NATIVE LAND COURT, CAMBRIDGE. Thursday. [Before His Honour Chief Judge Macdonald.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1967, 14 February 1885, Page 2

NATIVE LAND COURT, CAMBRIDGE. Thur sday. [Be fore His Honour Chief Judge Ma cdonald.

Serious Charge against the Assessor. MU \l.\l \l 1 VIU MY UH VHIM,. His HoNOt H, Ml opening tin- Couit, said lie Wished til explain till H.ltUlO i)t till' pio coodmgs, because fioin letteis lecoivod theie appealed to be .in unpiessiuii tli it thi' business upon which tlioy weie tho'i entering was aio healing of Mauugataiit.m This was not so, but was only an oppoitu mty to hoar 1 onions foi .uul against a ie heaung. An application by Te Hakaiwhi foi an ad inurnment till the following morning, in oidei to give them tune to consult M.ijoi To Wlicoio, w.b lefusod. His Honoin said that although ho invited discussion, it was not obhgatoiy on .immn 1 to spwk. The mutter could be left without aiguuiout if tho natives so wished. Te Wheoto, in h Hiding in ,m application foi a ie-heaiing, said In* wished to give lu> ideas, but was told that he was not an applicant fm a io lie.uiug. Koionieiiata said tlieie weie seventy signituies to his application. He was a stianger to the couit when the case wa> heaid. In loply to the Chief Judge, Keiemonati gave at some length Ills grounds foi appU nig foi a le-heaimg. His Honour, speaking to Keiementi and othi'is, s.iid thf application set up t!i it lli Thau.es natives never conqueied this l.md ami tint Tainatawiwi g.uo no iimii.i. All pievious investigations had bei n aginiM thoni (Keie and otheis). They lefi'ind tc. thoea>e of Te Aloha, but hi' would -r. that tho cl iiiii by conquest at Tarn it iv iv 1 failed them. The decision in tli it case was not Hi it Tani.it.iwiwt gave no mint, but that the niana did not extend to Te Violi i A number of natives followed, each lay ing btfoio tho court arguments ie»pi'ctin;' the application for a rehearing. Haiinona l'ntira said his people appio\ id of what took i»lace at Kihikiln, but not .it C.unbiidge. They objected because the asse-isni's wife and chiklien weie included It was not till the subdivision was m idi tint the assessor did wiong. He (tin .itsessui) .uio-ngori the subdivision s.> tint Xg.ihlvoioki, in whoso list his wife and cluldien weie, should get an undue piopm tion. l'»y this means X/atikoiolvi got L'\()00, while Xgahhaua and othei tubes only gut 21,01)0. If the assessor hid not been tlto .issessur the names of his wife and childieu would not have been included ! 'J hoy weio not in other blocks in wlikli Ngatikoioki weie found to be inter i>ted. Te Hakiiiwhi «.»id the main judgment was a light one. The assessor led tl.e cunt astiav, in sub-dividing. He (the assi'-siu) asked him to put his youngei biothei in his h-t. The assessor's wife and childion had no light on the land. Xg.iti koioki put his wife's 11,11110 in because the> wished to tret a liuge- slice of land. Hotc Thoin))s<.n also a-lleged that the .issossoi favoined Xgatikmoki. Tupotahi s.nd that the evidence given bj the countci -claimants was false, and th, it . the judgment was wiong on account of this faKo evidence. Jlauy Hymonds also gave reasons iv favoui ofaieheaung. His poojilo objet tctl i to the assessor. He believed that Tip v ie ceivid tL'OO dm ing the hearing of the o i-e at Kihikihi. He Knew this last Xovoniliei. Ho saw his leceipt for tho iuone\. He could not lead the leeeipt, but was told itcontents. Captain IM.iko hid shnwn him tJieieceipt. Ho believed Kowi's case v.is a good one, but thay lost this case tlnoutrh this kind ot liiMchc-i). They hid also -an consultations going on between the assessoi and Ngatikoroki. The assessor on one occwion had tlueatenod him because h< heaul that he (Sytnonds) intended stukiug Ins wife and cliildien out of their lists Hawhiti received a lottei fiom the assessi.i. He showed it to him, and recommended Haimonn, to stop, as ho was spoiling his own case. Itawlnti was to give it to Hainioua. Ho hatl he.ud that the assCbsui w.is to get a piece of land. Ills Honour asked tho last witness if lie supposed Haiiuon.i'a people weie coiiupt ing the assussoi. JLiriy Synnmds said he could not give any evidence that it was so, but the assessor was advising Ngatikoroki, and he thought that Ngntikoioki weio coiiupting the as-cssoi. Ho had no facts to suppoit his opinion except tho lettei. H.umona wis called iv iepl>, n nil naul he ajipioved of the judgment of the couit. Iv.uaka T.n.iwlnti said ho knew nothing} of the i'2oo imen to the assessoi. | Tho Chief Judge said he had now heaid j all leasons for and against a reheaiing, and in duo couise would give his derision m wiiting, giving rea-sons for tho decision. The Court then adjourned till Tuesday next,