatina-Parihiuhj block, qne hundred thousaud acres, was completed , by the court yesterday, and awarded to the Ngatimanipoto. This is the first of the lands in the King country .that, have been adjudicated upon, and the first appearance of the Ngatimaniajpoto before the Lands Court. The Ngatitama tri be contested the ownership, and were represented by Major Brown (late Civil , Commissioner), and Mr Richmond Sales. p ; Mr Grace, 'of Kikikihi, represented Mauiapoto. The contest lasted several days, and Rewi Maniapoto gave evidence 1 ' of the conquest, etc. The Ngatitama re- ( « lied upon the land having been returned, to them by Tawhiao and Wahanui, but the court ruled that Tawhiao or any other chief could not return or dispose of the lands of other persons. The court consists of Judges Fenton and Munro, < and Tapsell, Assessor. At the conclusion ' of the case, Mr Booth, the representative of the Government, made an application to have thelandmadeinalienableexceptby permission of the Governor-in-CounciL Mr Grace replied, and said the application was outrageous, ami he instanced cases of large areas being adjudicated , uuon without any such request being made by the Government. Moreover such a step would destroy the confidence of natives in the Lands Court. The court \ refused the application, stating that they * could understand the application in cases where the land was required for the benefit of the public, but in this case, the judges could not permit the court to be made the medium of such an action.