G.—2

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(6.) I have already reported upon this. (7.) Houses were not taken under the Act. The Native occupants were ordered by the Health Department to remove from the houses at the time of the smallpox epidemic in the North, and they do not appear to have used them since. One of the houses is upon land which belongs to the Whangarei Harbour Board by right of purchase, having been erected there by Hoori Rewi without knowledge that the Native title had been investigated, and that it was now European land. The other house stands upon European land owned by a Mr. William Woods. For your information I attach my notes of,the inquiry, together with a compiled plan of the land in dispute showing the position of the adjacent lands [not printed]. I have, &c, To His Excellency the Governor. T. Wilson, Judge.

Office of the Tokerau District Native Land Court, Auckland, 27th March, 1917. May it please Your Excellency,— Since forwarding my report with reference to the petition by Hoori Rewi and others in the matter of Hihiaua Block inquiry, I have received unexpected and important information of a nature that should be submitted to you for perusal. Under the powers of my Commission I am required to make such inquiries as will enable me to fully ascertain the verity or otherwise of the allegations made by the petitioners, and for that purpose I can seek what information I want, and by means of my own choosing, without necessarily adopting the rules and procedure followed by Courts of law. In other words, it is the truth that is wanted, together with all facts relative thereto. I have received from a Mr. J. MoLeod a long, vivid, and illuminating communication describing what he knows of Hihiaua Block, and of its history and appearance, and he explains many things concerning its occupation that are of the highest importance. The statement reached me while I was at Ahipara, in the far North. Unfortunately, no full address was given by the writer, but as I was due in Whangarei on the 14th March I thought I would be able to find him there. After making diligent inquiries, I ascertained that he had left for his home somewhere in the South Island. In the circumstances the statement has not the same force or value it otherwise would have had if I had been able to have had it verified on oath: ' It, however, bears the similitude of truth, and for that reason furnishes strong corroborative proof of the correctness of the evidence adduced by the petitioners. As an addendum to my previous report of the 6th February last, I submit the statement, together with a typewritten copy thereof, for your further information. I have, &c, To His Excellency the Governor. T. Wilson, Judge.

Approximate Cost of Paper.- —Preparation, not given ; printing (650 copies), £5.

Authority : Marcus F. Marks, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9l7.

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