G.—l3

2

4. While it seems to me that the evidence does not disclose any corrupt motive on the part of Waata Tipa or Pomare Kingi, or of the persons from whom they respectively obtained loans of money, I would call attention to the fact that in both cases the money was borrowed by a person holding a judicial office from another who was interested in the result of pending proceedings, and the transactions cannot in any circumstances be regarded as otherwise than improper. 5. The minutes of evidence and copies of documents are annexed hereto. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister for Native Affairs, Wellington. H. G. Seth Smith.

Eesidcnt Magistrate's Court, Cambridge, 19th November, 1885. Inquiry into charge of bribery against Waata Tipa, Assessor, at hearing of the Maungatautari case by the Native Land Court. Present : H. G. Seth Smith, Commissioner ; H. F. Edger, clerk ; and H. H. Lawry, interpreter. Inquiry opened at 10.30 a.m. Some thirty Natives and Europeans present. Messrs. Moon, Blako, and Hare Teimana were present; Waata Tipa was not. Extract from Commission read by the clerk and interpreted into Maori. Hare Teimana (called) asked for expenses. The Commissioner said the Government would pay costs —at any rate, his expenses. Hare Teimana (sworn): My name is Hare Teimana. Will there bo any cross-examination by lawyers ? The Commissioner said, No : the inquiry was to find out what he had to say. Mr. F. A. Whitaker asked whether the inquiry would be confined to the subject of the bribery, because, if any questions were asked affecting title he would like to appeal. The Commissioner said inquiry would be so confined. Witness (evidence continued) : I live at Waotu. It had been alleged that Waata Tipa received £25 from Mr. Moon. AVhat do you know?—With reference to the £200, it was stated to me by Blake that it was more than £100. I have no personal knowledge. I heard it from Mr. Blake. He told me. I have no knowledge of anything previous to Mr. Blake's statement to me. By his statements to me I became aware of it, and he showed mo the documents and Tipa's signature, and the stamp on the document. When I saw the receipt there were three, signed by Tipa. Mr. Blake brought them in his hand and showed them to me. He took them out of an iron safe. It was an iron box, and he showed them to me. One was for £50, signed by Tipa across the stamp ; another was for £20 ; the third was for £15. The name of Tipa was signed to all three receipts, and Mr. Blake said there were others. When was this ?—I cannot give you the exact time; it was during November, 1884—last November. The reason I cannot state the exact day is that Mr. Blake and I were working conjointly on behalf of the same party. Therefore I said to him, " Give me those receipts." He replied, " No; leave them with me, to be taken care of," in order that he might show them to the Chief Judge when he went to Auckland. It commended itself to me that the Chief Judge should know about them. I asked Mr. Blake how he got these receipts. He said Mr. Grice was vexed with Mr. Moon, because Mr. Moon had given as much as £14,000 to Ngatikoroki. Mr. Wliitaker objected to this statement as having nothing to do with the charge of bribery. The Commissioner directed the witness to confine himself to the circumstances of the bribery. Witness said he was explaining the reasons of the quarrel. Do you know anything except what Mr. Blake told you ?—I know only what Mr. Blake told me. Those statements have been already made before the Chief Judge, and the receipts shown to him, and a fresh receipt was subsequently shown, which proves my statement that there were other receipts. I have myself seen two. One was shown to the Chief Judge at first, the other two were not spoken of. How do you know all this ?—When the Court sat here I made the statement before the Chief Judge, and Mr. Blako brought in two receipts, signed by Tipa—one for £25, one for £20. Of the three I formerly mentioned one was shown to the Court, two were not. One was then shown to the Court which I had not previously seen. The Chief Judge said to me, "Are these the two receipts shown by Mr. Blake to you? " I said, " One of them is so ; the other is a new one :" thus justifying my statement that there were others. Witness wished to explain further about the reason why Blake showed him the receipt. Mr. Whitaker objected. The Court directed witness to reserve anything further till Mr. Blake had given his evidence. Mr. Whitaker withdrew his objection, and left it in the hands of the Court to see that no injury was done to the title. Witness said these things all affected the title to the land. The Court said it was then outside the jurisdiction of the Court. Witness : Whether it be money paid to the Assessor, or as a present to him, it was improper. The Assessor should not receive money during an investigation. Mr. Blako said this to me :"As to the award affecting this land, I do not agree to it." So said Blake. Mr. Grice gave to Blake Grice and Moon's documents. Mr. Blake told me he got them from Mr. Grice. He told me this in reply to my question as to how he had got the receipts. In consequence of what Mr. Blake told me I knew that the Assessor had received money. Mr. Blako (sworn) :My name is Richard Thomas Blake. lam a surveyor and Native Agent. The Ngatiraukawa case was conducted by Hare Teimana at Kihikihi. I joined in with him. At the close of the case I assisted Hare Teimana and others in getting up their applications for