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the terms of the deeds not having been adhered to. Schools were not established for us as promised, and the Natives have now to pay for school-books, &c, which is not in accordance with the under-' taking. The school at Moeraki is under the charge of the Education Board. Hospitals were not established as promised, and the Natives have to pay for medical attendance. Have had to pay £2 2s. for a doctor's visit. Our dogs are taxed, which is another grievance (" Kua riro te oranga o te Iwi Maori nga Pakeha "). Taituha Hape : A heavy expense has been incurred by the Natives on account of meetings held to concert measures for our relief. Witness produced an account, amounting to £285 18s. 6d. for expenses incurred. Irau Tihai spoks about the inferior character of the land set apart for the Natives at Taumutu. Ani Pi Manahi's husband, Manahi Iri, is an invalid, and unable to work. Poihipi and his wife go eeling, and give Manahi a share, but he has little else to live on. Beceives a little rent from land, but has not yet received any share of the Kapunatiki rent. Kewene, of Ngatiporou, is a tangata mate, too old to work; cannot obtain a living from his wife's land. Kahiwi, of Waikanae (Ngatiawa), has no land at Kaiapoi. His son has a small piece at Orohaki. H. K. Taiaroa handed in a medical account, also one for education expenses. He stated that the fourth standard was the highest that could be attained at the Native schools. Had paid for the education of his own family. The Natives paid for the survey of the Otago Block in 1868. Sir George Grey promised that a surveyor should be sent, and the Natives expected that the Government would pay the cost. The natives paid Is. per acre. Consider that Government ought to repay the expenses, especially as the surveys of other reserves were now being paid for. Tame Pratt stated that he would send the account of the expenditure incurred at Waikouaiti and Purakaunui on account of moneys collected to promote the interests of the Natives in regard to the Wahipounamu claim, as he considered the Government ought to bear the expense. There was fully £300 collected at the two settlements. Stock was sold, and crops sacrificed to obtain money for the purpose ; the Natives at all the settlements where money was collected in aid of the Wahipounamu claim having suffered, through having to take part in the matter. No account has ever been rendered as to how the money was spent. About £3,000 was paid to the Commissioners, Messrs. Nairn and Smith. This expense was borne by the Government, some of the expenditure appears in the return laid before Parliament as having been made on behalf of the Natives, but no money is known to have been spent for that purpose. Do not know what was done at Murihiku and Akaroa, but no money was spent for the Natives at other places. Nani Ellison says that Taiaroa, senior, did not leave a will, but that Karetai did. H. K. Taiaroa stated in reply that his father did leave a will, and that he will produce it when necessary. E. Green promised to send an account of the money derived by way of rent from land that his wife and children are interested in. Teoti Pita Mutu says that the Kaiapoi Natives have not got their account ready of the expenses incurred. Taituha Hape considers that he has a claim for expenses incurred while occupied in taking about the petition relative to the Wahipounamu claim. Tanahira Waruwarutu does not wish to submit any account. Has no bills for medical attendance. Paratene te Uki supports the statements made by the others relative to the injury done to the Natives by the non-performance of the promises made at the cession of their land. At the time the Court sat, in 1868, Wi Naihira asked for 50,000 acres. Does not admit that the mahinga kai have been paid for by the Government. Another drawback the Natives suffer from is the scattered manner in which the land is located, and in many instances it is situated too far off to be of any service. Have to pay a tax of 10s. for each dog. This money is supposed to be laid out to improve the roads, but it is not expended for that purpose, The Boad Board was paid £100 on one occasion to spend on the roads in the reserve, but did not do so. Have nothing to add to the statements made by others about the mate of the Natives. Hoani Uru states that 14 acres is all he had to maintain his family with. No land was allotted to the women in 1861. All the sections were granted to the males. The result of this arrangement was that, if the grantees died without issue, the land went to the next-of-kin, and the widow received nothing. The land that was given for land allotted to absentees in the Kaiapoi Beserve would only let for 3s. an acre. All the people who have families have a great struggle tomaintain them. Better be dead and out of the way, as there did not appear to be any place for , them in the future. Used to crop the land formerly, but commenced to let ft, and now it is impossible to get it back, because the rent is drawn so far in advance. , Hoani Maaka says that cropping the land proved too expensive. It cost £1 per acre for ploughing stubble, and £1 lis. an acre for new land. All the money was spent in working it, leaving nothing to live on. Here Whitau stated that he had tried to farm his land, but got into debt and was sold up. Hohepa Huria says that his expenses are heavy. Cannot maintain his family. The rent of the Kaiapoi land has been drawn in advance for many years. Have only a few shillings a year from land at Bakaia. My land there is let at 4s. 6d. per acre. Wirihana Pohata states that himself and wife, Biria, have only two acres. This land is let for £1. When it was cropped it. only yielded about three bushels per acre. The land is good at Kaiapoi, but the quantity is insufficient to provide a living for a family. If this is the case with good land, how do those persons exist whose land is of an inferior character ? The Natives have to eke out a living by getting fish, but illness is often contracted through being exposed to the weather. His wife was invalided through this cause, and heavy medical expenses were incurred. ;
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