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14S0. Do you know Alihaka AVaipapa, No. 527 on the roll ?—Yes. 1481. Did you object to him ?—I do not think I objected to him. 1482. Are you acquainted with his household ? —No. I did not object to him, knowing ho had a Crown grant. He owns a piece of land with Raniera. 1483. You did not object to him ? —I did not. 1484. But he holds in common with some one else ?—A piece of land they had purchased from other Natives. 1485. Holds it under a Crown grant ?—I think so. 1486. Will you explain the distinction between the two cases?— The one is holding it under a Crown grant according to English custom; the ofher under a Crown grant issued from the Native Lands Court. I presume if two Europeans hold land under Crown grant, their shares are equal. That was simply my opinion. Therefore I gave tho suggestion to the Returning Officer. I did not mention AVaipapa's name. 1487. Alay I ask you what the political proclivities of this AVaipapa are?—l believe he is a very staunch friend of Air. Lundon. 1488. Do you know Hone Ihaka Alaunga, No. 518 on the roll? —Yes. His freehold would be the same as the rest. His household, I believe, is very inferior —not equal to £5 a year. 1489. Do you know his house ? —I do not recollect it; I may have been in it. 1490. Is it a wooden house ? —I presume it is a raupo, because I know the principal houses in the neighbourhood, and set a value on them in my own mind. 1491. Do you know Hare Alaika, No. 456 on the roll?—I have been in his house; it is an ordinary raupo house, but I do not think it is worth £5 a year. 1492. AVhat size would it be ? —The size of this room altogether, or not quite as large. It is an ordinary Alaori house. 1493. Finished in a superior manner?—l did not notice that it was finished in a superior manner. 1491. Do you know John Cassidy (Hone Katete), No. 391 on the roll ? —Yes. 1 have seen his house; it is weatherboard, very much broken down, and not worth £5 a year. 1495. What size is it?—A large, rambling place, very old. It looks a very shaky, half-finished building. 1496. With doors, windows, and chimney? —I do not think it had any doors when I saw it. 1497. Do you know Te Para Karaitiana, No. 3SB on tho roll ?—I know him by sight. He holds in common. 1498. Do you know Peri te Huhu ?—Yes. 1499. AVhat sort of house has he ?—His house, I presume, is the same as the other Alaori houses. It is a raupo house. Ido not think it is worth £5 a year. 1500. Do you know AVaipapa Hetoro, No. 286 on the roll ?—Yes ; he is the same man as Hetera te AVaipapa. He appears twice on the roll. 1501. Do you know John Hardiman? —Yes. 1501 a. Do you know his household qualification ?—Yes; it is a good one. 1502. Did you suggest an objection ? —I suggested an objection to Hone, his Alaori Dame. He was twice on the roll. 1503. Do you know George Hardiman, No. 256 on the roll? —Yes. 1504. Did you object to him ?—The same statement was made by me with reference to him. He appears twice on the roll —once as George and once as Hori. 1505. Do you know Peri te Huhu, No. 330 on the roll?—I do, very well. 1500. What is his qualification ? —His qualification is an ordinary Alaori house, not worth £5 a year. 1507. Were you summoned at any time to any Revision Court to give evidence in support of the information you supplied to the Registration Officer ?—No, sir. 1508. Are you aware how it was that the objections were held to be good without your evidence ?— I have no knowledge. 1509. Was it not a matter of surprise to you to find that the whole of your objections had been found to be valid, although you were not there to give evidence in support of them ? —I was not awaro that they were allowed by the Court to be valid. 1 believe all those names are on the roll. 1510. Yes ;in reference to last year. lam speaking of the first year —in the first year you supplied objections to Air. Williams. I understood you to say that you were not present as a witness iv support of them ? —No. 1511. Was it not a matter of surprise to you to find that your objections were found to be valid in that year, notwithstanding that you were not present to support them ?—No, sir. 1512. AVhy?—Because 1 believe Air. AVilliams knew as much of the district as myself. He was formerly Resident Alagistrate, and knows all the people from a child up, and he would be simply reminded by me, and would be able to sustain them himself. I may state, in reference to that question you have asked me, that in former years in no case have 1 objected except to those who have left the district, are dead, or sold the qualification —au unanswerable matter. 1513. Not even in the year subsequent to the decision of Air. Lawdor ?—I think only on the last occasion, and then I simply took Air. Lawlor's decision as a ground of objection. 1514. I may tell you that Air. AVilliams has stated in evidence that he relied not on his personal knowledge with respect to this district and another district on the other coast, but almost exclusively on the Resident Alagistrates of those two districts —yourself being one of them. Can you see any means of reconciling that statement with your statement just now that you merely made suggestions to Air. Williams which would only have the effect of reminding him of what he knew already?—l presume he would act on his own knowledge, too ; because ho had a knowledge of the district. Still, the suggestions would be as near tho truth as I could possibly arrive at. If I was not satisfied I was right I would not give him the information. 1515. Are you aware that anything by which an elector is deprived of the franchise is rather a serious matter ?—I believe it is.

Mr.yon Stunner.

March 24, 1879.