The West Coast Commission.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 3082, 6 March 1880, Page 3

The West Coast Commission.

(From a Correspondent.)

W A ITALIA, this day.

THE Koyal Commission made good progress yesterday. About a dozen of tlic principal natives were examined. The Commission were very lirmin not allowing the witnesses to diverge iuto irrcvcleut matter regarding their ancestors. The principal claimants hero belong to the Ngatimutangi tribe, whose place of abode in all times was Waitara, Urenui, and adjacent places, but owing to frequent and murderous raids on them by the Wailcatos, they fled down tho coast as far a» Waikanae and Kapiti, but even there found no security from their ruthless persecutors. At last, iv sheer desperation at finding no place of refuge, about 300 of the Ngatimutunga migrated to tho Chatham Island. This must haye been about 40 years ago. In course of time the memory of past defeats faded away, and. the survivors became possessed with so strong a desire to return to their old homes that the majority came back to New Zealand. This was before Te Kooti was sent to the Chathams. In the meantime a' proclamation, which was attributed to Judge Fcnton, was issued announcing that the occupation of the laud in 1840 w»uld receive no consideration at the hands of the Compensation Court. Accordingly when the Ngatimatuugas came back here and. applied for land to live upon, and failed to show that they had been in occupation of these lands in 1840, being fugitives from their homes at tho time, their claims were not good iv the eye of the law, and the Court accordingly excluded them. Consequently the majority of these poor people bnve since been living on the lands on suffrage. The Commission have not iutimated what their feelings are, in regard to these particular claims. It is uncertain whether the commia?iop will finish here to-day, or hold any meeting in any contiguous place.