IN NATIVE DISTRICTS.

9

F.—No. 3,

changed in any marked degree during the last few years : taken altogether they are not very prosperous. Unlike other tribes, they have no revenue arising from kauri timber, gum, pastoral lands, fisheries, &c, but have to depend solely upon what they can grow. Their intercourse with the Kingites has become much more free of late; iv fact, with a few exceptions, great cordiality exists between the friendly chiefs and the King party ; but I am afraid that some of our Kupapa friends, with the view of increasing their own importance, endeavor to keep up a state of agitation, which is occasionally productive of mischief; while, on the other hand, there are some who are sincere in their desire for a permanent peace, and are ever ready to do all in their power towards carrying out the policy of the Government. I have, &c, W. G. Maie.

No. 7. The Eesident Magistrate, Maketu, to the Hon. the Native Minister. Eesident Magistrate's Office, Sir,— Maketu, 15th July, 1872. I have the honor to report, for the information of His Excellency's Government, that the feeling existing among the Native hapu of this district is of an amicable nature ; and I am of opinion that a considerable improvement has taken place in that respect since the peacemaking between Ngatipikiao and Ngatiwhakaue, which occurred in March, 1871, when the Natives assembled to " tangi' over the remains of Eewi Tereanuku. There have been no disputes relative to the title of land since the investigation took place before me between Ngatipikiao and Ngatipukenga relative to the Waipumuka, a report of which I forwarded to the Government in March, 1871, excepting a continuous quarrel between Tapuika and Ngatimoko about Canaan. I was in hopes this had been satisfactorily arranged, but information has just reached me that there is every probability of another outbreak taking place between them. As I have previously stated, there have been no disturbances relative to land excepting with regard to the Canaan block. Still, lam afraid that at some future period these disputes will again arise ; I wish, therefore, to draw the attention of the Government to the advisability of adopting some plan by which the tribal claims, if not the individual ones, might be amicably settled and their titles and boundaries decided on and defined. As regards the moral and physical condition of the Natives, I have to state that it has been generally remarked that since my arrival here petty pilfering has not been so prevalent as before my appointment; but I wish to impress upon the Government the evident benefit that is accruing to the rising generation from tho advantages derived from the schools established in this district. The results arising from the Maketu school are too well known to the Government to require to be expatiated on by me ; but there is no doubt these results would be very considerably increased if means were adopted whereby the attendance of the children could be more regularly secured. The parents of the children and the Natives generally are very anxious to adopt some measures by which the foregoing could be effected ; and I am given to understand that their idea is to give land whereon food could be grown for the children, they residing permanently in some building attached to or in the close neighborhood of the schoolhouse, as the evident cause of the irregularity in the attendance of the children is their want of accommodation and means of living during the time their parents are absent planting food, &c. On the occasion of the visit of the Hon. the Defence Minister to Maketu, the subject of apportioning a piece of land for school purposes was brought before him, but no decision was arrived at. Since then I have heard it spoken about on several occasions, but the various blocks mentioned by the Natives have been in dispute for years, and if through these means any one of these pieces could be unanimously decided on, it would be a very satisfactory termination to troublesome disputes ; but I am afraid there is very little hope of its being eventually carried out. Tho school at Matata is, as compared with the Maketu school, of very recent formation ; but I notice that the children have made very good progress. The numbers attending there are considerably larger than those who go to the Maketu school. The average daily attendance at the latter school during the last twelve months was 2272, while at the former it was 4224. This may be accounted for thus: that at Matata the children of the different hapu all go to the one school, whereas it is only the children of Ngatiwhakaue parents who attend the school at Maketu. Another school for the Ngatipikiao children has been opened at the Taheke, Eotoiti, but it has only now commenced working, so that I am not in a position to make any report on it. With reference to the children attending the Matata school, I wish to draw the attention of the Government to the scarcity of food experienced by them. Te Keepa Te Hurinui, the chief of the Tuhourangi tribe, and I have been consulting seriously on the subject, and I see no means of obviating tho difficulty excepting the Government interfere in their behalf, or that the children be allowed to disperse to their several kaingas, where they will be able to procure food more easily than at Matata ; but this would materially affect the advantages they have hitherto derived from attending the school. I may remark that Te Keepa is willing to form a piece of road approaching and fronting the township of Eichmond in liquidation of any advances so made by the Government. Eelative to the agricultural pursuits of tho Natives of my district, I will allude more particularly to those resident at Maketu. During tho last few years they have discontinned planting in this neighborhood, excepting a few small patches of kumara, Ngatiwhakaue having planted at Te Puke, up the Kaituna river, and Ngatipikiao at Te Hiapo and other places inland, distant some fifteen or sixteen miles from Maketu. The reason I assign for this is the quantity of pigs and horses they have running at large and their disinclination to fence. I wish to remark that the last season being so exceedingly dry, their potato crop was a complete failure, so much so, that they are at present in a very distressed 3