H.—l3

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5. Such payments have from time to time by my directions been made by the Department of Justice to my bankers, and my bankers have given acquittances therefor. 6. I have no knowledge or information as to what entries or minutes have been made in the Audit Office as to payment of my salary, nor was any communication as to such entries or minutes ever made to me. Sworn at Wellington aforesaid, this 16th day of May, 1891, before me— Wilfred E. Bruce, A Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.

AFFIDAVIT OF EDWARD THOMAS SAVERS. I, Edward Thomas Sayers, of the City of Wellington, in New Zealand, Judge's Secretary, make oath and say, — 1. That I have, since the 11th day of August, 1890, acted, and I am still acting, as Secretary to his Honour Mr. Justice Edwards, the Defendant in this action. 2. As such Secretary it has been my duty to prepare and to forward to the Undersecretary for the Department of Justice monthly abstracts of the Defendant's salary, and I have prepared and forwarded the same accordingly. 3. The abstracts so from time to time prepared and forwarded by me as aforesaid have been for one monthly s\im of £125, as the salary of the Defendant as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, and not in any other capacity. 4. I was never requested by the Under-Secretary for the Department of Justice, or any other person, to alter the form of the said abstracts or any of them, nor was it ever intimated to me by the said Under-Secretary that the said abstracts required any alteration. 5. I have no knowledge or information as to what entries or minutes have been made in the Audit Office as to payment of the Defendant's salary, nor has any communication with respect to such entries or minutes ever been made to me, 6. I also acted as secretary to the Commissioners appointed under the 20th section of " The Native Land Court Acts Amendment Act, 1889," from the month of October, 1890, nntil the 31st day of March, 1891, when the said Commissioners were removed from office. 7. I have read the affidavit of AVilliam Johnston Morpeth sworn and filed herein. 8. The exhibit hereunto annexed, marked " A," is a true copy of the report mentioned in the 4th paragraph of the said affidavit o"f the said William Johnston Morpeth. 9. The first hearing of all the applications referred to in the last paragraph and in the schedule attached to the said report was, on the application of counsel for the several applicants, adjourned on the 10th day of January, 1891, to the first sitting of the said Commissioners' Court which should be held at Gisborne after the lapse of three calendar months. 10. No full sitting has been held of the said Commissioners' Court since the said 10th day of January, 189], and all the said applications were at the date of the removal from office of the said Commissioners still depending and unadjudicated-upon, under the circumstances disclosed in the said report. 11. There were also depending and unadjudicated-upon at the time when the said Commissioners were so removed from office as aforesaid five separate applications relating to blocks of land in the vicinity of Tauranga, and two separate applications relating to land in the Hawke's Bay District, and one application relating to land in the Coromandel district. 12. After the 14th day of March, 1891, when the present Ministry intimated to the said Commissioners their intention to remove the said Commissioners from office on the 31st day of March, 1891, but before the said 31st day of March, 1891 —to wit, on or about the 20th day of March, 1891 —twenty-two separate additional applications for inquiry by the said Commissioners, relating to twenty-two separate blocks of land, were lodged pursuant to the said Act, intituled " The Native Land Court Acts Amendment Act, 1889," pursuant to the provisions of the said Act and to the rules made thereunder. Edward T. Sayers. Sworn at the City of Wellington, this 16th day of May, 1891, before me —- T. W. Hislop, A Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.