G.—2

8

t consisted of 100 acres. Mr. Eichmond allowed these reserves to us. These are all the lands given by Mr. Eichmond to the tribes of Kanihi and Okahu. What I have to say now is about the reserve at Te Eangatapu: I desire that you should fix the number of acres in this block. Sir Donald McLean gave 500 acres at Kanihi to Te umitahi, and 1,000 acres wrore also given to Whakataka on behalf of the Okahu. Captain Wray was with Sir Donald McLean at the time of this promise, and I wish the Commissioners to ask an explanation from him concerning this matter. That was at the time when all the reserves were promised to the Natives of this district. I now come to the time of Mr. Sheehan, and wash to refer to the advances to be paid to the Natives for the block on the other side of the boundary of Araukuku. We were promised £1,000 for the portion on the other side ; but when we received the money there was only £800; £200 was retained. This was in the time of Mr. Sheehan. I will speak of another advance on account of land on this side, near Waingongoro: the advance has not been given for the portion on the seaward side; it has been given for the inland portion. That is all I will say at present. I will wait to see if you answer me, and then some one will be prepared to follow me. 92. The Commissioners : We will consider what you have said before giving you an answer; and we will hear any one else who wishes to speak regarding the lands you have mentioned. 93. Pepe Heke, of Araukuku, said: In the year 1873 we came from Waitara from amongst the Hauhaus, and we lived on the other side of Waingongoro. Mr. Parris came there accompanied by Wi Tako and. Wi Parata ; and he gave notice of a meeting with Sir Donald McLean to be held in the Town of New Plymouth. We went up there. There were three hapus —namely, Okahu, Kanihi, and Araukuku. We went up to ask Sir Donald McLean and Mr. Parris to allow the people of these hapus to come back here and live on the land. Sir Donald McLean told us that Mr. Parris and Captain Blake would arrange about the land for the Natives to live upon. He wrote documents out and handed them to Mr. Parris and Captain Blake. When we returned here Mr. Parris and Captain Blake gave out the number of acres as follows : 500 acres for Kanihi, 1,000 acres for Okahu, and 1,500 acres for Araukuku. I agreed to the reserve made for Araukuku, and I requested Captain Blake to have it surveyed. It was surveyed by Mr. Skinner. Before the survey was completed Captain Blake told us that the Government were anxious that Ihe Mountain Eoad should pass through this land. I said that I wished my land to be pointed out to me clearly before tlie road was allowed to go through. Captain Blake said to me, " You should allow this road to go through, so that your land may be improved." I agreed, and said I would allow the road to go through ; and it was accordingly carried through the land. At this time I received a letter from Mr. Parris, written from Wellington. I then went to Wellington. When I arrived there I found that Wi Tako was selling a portion of this laud to the Government. Waipuku is the name of the portion. I said that Wi Tako should not sell the land in Wellington, but should come up to the locality. Mr. Parris said to Wi Tako, "It is not right to sell a pig while it is out of sight; it should be brought before the buyer." Wi Tako still insisted on selling, and I told Mr. Parris that if Wi Tako sold his Waipuku, I would also sell,my Waipuku. When I came back I sold Waipuku to Mr. Parris. Afterwards I sold from Patea Eiver to Waipuku. My elder sisters then came. They wanted to divide off a portion of this land to themselves, and they asked Mr. Parris for it. He allowed them 700 acres on the other side of the Patea Eiver, fronting the Mountain Eoad. Mr. Parris fixed the 700 acres in the land that I had sold to him, and he placed it close up to the road on the inland side of the Patea Eiver. This finished Mr. Parris's work. Then Major Brown became Commissioner. Now a European named Webster wished us to lease this land to him. We spoke to Major Brown about it, and he asked us where the 700 acres were. We said they were on the other side of Patea, close up to the road. Major Brown said, " Why, the Government have occupied it, and are using it for the purposes of a township." We said we did not wish it to be taken away from us. Major Brown then said, "We will move your 700 acres to another place." I replied, "It will not be right to give us 700 acres outside of the block I sold." Major Brown did not agree with me, and I did not agree to his proposal. We were all very much vexed at our land not being given us in the place where it had first been promised to us, and we resolved not to occupy the land selected by Major Brown, but to let it to the pakehas ; and we agreed to lease it to Mr. Webster. He was to have the land for twenty-one years, and we asked him to pay us seven years' rent, to which he agreed. The lease was then taken by a lawyer (Mr. Eoy) to be signed before a Magistrate (Captain Wray). There was a sum of £500 to be paid to us. We were paid £100 by Webster, and my sister received a cheque for £400; but we were told that it would not be cashed until Major Brown had signed it. When Major Brown returned from New Plymouth we gave him the cheque to sign, so that we might be able to cash it. He then asked us where the land was to be allocated, and we told him, "On the other side of Patea." He said -we could not have it there, as the land had been cut up into sections. I then repeated that it was not right to select the land outside of the block I had sold to Mr. Parris. He suggested that we should divide the 700 acres, and have 500 acres on the other side of the river and 200 acres on this side. I said, " No, that will never do." Major Brown replied, "If you do not agree to separate this land, I will not sign the cheque." We then knew that we had lost the land, and we said, " Very well, we will have to agree to your proposal." That is all I will say. I shall leave the rest to others. 94. Mr. Parris said : With reference to Eangatapu, the Natives asked for a place on the sea-coast for their canoes, and Mr. Eichmond said at the time that there should be some place given to them. On looking into the matter afterwards, it was discovered that a military-settlers' township had been laid out at Ohawe, at the mouth of the Waingongoro, the site of the proposed reserve; and consequently nothing was done in tho matter. 95. The Commissioners.] Was that township for sale ? —Yes. At least, the military settlers had town allotments in every township; some had a quarter of an acre, some half an acre, and some an acre. 96. Then the reserve at Eangatapu which Mr. Eichmond promised the Natives was not laid off ?—No. 97. Was there any step taken afterwards to make any exchange for it ?—No; the matter was never settled.