C—4b,

6

9. Error in former estimate ... ... ... ... 5000 10. Land sold ... ... ... ... ... ... 98 11. Land given to surrendered Uriwera ... ... ... 500 12. Balance in hands of Government ... ... ... ... 56,809 440,000 Of the 23,000 acres in class 5, fully 15,000 lie idle, most being in hands of non-residents. The amount of land as shown hero at the disposal of tho Government consists chiefly of hilly, broken, or swampy country, unfit for settlement at present. Tho returned rebels for whom provision has been made arc mostly engaged in the cultivation of the reserves set apart for them. East Coast. On tho Bth October, 1866, was passed the East Coast Land Titles Investigation Act. This gave to the Native Land Court certain powers of enquiry and award within a district named by a schedule, and declared the lands, within those boundaries, belonging to persons who had been engaged in rebellion to be lands of the Crown. Provision was made for setting apart lands for the use of persons who had been in rebellion, for selling or leasing forfeited lands, and for the appropriation of all moneys arising from the sale or disposal of such lands to meet the expenses incurred in suppressing the rebellion. On the 10th October, 1867, tho East Coast Lands Titles Investigation Act Amendment Act was passed, altering the schedule of lands which tho Act of 1866 affected, and further defining the meaning of certain words. On the 20th October, 1868, the East Coast Act was passed, repealing former Acts upon the same subject, empowering the Native Land Court to refuse to order certificates of title in favour of persons guilty of certain offences, tho land of such persons to become Crown land ; and authorizing the Governor to make reserves out of such lands. The lands comprised within these Acts are :— 1. Waiapu. 2. Poverty Bay. 3. Wairoa. » I.— -Waiapu. The confiscation of this district, the property and home of the friendly Ngatiporou, was not enforced, and all the lands within it were restored to them on account of their loyalty and valuable services. ll.— Poverty Bay and Wairoa. On the 18th December, 1868, a deed of cession to the Crown of the lands in these districts was executed by the Aitangamahaki and the Rongowhakaate tribes, on the terms that certain engagements to grant land to members of the Colonial Defence Force, and to certain friendly Natives, theretofore made on behalf of the Colony, should be performed by granting part of the lands so ceded, and that the residue thereof should be granted to loyal persons as mentioned in the deed. With regard to Poverty Bay, a Commission is now sitting at Gisborne to close up transactions which had not been completed during the sitting of a former Commission. Within the Poverty Bay ceded lands exists the Patutahi block of 62,000 acres, which, it was agreed, should be apportioned between the Government and the Ngatiporou and Ngatikuliungunu. The latter are negociating to dispose to the Government their interest in it for a sum of money. There will be thus here open for settlement this block of land, some good, some fair, originally ceded, then granted to friendly Natives, and finally bought from the latter. lll.— Wairoa. At Wairoa, on the cession made by the Natives, the Government retained land to the amount of about 40,000 acres, 26,000 acres of which are not yet dealt with. Promises of the sub-division of tho blocks given to the Natives were not carried out till 1872, when they were laid oft' as promised, and when two other small blocks were handed over to tho Government; one of 250 -acres at the Constabulary post on Waikarimoana Lake; tho other of 50 acres for road purposes at the crossing of the Waikare Taheke river. A general recapitulation is appended :— General Recapitulation. No. acres, r. p. 1. Lands given to military settlers ... ... ... 252,292 3 15 2. Lands appropriated to Natives ... ... ... 793,738 0 0 3. Lands sold ... ... ... ... ... 185,622 1 33 4. Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... ... 127,326 0 0 5. Not otherwise disposed of ... ... ... ... 1,469,026 232 Total af confiscated lands. ... ... ... 2,828,006 0 0 N.B.—The above return does not include the lands taken under the East Coast Lands Titles Investigation Act, 1866, as subsequent arrangements restored the whole of those lands, with the exception of portions kept for definite purposes. For this reason, tho military settlers' land at Wairoa, about 14,000 is not shown in No. 1. In addition to No. 5, there aro two blocks of land open. Ist—The Te Puna and Kati Kati purchase, 80,000 acres; at Tauranga. 2nd—The Patutahi purchase, about 62,000 acres, at Poverty Bay. By Authority: Gkorok DlMbury, Government Printer, Welliugtoli.—lB73. [Price 3d.]