G.— 2.

1290. What took place there ? —I had received instructions with regard to continuing the road, and I went with the Native interpreter to see how I could avoid Native cultivations. I went up to the village, and the Natives gave me to understand that they did not want me there. I gathered from the interpreter that they were very much opposed to my going near their village at all. It was not my intention to go near the village ; but I wanted to go there in order to see where the cultivations were, so that I might avoid them. 1291. Did you go far inside the bush ? —I went to a track running from Taikatu to Auroa. 1292. Are there many clearings in the bush there ? —-Yes ; a good many. 1293. Had you any obstruction from the Natives at Omuturangi ?—No obstruction was offered to me there, except that I believe the Natives grumbled to the interpreter about our being close to the village. I was encamped between Omuturangi and the block-line, about three-quarters of a mile from the village. 1294. It is swampy about Omuturangi and the Waimate stream, is it not ? —Yes. 1295. Would the Omuturangi road line, if it were produced into the forest, be difficult of construction on account of swampy land ? —No ; not the road I ran ; it is behind all swamps. 1296. And how far could' you have taken the Omuturangi line into the bush on dry ground ?—I went into the bush a short distance, and I found it was all dry ground about there, if I deviated a short distance; but then I might have come across cultivations, so I stopped, in order to find out exactly what I was to do. 1297. Did the Wahamoko line, the western block-line, go through dry country ? —lt had evidently been a swamp. The ground is very damp, and the Natives tell me it is a couple of feet deep in some places. It is low-lying land, and is swampy up the AVahamoko Biver. After crossing that stream the ground rises and is dry. 1298. Had you any serious dispute with the Natives before the time when you were turned off? —No. There were a few complaints. I dismissed three men on account of complaints by tho Natives. 1299. On account of pigs and women ? —Yes. 1300. You heard what Mr. Climie said about the country between his survey and yours?— Yes. 1301. Would there be any serious difficulty in continuing the line of road towards Oeo? —No; there would be no serious difficulty that I can see: it is pretty dry ground. The streams are sometimes swampy ; but there would be no difficulty in crossing them. 1302. Generally speaking, is it very deep between the plateau and the beds of the streams ? —The only stream that is deep in that way is the Otakeho. 1303. What do you estimate to be the depth from the plateau to the bed of the Otakeo, at a distance of, say, 50 chains from the main block-line ? —About 40 feet.

At Wellington, Thursday, 12th May, 1880. Mr. Eichaed John Gill, Under-Secretary Land Purchase Department, examined. 1304. The Commissioners.] You are Under-Secretary to the Land Purchase Department ? —Yes. 1305. Do you remember preparing a return for Parliament of the payments which have been made for compensation to the Natives, for the Waimate Plains, for the country between Patea and Waingongoro, and for the Moumahaki Block ? —Yes. 1306. At what date was the first payment made under the system of acquiring land within the confiscation by takoha ? —I cannot fix tlie date. The first payment was made for the Moumahaki Block on the 14th November, 1876. 1307. In the payments which are charged to the acquisition of the Waimate Plains, we find one of £1,000 made, on the 20th July, 1878, to certain Natives of Waitara, described as "Teira and others," purporting to be made for the acquisition of certain rights to land. Will you produce the voucher?—l produce it. [Original voucher produced.~| 1308. This voucher purports to be for the payment of a sum of £1,000 as " compensation to ourselves and near relatives for our former claim to confiscated land west of the Waingongoro." The voucher is certified by Major Brown, Civil Commissioner, and the signatures of the Natives are witnessed by Mr. liennell, clerk to Major Brown. Is that not so ?—Yes. 1309. It also appears that this sum of £1,000 was ordered to be charged to " land purchases at Taranaki " by Mr. Clarke, Under-Secretary?—Yes. 1310. What was the specific authority under which the payment was made? —According to the voucher, it would appear as if the authority had been given by the Hon. Mr. Sheehan; but lam not aware of a special authority being given by Mr, Sheehan for that particular voucher. The words, " The Hon. Mr. Sheehan," in the column "Authority," are in the writing of the clerk to the Civil Commissioner. lam not aware of any authority being given for acquiring confiscated lands other than in the letters from the late Sir Donald McLean, of 20th January, 1872, and 12th April, 1876. 1311. Was this sum of £L,OOO charged to the vote under the Public Works Acts for the acquisition of Native land in the North Island ? —lt was. 1312. In the evidence which the Civil Commissioner gave before us at Taranaki, he said, with reference to this payment of £1,000, that it was not really a payment to Teira on account of any proprietorship in the Waimate Plains at all, but for food and other expenses incurred at the Waitara meeting. Was the Land Purchase Department aware of that at the time the payment was passed ? — No; certainly not. 1313. How did the money originally come to be capable of being paid in that way at all ? —Major Brown is an imprestee of public moneys to be expended in the acquirement of the confiscated lands, and is from time to time imprested with moneys. On the 9th July, 1878, he asked for an imprest of £2,000. 1314. Will you produce the requisition ?—Yes. [Bequisition produced.]

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