ISLAND OF KAPITI (RETURN SHOWING PARTICULARS IN RESPECT OF).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1904 Session I, G-08

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1904. NEW ZEALAND.

ISLAND OF KAPITI (RETURN SHOWING PARTICULARS IN RESPECT OF).

Return to an Order of the House of Representatives dated the 26th August, 1904. Ordered, "That there be laid before this House a return showing, in respect to the Island of Kapiti—(l) The date and purpose for which it was acquired, the extent to which that purpose has been carried out, the percentage of deaths among the deer and other fauna placed upon the island, and the terms and conditions under which, since acquirement, it has been or is now occupied, and by whom; (2) the names of the tenants in occupation when the island was acquired, with the acreage, rental, and unexpired term of their several holdings, and the amount paid to each of them by way of compensation, with the date of such payment; (3) particulars of the expenses paid incidental to the extinguishment of the rights of these several tenants, with the names of each of the assessors, and the term they were engaged and the amount they severally received ; (4) the amount paid to extinguish the Native title, with a summary of the total cost of the island to date, and any further amount for which claim has been made ; and (5) the Departments to which the above various disbursements have been charged."—(Mr. Duthie.)

[To expedite the completion of this return the particulars have been arranged in the order in which they have from time to time been recorded.] Kapiti Island. Under the provisions of section 3 of "The Kapiti Island Public Reserve Act, 1897," the undermentioned portions of the island became vested in the Crown in freehold on the passing of the Act.

* By transfer from original owner in each case. The freehold of the other portions of the island were found to be still vested in the original Native owners or their heirs, subject to encumbrances, as follows : —

Block. Area. Names of Proprietors. Amount of Compensation paid. Brown's grant 617 0 0 Andrew Brown (heirs of) (£2,071 12s. 10d.,including £484 paid to Collins and McKenzie for interest under an agreement to ( purchase. Kapiti, No. 1 „ No. 4a, No. 1 ... 34 12 1 2 9 0 Wiremu Parata* Wm. Hughes Field* Nil. No claim lodged. Nil. Claim for £675 not yet adjudicated upon. Included in payment of £1,125 below. £62 10s. t „ No. 4a, No. 3 ... „ No. 5, Sec. 1 (interest in) 12 50 2 0 0 0 Malcolm McLean* ... Hohaia te Kotuku* ...

Block. Area. Leased for Twenty-one Years commencing Annual Rental. Name of Lessee. Amount of Compensation paid. Remarks. A. B. P. 757 0 0 365 0 0 10 0 0 1,502 0 0 12 2 0 12 2 0 10 0 0 1,234 0 0 21 July, 1896 1 1 I , 1 Jan., „ 1 July, , m b. a. 45 0 0 Maclean Bros. .. \ £ 1,125 O.2 fo. 3a o. 3b o.i o. 4a, No. 2 o. 4a, No. 4 o. 4b to. 5, Sec. 1 j 15 12 6 50 0 0 2 10 0 No encumbrance. 10 Feb.", 1897 74 16 0 Charles E.Lowe.. ! 925 (Exclusive of £62 10s. to Hohaia te Kotuku for a freehold interest as above,tand£168 12s. to Isabel Jane Field in redemption of mortgage. o. 5a o. 5, Sec. 2 o. 5b 'o. 5c 4 0 0 355 0 0 50 0 0 2 0 0 1 April, 1897 16 Sept., 1896 16 „ 2 0 0 I 30 7 6 0. B. Morrison .. Nil No claim lodged. No encumbrance.

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The present state of the titles is as follows : — Held by the Cbown in Freehold undeb Unencumbered Land Transfer Titles. A. E. P. Browns Grant ... ... ... ... ... 617 0 0 Kapiti No. 1 ... ... ... ... ... 34 1 9 KapitiNo. 2a ... ... ... ... ... 261 1 15 Kapiti No. 3a ... ... ... ... ... 365 0 0 Kapiti No. 3b ... ... ... ... ... 10 0 0 Kapiti No. 4, Section 1 ... ... ... ... 821 3 10 Kapiti No. 4, Section 2 ... ... ... ... 304 0 0 Kapiti No. 4, Section 3 ... ... ... ... 6 0 0 Kapiti No. 4a, No. 1 . ... ... ... ... 12 2 0 Kapiti No. 4a, No. 2 ... ... ... ... 12 2 0 Kapiti No. 4a, No. 3 ... ... ... ... 12 2 0 Kapiti No. 4a, No. 4 ... ... ... ... 12 2 0 Kapiti No. 5, Section Iα ... ... ... ... 194 120 Kapiti No. 5, Section 2a ... ... ... ... 285 0 0 Kapiti No. 5b ... ... ... ... ... 50 0 0 2,998 3 14 Held by the Ckown under Lease for Twenty-one Years from Ist January, 1902. A. B. P. Kapiti No. 4, Section 4 ... ... • ... ... 370 030 This section is owned by a number of quarter-caste girls who have been educated and brought up as Europeans. They are not all of full age, and have asked that purchase may in the meantime be deferred. Native Title not yet extinguished. A. K. P. Kapiti No. 2b ... ... ... ... ... 495 2 25 Kapiti No. 4b ... ... ... ... ... 10 0 0* Kapiti No. 5, Section 2b ... ... ... ... 70 0 0 Kapiti No. 5, Section Iβ ... ... ... ... 1,039 2 20+ Kapiti No. 5a ... ... ... ... ... 4 0 0 Kapiti No. 5c ... ... ... ... ... 2 0 0 1,621 1 5 * Undivided interests equal to 6 acres acquired by the Crown. t Undivided interests equal to 31 acres acquired by the Crown. The Compensation Court to determine interests of European claims consisted of His Honour the Chief Judge (Sir Eobert Stout), Messrs. J. C. McKerrow, Assessor appointed for the Department, and Messrs. Death, F. Brady, and James Ames appointed by the claimants. The total amount paid to Mr. J. C. McKerrow in respect of his services as Assessor was £42. The valuators on behalf of the Crown, and the amounts paid to each respectively, were:— £' b. d. Frank Bennett ... ... ... ... ... 51 4 8 Walter Best ... ... ... ... ... 52 15 4 Arthur Drake ... ... ... ... ... 35 1 9 H. F. Davidson ... • ... ... ... ... 24 0 0 Donald Fraser ... ... ... ... ... 54 10 0 W. L. Luxford ... ... ... ... ... 36 1 6 H. J. Eichards ... ... ... ... ... 54 12 9 A. L. Wilson ... ... ... ... ... 35 14 0 Valuation Department ... ... ... .... 31 8 4 Hire of s.s. "Duco" ... ... ... ... ... 50 0 0 £425 8 4 The awards of the Compensation Court were :— £ s. d. Brown family ... ... ... ... ... 1,587 12 10' Collins and McKenzie ... ... ... ... 484 0 0 Charles E. Lowe ... ... ... ... ... 925 0 0 McLean Bros. ... ... ... ... ... 1, 125 0 0 Hohaia te Kotuku ... ... ... ... 62 10 0 £4,184 2 10 The sum of £168 12s. was also paid to Isabel Jane Field on transfer of a mortgage on one of the Native interests to the Government, making total payments by way of compensation amounting to £4,352 14s. 10d. The whole of these payments were made prior to or during the financial year 1900-1.

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The following is a summary of the total cost of the island to date : — £ s. d. Advertising notice of Act ... ... ... ... 36160 Valuations ... ... ... •■• •■■ 425 8 4 Assessor ... ... ... ... ••• 42 0 0 Eents paid to Natives on European leases determined ... 294 0 2 Compensation Court awards, &c. ... ... ••• 4,352 14 10 Legal expenses— Findlay, Dalziell, and Co. ... £612 0 0 P. E. Baldwin ... ... 248 6 8 860 6 8 Expenses of Natives ... ... ■• •■■ 13 0 0 Interpreters ... ... ... •■• ■•• 5 13 6 Paid Natives for freehold ... ... ... ... 2,888 14 10 leasehold ... . ... ... 46 011 £8,964 15 3 The whole of these amounts were paid out of appropriations for the purchase of Native lands. Other Paktioulars. Two red deer and two axis deer were liberated by the Acclimatisation Society on the island. The dead body of one of the red deer (the stag) was found entangled in a fisherman's net on the beach ; the other three have not been seen lately, no search has apparently been made for them. There is no reliable information as to the percentage of deaths amongst the other fauna on the island. Quail, native pigeons, tuis, mokimoki, kakariki, native robins, and mutton-birds are found to be numerous and prolific. The island is occupied by Mr. Malcolm McLean, as caretaker, on a yearly tenure, for which, in addition to his services as caretaker, he pays an annual rental of £70 per annum. The island is being acquired under the provisions and for the purposes of "The Kapiti Island Public Reserve Act, 1897." The map attached shows the present state of the title. P. Shbeidan, Native Land Purchase Office, Chief Native Land Purchase Officer. Wellington, Bth September, 1904.

Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, not givec; printing (1,425 copies, exclusive of map). £'Z Iβ

Authority: John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9o4.

Price 6d.]

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By Authority: John Mackay, Government Printer.