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Te Tipi: We have not settled about King George and William Pitt. The Commissioner: Yes; these were struck out because McClutchie got land for all the children, and the mother, who is still living, has received land. 1 looked very carefully into this tamily, and I can tell you plainly that for a very long time my decision trembled in the balance as to whether, when I had satisfied the claims of Amio, who was the only person who had any children living, 1 should strike out the whole of them, instead of which 1 have struck out two only, and have recommended that four shares, equal to an area of 64 acres, should be allotted to them. xou ought to be satisfied with this decision. Te Tipi: It is nothing to do with me. lam only here for Kapinga. The Commissioner then asked the Natives present if they had anything to say with regard to the foregoing, and they replied in the negative. The Commissioner then read a letter, undated, received from Tutu te Hihi, residing at Parihaka, who sent his genealogy for the Commissioner's information. He stated that he was a Ngatimutunga, and said that there were a number of them there, and he only heard of the sitting on the 17th. c _ The Commissioner: I wish you Natives to distinctly understand that 1 have nothing to do with the question of whether these people live among the pakehas here, or whether they live with le Whiti at Parihaka. If they are Nagtimutunga and have any claim to the land, lam willing to hear their claims. They must appear before me in person to substantiate their claims, and it they confine themselves to writing and sending their genealogies, however correct such genealogies may be, I cannot consider their claims Now, 1 believe this man has a very good claim because his whakapapa agrees exactly with those that have been given to me by other Maoris, and I think it is a great pity that when a man has such a whakapapa, and says there are a number of others living there who have the same whakapapa— -it is, I say, a pity that he did not come here, because 1 may plainly state that this is the only time when the question will be considered by the Government. This is to be the final consideration of the question, and if claimants do not appear before the Commission and substantiate their claims, no matter how satisfactorily they can trace their descent from Ngatimutunga, I can do nothing for them. I shall write to this Native, and tell him that he must come here and state his case before me. This rather upsets the arrangement that I had made. I have to go to Wellington and"find out whether any land can be found to satisfy these awards—that is, if the Government gives effect to my recommendations—and I had arranged to leave here on Thursday morning, but if these Parihaka Natives like to come here to-morrow 1 am quite willing to hear their cases. Mr. Skinner: These notices have been distributed throughout the district for some weeks past. It is strange that the Natives should only have heard of the matter on the 17th of this month. The Crown does not wish to block any one, but ample notice has been given, and the Natives should have attended the inquiry before this. Mrs. Hopere: I saw the writer of the letter in question on the 3rd of March, and he said that he had heard of this inquiry being held, and said that he would put his case in with mine. He never appeared, and now I suppose he is very strong with Te Whiti. He was one of those to whom I referred in opening my case as being absent. If you like, Mr. Commissioner, I will go on with his case. 'The Commissioner: I do not feel very inclined to go on with his case, but would do so if it was the only ease. He says, " I have given you my genealogy, and not only mine, but there are a number of others here who have had nothing to do with the matters connected with this hapu of the Ngatimutunga " Mr. Skinner: These people at Parihaka clearly knew about the inquiry. The Commissioner: Ido not wish to exclude anybody. This man shows that he has a claim. The position is somewhat awkward. This Commission is final, and the matter will not be reopened after this. If Ido not hear this man he will petition Parliament, and stir up members, stating that I have refused to hear his claim. Mr. Skinner: He could have been here sooner than his letter had he wished. It is not my place to talk to the Commissioner, but his claim seems absurd. What would have been the effect supposing he was called upon to appear with reference to a claim before the Native Land Court on a fixed date? If he did not appear, would not his claim be crossed out? The Commissioner: No; some plausible excuse would sure to be forthcoming, and would be accepted in all probability. Mr. Hutchen: I should like to say with regard to Mr. Bayley that it would suit him better to have an award in money rather than an award in land. The Commissioner: The Crown has intimated that they are just as willing to give money as land. It is my intention to go out and have a look at the land, because lam in the position that if the land is not suitable the equivalent must be given in money, and I shall be prepared to recommend whatever amount I consider equal to 16 acres, and this will be embodied in my report. Of course, where Natives have no land, the Crown will try and find land for them. Mrs. Hopere: My claimants would like to have land, but they would like to have good land. The Commissioner: The difficulty is this: that the land has been sold, and almost all the land in Taranaki has been taken up under some tenure or another, so there would probably be some difficulty in awarding land. Te Tipi: There is plenty of land under survey in the Ohura district. The Commissioner: This is a matter for the Government, and is what I am going to Wellington for. Mrs. Hopere: There are a lot of young people who have no land at all, and have not been recommended for awards. I should like to see them get some. The Commissioner: I can only repeat what I have said before. lam aware that there are a number of young people who are landless and should receive consideration. I will call the atten-