G.— 2.

982. What did you do ? —I replied on the same day as follows: "Be advertisement withdrawing Waimate Plains until further notice, I have sent it to Taranaki papers. Advertisement required, as lam constantly receiving inquiries as to whether sale postponed. —C. D, Whitcombe, Commissioner Crown Lands." 983. That was the last thing the Land Board did in connection with the Waimate Plains business ? —Tes; that completed it. 984. We wish to draw your attention to the notice of the sale of the Waimate Plains land, bearing date 2nd April, 1879, which was to have been published in the New Zealand Gazette, as mentioned in the Under-Secretary's telegram of that day. Did you prepare this notice ?—I did not prepare the notice. I now see it for the first time. Public Notification. — Sale of Special- Value Bural Lands. Crown Lands Office, New Plymouth, 2nd April, 1879. Under and in pursuance of the powers vested in the Land Board by " The Laud Act, 1877," and " The Crown Lands Sale Act, 1877," it is hereby notified that the rural land mentioned in the first column of the Schedule hereunder will be offered for sale by public auction at the Land Office, Carlyle (Patea), on Thursday, the 22nd of May next, at the hour of 12 o'clock noon, at an upset price of £5 per acre. The lands mentioned in the second column of the Schedule will also be open for application on Tuesday, the 6th day of May, at the Land Offices, in the Taranaki District. C. D. Whitcombe, Commissioner, Crown Lands.

SCHEDULE. Waimate Survey District.

AU the above sections vary in size from 40 to 80 acres. For particulars see lithographed plans. 985. Was this notice ever laid before the Land Board ?—lt was not. 986. Were you aware of the intention of the Government to publish it ?—I was aware of tho intention of the Government to offer the land for sale, but I received no intimation as to which of the sections would be sold for cash, and which would be disposed of on deferred payments. 987. Looking at the third column, which purports to describe sections " withheld from sale," do you know whether these are the sections which were proposed by the Civil Commissioner to be reserved for the Natives? —Erom information received from the Chief Surveyor I was aware that the sections in the third column were proposed by the Civil Commissioner to be reserved for the Natives, these sections having pas, or burial-grounds, or cultivations upon them. 988. Are you aware why it was proposed that they should be described as " withheld from sale," instead of being designated as Native reserves ?—I am not aware. [The following resolution of the Land Board on the same subject was sent in by the Board.] Besolved, That the following statement, explanatory of the action of the Taranaki Land Board with reference to the projected sale of a portion of the Waimate Blains by the Government in March and April, 1879, be forwarded to the Boyal Commission on Native Affairs:—"Towards the end of the year 1878 it was brought to the knowledge of the Board that a sectional survey of part of the Waimate Plains had been commenced by direction of the Ministry, and that the site of a town had been selected. This intelligence gave rise to a debate on the course pursued by the Government in ignoring the Land Board, by whom all business connected with the sale and occupation of Crown lands should^ legally be transacted. A resolution condemnatory of the action of the Government as to the mode of carrying out the survey was proposed: but, after some discussion, was withdrawn,

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First Column. Second Column. Third Column. Special-Value Land at £5 per Acre. Deferred-Payment Land. Withheld from Sale. Block V.—Sections 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 29, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 38 39 Block VI.—Sections 2, 3, 4, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 40, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 62 Block VII.—Sections 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 10, 18, 19, 20, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 49, 51, 54, 55, 56, 104, 112, 115, 116, 118, 119, 121, 122, 124 Block VIII.—Sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 to 16, 18, 23, 24, 26, 28, 80, 32, 33, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 Sections 5, 9, 18, 19, 30, 34, 37 Sections 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 22, 32, 34, 45 Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 40. Sections 1, 5, 6, 10, 20, 21, 25, 42, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64. Sections 4, 5, 7, 15, 17, 25, 27, 28, 33, 35, 37, 47, 50, 52, 113, 114, 117, 123, 126 Sections 1, 2, 3, 12. 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 21, 44, 53, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 to 103, 105 to 111, 120, 125. Sections 1, 3, 20, 21, 22, 25, 29, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 48, 50, 60, 62, 72, 74, 76, 78, 79 Sections 17, 19, 27, 31, 34.