[r. kahtji.

G—2.

90

25. Did they take much flax? —Yes. 26. Was most of the flax cut and taken away by them? —Yes. 27. I think you were employed cutting flax on Elwin's farm?— Yes, I was employed by Corbett. 28. Were any other people employed cutting flax? —There was a large number. 29. How long were you engaged in cutting flax? —I should say I was employed for two months cutting flax on Elwin's land. 30. Cross-examined by Mr. Welsh.] Are you a member of the union? —Yes. 31. Are you the owner of any land under the Act of 1881?— I do not know of any, but 1 will not say I am not. 32. Are you a beneficiary under any of those grants in respect of which leases have been granted under the Act of 1881 ? —I do not know whether lam or not. 33. Do you receive any rent from the Public Trustee? —The Public Trustee does not pay me any rent. The only rent I receive is that which I get under my father's interest. I have 4§ acres, as I have said, but the leasing of that does not pay for the cost of the license for the other land, because I have to pay more. Mr. Zachariah demands from me money outside the rent that he is receiving for the 4f acres. Mr. Zachariah: The witness has an occupation license in the Arakuku Block, the rent being 7s. 2d. per half-year. That is charged against his share in the block, which amounts to ss. Bd., so we ask him for the difference each half-year. 34. Mr. Welsh.] Is that all the land you occupy —the 77 and the 25 acres?— Yes, that is all. 35. And do you pa}- the owners any rent for the 77 acres? —No. 36. The Chairman.] But those owners are 370111- own people?— Yes, they are living with me. Raniera Karena sworn and examined. (No. 36.) 1. Mr. Bell.] You own some land at Bell Block?— Yes, 40 acres of freehold. 2. Your grandfather got the land under a compensation award? —Yes. 3. And he handed it down to you?— Yes. 4. I think that land is leased by you to a pakeha?—Yes; it is leased for twenty-one years, and it has eight years to go now. 5. Why did you lease it to the pakeha?—So that he could stump it. 6. What rent did you charge him? —3s. per acre. 7. Why did you not improve it yourself instead of leasing it?—l had plenty of work to do at that time, and my children w 7 ere not grown up. 8. I think you have a farm which you work in the Mangati Block? —Yes, 165 acres. 9. That is all scrip land?—l know it is land which we got from our ancestors. 10. How many cows do you milk?— Twenty-two. 11. Who does the milking?—My children. I have twelve. 12. Do you do any milking yourself? —Sometimes when my children are absent I do it. 13. Where do you send the milk to?—To the Bell Block Factory. 14. About what is the amount of your monthly milk cheque?— From £24 down. 15. You get bonuses as well? —Yes, about £30 a year. 16. Do you do anything besides dairying on the land?— Yes, my children and I crop the land. 17. Is all the 165 acres good land? —It is flat. There is about 70 acres in grass and the balance is sand. 18. Have y T ou done anything w-ith the sand?—We have been planting lupins in it to keep the sand from encroaching on the grass. 19. Did you work your farm while Te Whiti and Tohu were alive?— Yes. 20. Did you work it in the same way then as you are working it now?— No. 21. Cross-examined by Mr. Welsh.] Are you a member of the union? —Yes. 22. Are you a beneficiary in connection with any grants under the Act of 1881 ? —I think so. 23. What rent do you receive from the Public Trustee? —He pays me 6s. 3d. 24. What block is it in? —Matataiori. When my father died I succeeded him, and the amount was increased. 25. What was the amount increased to?—I do not know. 26. What blocks are you interested in?—Lepperton, Matataiori, and Puketapu. Mr. Zachariah: Those are not under the Act of 1881. Manuarupe sworn and examined. (No. 37.) 1. Mr. Bell.] You live at Waihi, near Waitara? —Yes. 2. Do you farm some land there? —Yes, 176 acres. 3. Is that all in one piece?—No; one section is 46 acres, another 50 acres, and others 25 and 21. 4. That is in the Ngatirahiri No. 2 Block?— Yes. 5. Is that your owti land? —No. 6. You hold it as trustee for your children? —Yes. 7. It is under occupation license?— Yes. 8. Do you pay any rent under that occupation license?—On the 21 acres; I lease it from the Public Trustee. 9. And the rest of the land is held under occupation license? —Yes. 10. Do you pay any rent for the use of the land? —No, because the land belongs to my children. It is ancestral land. The grandparents are now dead, and they have succeeded, 11. How long ago did you start to work this land? —Over ten years ago.