TE out) WATHiI.]

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I. -3a.

50. And Mil's that the first document they signed which you referred to J- —That was so. 51. Then the second one was to pledge lands which they owned outside Mokau-Mohakatino to provide the funds —the ammunition? —That is so, yes. After the document had been signed this chief lawyer was to have come up to Te Kuiti himself. 52. You are not correct there, because he was not at Te Kuiti himself—you may have heard sol — That is what 1 was told. 53. Did you hear that the great lawyer was to appear at Te Kuiti on their behalf? —Yes, that is what 1 heard, and that he would then fire his gun, and that it was a double-barrel one. 54. Do you know whether that gun was tired in both barrels? —No, it was not fired. 55. Why did it misfire/ —The want of powder (money) was the trouble, because the land had been sold. 56. Was it because they could not raise the money on the lands they had! —He was to bring with him his double-barrel gun and fir-3 the law at them to prevent the sale. 57. But did they find the ammunition for the great lawyer? —Oh, yes, we gathered some powder to give him when we signed. 58. How much?—£4o. S!J. That was all the powder that they secured? —Yes. GO. Did you not know that this was a big cannon that the great lawyer was going to fire, and it required a lot of powder to fill it? —I knew it was a double-barrel gun that one man could carry in one hand. He said that his friend on the other side had already shot his gun at Te Kuiti, and that he would go up to Te Kuiti and fire both barrels of his gun in reply. 01. Do you mean by the illustration of the double-barrel gun that one barrel was to be directed against the ieases and the cither was to recover damages to the extent of some £10,000? —It was to shoot the lease and the sale, and kill them both. 02. One of the barrels, it has been said, was charged to fire on their behalf so as to recover money in payment for the losses they had been to on account of breach of covenants in the lease unfulfilled ?—No. 63. Now, was there not a committee formed and appointed by them under the direction of their great lawyer to act on their behalf? —No; Hardy and Tuiti and Tuhata were under the direction of this great Wellington lawyer. 64. But those owners appointed and authorized that lawyer to act on their behalf?— Yes. 65. Can you tell me how many Natives there are at Mokau who have not taken their share of the purchase-money up to the present time?—l can give some —those whom 1 know. 66. Whom do you know? —There is myself, Te Awaroa, Mrs. Rattenbury, my grandniece : those I am certain about at the present moment. I have not been round to ask all the people personally; and there arc others of my little grandchildren. 67. Dr. Te Bangihiroa. \ Were you a follower of Te Whiti ? —Yes, I was. 6S. And what was the attitude of the followers of Te Whiti to the alienation of land? —Some of them sold and some of them held on. 69. And what was your own objection to the sale of this Mokau-Mohakatino Block, was it because of insufficient money or what? —I would not agree to the sale 70. Why J Did you want to cultivate it yourself or keep some of it, or because the price was not high enough-—you must have had some reason? —No matter how much money was offered I would not sell. At the time of Jones's lease in the year 1882 he brought his money and showed it to me himself, and 1 said, " Take your money away." 7J. That is, you would not sell, and the question of price did not come into it at all?—No matter how much money, I was not willing to sell. 72. Have vim got an approximate idea of the boundaries of this Mokau-Mohakatino Block —the particular blocks which are the subject of this inquiry! —I do not know the subdfvisional boundaries thai the pakehas have appointed. 73. Are there any established Maori villages on these blocks?— Yes, Pukeruru. I have already told you that my ancestors arc buried there. 74. Are there many there now in that kainga?—There is no one there now, but 1 did work there. 75. How long has it been abandoned? —I cannot say. 76. The position is this : that they have left that part and taken up resilience on other property that they own for actual living?— Yes, but you must know that the way the Maori fattens land is that when the crop will no longer grow he leaves that place till it will grow up with vegetation, and when lie is satisfied it has fattened up again to grow food then he will go back to it again 77. Have you any other property but this? —No. 78. Where are you living, then? —On another small part of Mokau-Mohakatino that is being farmed now. 1 have cattle and horses and sheep. 7!). The Chairman.] Where you are residing at the present time and have been for years, do you say that is part of the Mokau-Mohakatino Block?—No, it is on this side. 80. It is not part of the Mokau-Mohakatino Block—not in the lease to Jones?—lt is outside the boundary of the lease. 81. Therefore you nave an interest in other land outside the Mokau-Mohakatino Block or outside Mr. Jones's lease? Yes, I have that, but the Board has got its hand on that too. 82. Dr. Te Bangihiroa. ,] With regard to the majority of those who have shares in that block, where do they live?— Their permanent kainga is on one side of it —that is our town. 83. Do you say the majority of the people are there? —Well, they are really scattered about, but when we have meetings we always gather together there. 84. Mr. Have you ever appealed to the Native Land Board or the Government to prevent the sale of this land? —No. If yon have any document in your possession with my name attached I should like to see it.