G.—2.

52

now produce, in which the following words occur : " The block of land between the Bivers Hangatahua and Waiweranui was promised to be reserved for the location of the Ngamahanga tribe, there being no land north of the Hangatahua Biver for the location of rebels returned and returning to their allegiance, as so much of the land between tbe Hangatahua Biver and Okurukuru had been taken by military settlers ;" and, subsequently to that, Ngarongomate and other Natives were present in Wellington, when Ministers agreed verbally that the arrangement should stand good. Mr. Richmond, I think, was Native Minister at the time. There was a very large meeting in Wellington, at which Sir Donald McLean, Mr. Bolleston (who was then Under-Secretary), and Mr. Octavius Carrington were present. 719. But in the block between Stoney Biver and Waiweranui Biver, were there not 1,625 acres awarded to loyal claimants by tho Compensation Court ?—A"~es ; but no selection was ever made there. 720. Then, if the whole block is now given up to the Ngamahanga Tribe, what will be the effect on the awards for these 1,625 acres: will they be merged ? —That is a matter of opinion; but I should hold that they would be merged into the abandonment, and be no longer a claim against the Government. 721. But, supposing that the people to whom the awards were actually "issued do not wish to take a tribal share in the Ngamahanga Beserve, but require tbo Government to give them their awards; would not the allocation have to be made within that block ? —I think it would. 722. According to the terms of the compensation awards ? —Tes. Te Motu, a Ngamahanga chief, is now living there. 723. Supposing that the loyal claimants who had the awards are not allowed by Te Motu or Te Whiti to make their selections and receive Crown grants, what do you say is the position of their claim against the Government ? —My opinion is that they cannot legally demand from the Government the separate fulfilment of the compensation award in another block. 724. Then are we to understand that you, as the Civil Commissioner, assisted in a transaction to give back to the Ngamahanga tribe the whole of that block of land, knowing at the time that the effect would be to deprive the loyal Natives of any right to their separate awards of the Compensation Court? —I never had such an opinion. I did not for a moment suppose that the loyal Natives would be so deprived. To this day I hold that they are not deprived. They can go and occupy whenever they like. 725. But can they go and select a particular piece for themselves?—l would not say they could individualize their claims. 726. Then, supposing they are not allowed by Te Motu and the rest of the tribe to individualize their claims, do you really think their claims will have merged in tbe abandonment of tbo block to the tribe?—l certainly do. They have no separate right within that block of land. They got their award, and they got their tribal right in addition. 727. Then, supposing thai ihe Government were now to give back to the Natives the whole of the hand between Hangatahua aud Kaupukunui, which was the southern boundary stated by the Compensation Court for its awards, would you hold that the obligation of the Government to fulfil, tho compensation awards had lapsed?—Tes. 728. And that the rebel Natives would come in and share equally, or in priority, if they wore strong enough to do so, with the others? —They would come in and share under Native custom; and the land is entirely subject to the Native Land Court.

At New Plymouth, Tiiubsday, 11th Maech, 18S0. Mr. Paeris further examined. 729. The Commissioners.] In your examination of yesterday we had got as far south as the Ngamahanga block, when you expressed the opinion that the 1,625 acres of compensation awards exercisable there had become merged on tho abandonment of that block. What was the extent of the awards exercisable in the next block, between Waiweranui and Omuturangi? —The area was 9,525 acres: from Waiweranui to To Hoe, 1,250 acres; and from Te Hoe to Omuturangi, 8,275 acres. 730. What proportion was to have been located between Moutoti and Taungatara? —I intended to place all I could there, but I do not think I specified any acreage. 731. And as regards these awards, the same opinion as to their merger would of course apply ?— Legally they could be located at any place between Waiweranui and Omuturangi. 7332. If the Natives were originally resident in this block, do you think the tribe would agree that, by virtue of their awards, they could be located in that block ?—The awards of the Compensation Court in the blocks between Te Hoe and Omuturangi embrace several small hapus, and there will be difficulty in locating awards of one hapu upon lands of another hapu, although these awards were exercisable over the whole district named. 733. But, between Omuturangi and Kaupukunui, are there not 800 acres of the awards specially exercisable there ? —Tes ; but these do not belong to the Taranaki tribe. They belong to the Ngatiruahine, a hapu of the Ngatiruanui tribe. At this point, Major Beown was examined, as follows. 734. The Commissioners.] With regard to what Air. Parris has said about these 800 acres between Omuturangi and Kaupukunui, was there not some step afterwards taken by yourself?—Tes. In October, 1878, the question arose as to the allocation of these 800-acre awards, and I proposed to locate them between Kaupukunui and Otakeho. I submitted it to Mr. Sheehan, It was in an awkward shape, because it appeared to me that from Otakeho io Kaupukunui was tho best site for a township between Hawera and Opunake: I therefore recommended that they should be located at Omuturangi end, which was approved by Mr. Sheehan, and some of the surveyed sections were coloured red for that purpose when the plan was submitted to me. At Wellington, in April, 1879, I marked out the reserves to satisfy Native claims. 735. Are we to understand that that was a final arrangement as respected the allocation of these awards ?—No, it was not. As it was not found necessary to alter it, the Natives had not been con-