J.—s.

20

Henare Potae.

493. _Tou are sure you did not speak in this way, that he was degrading himself ?—I did say so. I said he was no man. 494. Tou said in the beginning you had no conversation at all with him about this election ?—lt was not I who commenced the conversation. It was he, and it resulted in my telling him he was no man. I told him to get out. He is nobody —no chief at all. 495. Mr. JD. Reid.] Did you know of a meeting at which Mr. Campbell explained to the Natives the method of voting ?—No. 496. Who wrote the petition? Did you write it yourself?—l wrote it myself. 497. Mr. Williams.] With reference to the one name always appearing on those papers, did Mr. Campbell tell them to put down this name, or were they asked who they would vote for?—l do not know. Ropata is the man who will be able to give information on that point. The action I took was to send in my petition as early as possible, so as to prevent it being too late. I sent it to the Speaker. Ropata will give evidence enough to fill the whole of this room. , "Wiremit Wanoa, being in attendance, was examined as follows :— 498. The Chairman.] Will you tell the Committee where you were on the day of the election for the Eastern Maori District ?—At Waiapu. 499. Was there a poll taken there ?—No. At Te Awanui. 500. What tribe do you belong to ?—I belong to the Ngatiporou tribe. 501. If the poll had been taken at Waiapu, do you think a greater number of people would have voted ?—Yes, if it had been taken at the house appointed. 502. How many do you think could have voted? —There are seventy-eight of our party—that is, extending up as far as Kawakawa. 503. What do you mean by " our party " ? —I mean, that is the number that would have voted for Karaitiana. 504. How many do you think would have voted for Hotene ?—I do not know. 505. Would any other candidate have got any votes ? —I do not know about anybody but Karaitiana and Hotene. 506". Were you present at a meeting held by Mr. Campbell to explain to the Natives the way in which they were to record their votes ? —No. 507. Were you present at any meeting called by Mr. Campbell at the time of the election ?—I do not know. 508. Do you know anything of a book or books being sent round among the Natives in which they were to write their names ? —I did not see it. I saw a paper on which people were to write their names for the election —not a book. That was before the time of the election. It was carried round to the different settlements. 509. Were they to sign their names for any particular candidate —Hotene or Karaitiana ? —For Hotene, but it waa not agreed to. 510. Who took this paper round ?—lt was Hoani Ngatai. 511. Mr. Williams.] Did you mean that a letter was written to these people, or a paper taken to them ?—lt was not a letter. He took a paper round to the different places asking the people to sign their names which they did not do. 512. Did you attend to give your vote on the polling day ?—At the polling-place at Waiapu do you mean ? 513. At any of those places where the poll was taken ?—No ; I was too late. I did not vote anywhere. 514. Mr. Macandrew.] But you came to the polling-place ? —I came to Waiapu with the intention of voting, but when I got there I found that the poll was being taken at Te Awanui. 515. Mr. B. Reid.] Did you arrive on the day of the poll? —I arrived on the 15th January. 516. At what time ?—At 12 o'clock. 517. Did you learn then that the poll was being taken at the Court House, Te Awanui ?—Tes; but I went to the place where I ought to have gone —-to the proper polling-place. 518. Did you learn that the polling was being held at the Court House?—l heard about it. But there was nothing about that polling-place in the Gazette. The polling-place we were told to go to was the school-house. 519. Mr. Macandrew:] When you arrived at the school-house, and found there was no Returning Officer, you did not know that he was at the Court House ? —lt was a good while after I got there that I learnt he had gone to Te Awanui. 520. Then you did not go to the Court House ? —lt was too late. 521. Did you have to cross a river to get there ? —Yes. 522. Could you have crossed it ? —The river was all right, but I could not have got there in time. I had no horse, and should have had to walk. 523. Are you a chief of the Ngatiporou ?—Yes, in my own hapu. 524. By birth, are you as big a chief as Henare Potae or Ropata ?—Ropata is related to me. He is an uncle of mine. 525. Then you are as big a chief as Henare Potae ? —Henare is related to me. He is a sort of cousin, and a nephew too. 526. Mr. Williams.] Are you related on your father's or your mother's side?—On the father's side I am a cousin, and on the mother's side an uncle. 527. Who sent round Hoani Ngatai with this paper ?—Mr. Campbell. 528. Do you know whether he was paid for doing that ? —I do not know. 529. The day before the election, was it raining or was it a fine day ? —It was a fine day. 530. There was no difficulty in getting from Waiapu to Kawakawa ?—lf a man started on that day from Waiapu at 9 o'clock in the morning, he would arrive at Kawakawa in the evening. 531. How many voters altogether are there in Kawakawa and the settlements about there ; Horoera and Maruhou ? —Seventy-eight.

28th July, 1876.

Wiremu Wanoa.

28th July. 1876.