H.—B

32

Taniora Rapata : I have something to say in connection with this inquiry. The Commissioner: I will adjourn the Court until 2 o'clock, and will then resume. Court adjourned, and resumed accordingly. Taniora Ripari sworn and examined. 768. Here is a letter addressed to Mr. John Williams, dated 10th July, 1878. It purports to bear your signature. [Letter read in Maori.] Did you authorize Pera Hakena to attach your name to this letter ?—I do not remember. Ido not know the contents of that letter. 769. Is that your signature to the application to have your name placed on the roll ? —That is correct. 770. Did you sign that with your own hand ? —No. 771. AVho did?—Heremaia te Ara, who is an uncle of mine, wrote it. 772. Did you tell him to write it ? —No. 773. Did he tell you that ho had written it ?—-Yes. 774. Mr. Williams (through the Commissioner).] AVhere did Heremaia te Ara tell you that he had signed your name ? —At Hokianga. 775. Did he tell you that Raniera Wharerau was present when he signed it ? —No, he did not. 776. Can you read and write ? —Yes. 777. Are you acquainted with Heremaia te Ara's writing ? —1 do not know that. 778. Then you suppose that Heremaia te Ara signed that because he told you he signed your name ? —Yes. 779. AVhen did you become acquainted with this fact, that Heremaia te Ara signed your name at Hokianga ? —I do not remember the date. 780. Did you not tell mo, on one of my visits to AVhangaroa, that you knew nothing about the affair —that you never knew of parties applying to me to put in a paper —that you knew nothing at all, and were perfectly ignorant that any paper had been sent iv ?—No; I never spoke to you about it on any occasion of your visiting here. In reply to the Commissioner, Mr. Lundon said he had no questions to put. Mr. Lundon: I might suggest that Pumipi, Heremaia te Ara's brother, should be examined. The Commissioner intimated that Pumipi would be examined. Aeama Patara sworn and examined. 781. Your name appears here in a letter addressed to Mr. John Williams, the member, dated 10th July, 1878. Did you sign that paper ? —This letter is correct. 782. I understand you to say that it was signed with your consent ?—Yes ; I consented to my name being written iv it in reference to the roll of lands. 783. This is not an electoral form ; it is a letter to Mr. John AVilliams ?—The only document I know of is the one written out by Mr. Nesbit, the year before last. 784. This is a document written by Pera Hakena? —I was under the impression it was Europeans who had written it —I was under a misapprehension. 785. Now that you know that this is a letter written by Pera Hakena, did you authorize him to attach your name to it ? —That letter was written by Pera Hakena, because Pera Hakena is the writer for us. 786. [Letter read in Maori to witness.] Did you authorize your name to be signed to that letter ?■ —Yes ; I told him to write my name. 787. AVhat do you mean by that expression, "Their names were numbered at Hokianga"?—We did not see Hone Mohi and Wharerau. If our names had been written by Pera Hakena and Heremaia te Ara, we should have known. 789. Is that your signature to the form of claim to vote ? —AVhen I want my name signed I tell a person to sign it for me. 790. Did you authorize Raniera Wharerau to sign your name for you ? —I do not know. I have not seen him. I only know Pera Hakena and Heremaia te Ara, my uncle. 791. Mr. Williams (through the Commissioner).] AVas any paper of that description shown you for signature, or for the purpose of authorizing any other person to sign, between January and March last year ? —No such document as that has reached me, or been placed before me. All I know is, that the only document I saw was that in which the name of Pera Hakena is mentioned. 792. Was your name at that time not on the roll, and was not the application sent in by Mr. Alexander Nesbit ? —I have not sent in an application to have my name on the roll. AVhen members are voted for I vote. 793. Mr. Lundon (through the Commissioner).] Has Heremaia te Ara your general authority to sign your name for you ? —Yes, he has power to sign my name. If he were'to say, " Come here. This is our document," we should all consent to it and concur in it. 794. Have you not heard that Heremaia te Ara signed for yourself and twenty-two others at Pikiwahine, in Hokianga ? —I did hear of it. He told me, " Your names have all been written." I said, " It is well." 795. Do you know of any others who were told the same thing ? —All the people of Kaeo heard of the writing of the names by Heremaia te Ara. 796. The Commissioner.] AVcre they told this after the names had been signed ? —They were told after the names had been written. 797. Previously to the names being written were they told that Heremaia te Ara would write them ? —He told me that " by-and-by we shall write our names." 798. That is to say, that Heremaia te Ara would write their names for them ? Is that what it means ? —Yes; that is the meaning of what I say. The above evidence was read over by me to Arama Patara in the Maori language, and he fully understood my translation thereof.—Geo. Brown, Interpreter.

Pumipi te Puhi,

March 13,1879,

Taniora Eipari.

March 13,1879,

Arama Patara.

March 13,1879.