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I put mine there. I have put up a fence, so as to partition off the portion to which my wife would be entitled. .: " 43. Are they milking on it? —On a portion of it they are. There is a stream there but there is no road, and a portion of the land is on the other side of the stream, and the cattle are driven across it to the other side to feed. On one side of the river they are milking. 44. Do you know how they managed to'buy the cows? —I am not able to say. 1 would like the Commissioners to come out and have a look at my farm and the farm of my neighbour—a European —and see which is the best, because the Europeans say the Maoris are lazy. I say that the positions are changed—that the pakeha is the Maori and the Maori is the pakeha. That is all I have to say. Mr. Welsh: No questions. Tamati Whanganui sworn and examined. (No. 43.) 1. Mr. Bell.] You have land at Kaipakopako? —Yes, there are 7 or 8 acres of my own. 2. What are you doing with the land? —I am improving it and milking on it. 3. Is that the only land you are milking on? —No, there is another piece that I am milking on: It belonged to my grandparent, and lam working on it. 4. How many acres are you milking on all together? —There are 45 acres in Kaipakopako, and in Kairoa Block 98. 5. Where do you send your milk to? —To Bell Block. ;; 6. Who does the milking? —Myself, my wife, and my children. 7. What is the largest milk cheque you have received? —£36 a month for the 48 acres when the milk is in good flow. 8. And what bonus?—£2s. 9. You told us that you have some land in the Kairoa Block? —Yes. 10. You lived there at one time, I think? —Yes, in 1884. 11. Why did you go and live there? —Mr. Rennell told us to go on to our lands and improve them and put kaingas on. 12. How many owners are there in the Kairoa land?— There are about thirty owners. I myself am not in it, but my grandparent is. Mr. Zachariah: There are 493 acres. There were thirty owners, but there are about 110 by succession. 13. Mr. Bell.] How many of you went to live on the land? —I was the only one who went; the others were away at Parihaka and other places. 14. What was the condition of the land then?—lt was in bush, fern, and gorse. I first made a homestead/then I fenced the roadside, and felled part of the bush. 15. How many acres?— About 20 acres; and I ploughed portion of the fern land and sowed it in grass. -.■;■ ' 1.6. What happened in 1900? —Mr. Fisher leased the land, 17. Did you have any conversation with Mr. Fisher before he leased the land?— Yes I said to Mr. Fisher that he should leave out the portion that we had our kainga on so that my grand mother might have it. . J fe ' 18. Why did you go to Mr. Fisher and tell him that?— Because 1 heard from some Natives that Mr. Fisher had been out there viewing the land. 19. At that time how much of the land had you improved ?—3O acres that I had grassed 20. What were you doing with the land'—Running stock on it—fattening cattle 21. What did Mr. Fisher say when you asked him not to lease this 30 acres?—He said he would have to write to Wellington, but after that tenders were called and the land was taken Mr. Fisher told me that he had written to Wellington, but that tenders were out and he said that the land was gone. ■22. Did he lease the whole of the 30 acres:?— The whole lot of it, including mv improved land 23. Did not any of the 493 acres remain to you?— Yes, there were 98 acres left to us, but it was on the steep parts, and was covered with gorse. My improvements were taken 24. Who was the land leased to?— The 30 acres was leased to William Cole and Mr Crow 25. And who were the other lessees?—l forget the others 6th Dumber;'l9o0 gTandl,lOther^et *" ° CCnpati ° n license? ~ Yes ' T hflve i*. it is dated 27. That is for the remaining 98 acres?— Yes 28. What did you do with the 98 acres?-I looked for some one to clear a piece and I had 12 acres of gorse cleared, and I paid £1 10s. an acre for some of it and £2 an acre for other parts in grass. nbwf-Te., the whole of it has been cleared, and is now o>n '■■-..■ -30. How many acres of that were in bush ?—More than 50 acres 31 What are you doing with the land now?—l am using it for dairying. I have twenty five m-lking cows, some dry cows, and some young cattle. ' twenty- ■ 32. What factory do you supply?—Lep'perton. y 1 !?*^ o ? 3 J ' OUr obeqUe run Up to,—Tbe bl 'ff" cst monthly cheque was £24 tt' tH? *i ? olms? —* hflve not reived this rear's bonus, but last year it was £14 35. When this improved land was taken had the 30 acres been fenced?— Yes it was fenced ' ♦ « fencing materials besides the fences taken f-Yes there were somj 200 posts that I had paid some Europeans to split at £1 a hundred ° aredcenfforT ** fenci^Poste ' *» grass, and the kainga?-! never saw

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