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Mr. Moss's wish. They understood that what Makea said they would agree to. In this late business Makea was not sent for. Give us back our own laws, and not allow Mr. Moss to make them, because he has left us. We wish to make the laws, and Mr. Moss to approve them. Pα, Ariki: I had not been at the meetings of the Arikis last year, except the last. I did not know much about their proceedings. But this year I was at the first meeting of the Arikis. They were discussing what was to be brought before Parliament. In that address the Federal Court Bill was put to them. Mr. Moss asked them what they thought of this Bill: do you agree that this should be put before Parliament ? The Arikis agreed to that. Then the Parliament met. The member of his discriot returned to his home, and I asked him what be had done. He told me that the discussion was the Federal Court Bill; they had deferred it because it was too big a thing for them to understand. Pa said, " Why do you say this ? " Because they had been thinking over it. They thought that the power would go from them to Mr. Moss. It was then that he knew that the Federal Court Bill would cause trouble. At the end of the session the Parliament invited the Arikis to meet them. They did meet here. The Parliament told the Arikis of their discussions on this Bill. They asked Mr. Moss to meet them all. They met, but Mr. Moss only wrote. The Arikis then thought they would look into what Mr. Moss had written to them. That Mr. Moss would go to the British Government. They thought they would go too, as the British Government was their Government. Frank Gelling, Acting-Paymaster: It has been the Paymaster's habit, after the estimates have been passed, to draw the money for the outside members, they giving him a receipt for the same. After the Appropriation Act is passed the vouchers are made out, and receipts of the members attached, Makea , s signature obtained to them, and the money which has been advanced by the bank recouped. This year, after the estimates were passed, this was done in the usual course, but no vouchers have been presented to Makea, because the Appropriation Act was not passed. This year Mr. Moss has sanctioned the issue of the money to repay the bank. Adjourned at 11.30 till 1.30. 14. Public Tenders for Government Work. jF-~ TePou: The Council sent for Mr. Kohn to ask him to tender for the supply of school fittings, &c. Mr. Kohn made a very reasonable offer for his timber. The Council agreed witli Mr. Kohn as to prices. That arrangement was not agreed to by Mr. Moss. Mr. Kohn agreed to do the work at cheaper prices. [Mr. Moss explains : Mr. Kohn came to me.] Te Poll: I refer to the entry in the minutes of the Council of 18th October, 1895 —where it is stated a letter was sent by the Council to the British Resident letting him know they had agreed to tako from Mr. Kohn at 13s. 6d. for each desk. The same day there is an entry that the Council sent a letter to Messrs. Donald and Bdenborough asking the price of each desk in Rarotonga. The answer was, ss. 3d. for each desk. The letter was given to Nicholas to take to Mr. Moss. Mr. Moss: The Federal Government and not the Rarotonga Council was to obtain a supply of desks. I thought that the cheapest and best way of getting them and the school requisites was to deal with the Board of Education at Auckland. After that I wrote to Mr. Goldie, and asked him to send down some few desks as a sample. Mr. Goldie sent the samples, with a letter to me telling me that this was the price (mentioned in the letter) supplied to the Government here ; that if they were obtained through Donald and Bdenborough, or any one else, an additional 5 per cent, would have to be added. The desks were cheap, but it appeared to me that the freight charged by Donald and Edenborough was excessive, and I urged Mr. Goldie to get them sent in the " Linda Weber," which was a ship connected with Mr. Kohn's firm, as I was certain the freight would be cheaper. Mr. Kohn came to see me about it at my office here ; he was not willing to make any arrangement about freight, but he was willing to supply the desks at a lesser price than those supplied through Donald and Bdenborough with the freight. I declined. I said it should be left to Mr. Goldie to arrange about the freight. There was no guarantee of the desks being of good quality. Donald and Edenborough very materially reduced the freight. I can see that Kohn went to the Council after speaking to me, and the Council has got itself mixed up with cost of desks and freight. The stipulation was that the desks were to be of the best quality, and of seasoned timber. This was an important point. Mr. Goldie is in Auckland still, and could furnish any further information. 15. Ngatipa. Vouchers produced, signed by Makea, for all the unauthorised expenditure. Vaikai Moate : Makea presents the opening speech to Parliament, and they see all that it contains. They find one amount—£l65 —that was not voted. They were then in doubt, because they did not know anything about this money. All they know is the vote for £40. We wanted to inquire who voted that money, and where it came from. We asked for the estimates to see where the money came from. The Clerk said the estimates were only in English. Makea says, " I did not sign the items for £120." The vouchers were brought often by children without explanation. She does not repudiate her signature. 17. Schools. Vaikai: I speak from my own knowledge—the school at Takatumu. Pα: One day he spoke to M. Daniela; he wished to have a schoolmaster. He first thought of asking Dr. Caldwell. M. Daniela wrote to him : " Ellis is available ; you had better try him." I wrote an answer that he would sanction Mr. Ellis for a certain period. If a schoolmaster could be got Mr. Ellis would go. He was taken on for one year. 18. Printing-press. Mr. Moss: Two years ago Te Pou and I were coming out of church. I said, " Would it not be a fine thing to have a newspaper here." Te Pou said it would. It ended in my undertaking to publish and be proprietor of the Torea. Miss Nicholas, on my speaking to her, undertook to do all the translating and the cyelostyling. There was no cost of any kind—no charge for the paper and no advertisements. After giving the thing careful consideration I thought we might get the paper from the Government. The paper went on in that way for some months, and we were suddenly awakened from a delusion that we were getting our printing done by the New Zealand Government for nothing. They did a large amount of printing for us. We were thrown back on the cyclostyle to print our laws, &G. I made inquiry, and found that for £50 we could get a small printing-press. I thought it would be a very good chance of turning the cyclostyled paper into a printed one. I asked the Parliament for a vote for £50, and the money was voted. A prees was imported. I had previously arranged with Mr. H. Nicholas that he should provide a building, which he put up; that he should take the press and the type if he would undertake to print a newspaper at his own risk and expense, I undertaking to help him with the editorial, &c, work gratuitously. This will be called a Government paper. I made another arrangement. You can at any time take the whole of the press, &c, by paying the cost. The printing-press belongs to the Government. No money was expended out of the public revenue for the passage of a printer. The whole cost of the plant was £56 12s. 4d. Mr. Nicholas paid the cost of printer's passage out of his own pocket. [19. The Proclamation by Mr. Moss: Nothing fresh to be said about this. No. 20, That the British Resident, &c, involved under previous head.] 21. Licensing Law. Te Pou : All I ask for is prohibition. The Arikis ask for the same. [The three Arikis present ask for prohibition.] I think the Rarotonga Council will repeal the present law in favour of prohibition. What will the European residents say to that ?—We would leave them to themselves. We want prohibition for natives only. If Europeans can get drink, would not some of them sell it to the natives ?—They do it now, but we have not caught them. Does he think that the present law should be altered to the extent that the permit system should only apply to Europeans I —He thinks that is good. The Arikis think that both Europeans as well as natives should be totally prohibited from getting drink. For myself, I think the permit system should still apply to Europeans.