THE MOKAU ENQUIRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15715, 7 September 1911, Page 8

THE MOKAU ENQUIRY.

[Per Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, September 5. The Mokau inquiry was continued this morning. ' The examination of Mr Hardy, surveyor, was continued, with regard to Mr Bell’s statement that he was prevented from attending the meeting of the assembled owners. The witness read telegrams from Mr Bell, paying that he (Bell) would be greatly relioved if his attendance at the meeting was unnecessary. Ho later wired that lie would not attend the meeting. The witness was against the sale of the block. He was asked to take shares in the company being formed in February to work the coal next the block to Mokau, and to acquire Mokau if tbo primary venture were successful. He refused. Ho believed that the capital of the company was £IOO,OOO. The Natives got £26,000 in cash and £2500 in shares for the block. At the last meeting the owners unanimously favoured the sale.

To Sir James Carroll: The price paid for the block was a very fair one. He would not have given half the amount. To Mr Ngata: He had no communication with any members of the Government in the matter.

To Mr Seddc-n: The coal prospects on the Mokau block were, economically speaking, not worth anything. The lime deposits were poor. He had never heard of gold, on the block. He was considerably out of pocket over the, part ho had played. The committee adjourned till 10.30 a.m. to-morrow. FURTHER EVIDENCE..

WELLINGTON, September 6. The Mokau inquiry was continued this morning, when the cross-examina- ■ tion of Mr Hardy, surveyor, was further proceeded with. The witness, in reply to Mr Dive, said that although, he thought that the land was not worth £25,000, he did not advise the Natives to sell as his advice had not been asked. The coal on the block was below the river level, and Yvitness thought that it could not be worked economically. To Mr Herries: If the Natives could have raised £BOO to carry on, the witness did not think they would have sold the block.

To Mr Jennings: Prior to the sale the Natives were receiving Is 4d per aero for the lease of the land. The Native owners had other lands besides this block. When Yvitness inspected the block, he notiood that the only suitable locations for homesteads were already taken up under twenty-seven years’ leases, ahd -the company could not shift these lessees. The opening of the block would he a fine thing for Te Kuiti and neighbouring places. Exclusive of subleased land and other encumbrances, the block was worth, on an average, not more than £1 per acre. To Mr Massey: Witness had never heard of any negotiations with the Natives by the Government for the purchase of the block. The area of the Mangapapa Block, which was on the other side of the river from the Mokau Block, ivas 14,000 acres. To Mr Dalziel: The Natives had been sinoe advised to claim £IO,OOO damages for non-compliance with the agreement. Mr R. M’Nab, who Yvas next called, said that he wished to refute the inference made by Mr Massey at Auckland that he (Mr M’Nab) had acted with Sir John Fiudlay and Sir James Carroll in connection with the purchase of the block. The first knowledge that ho had of the matter was through an agent, ivho called on him and asked him to take, shares in a company to he formed to acquire the block. He agreed to tako 1000 shares in tho company, the capital of which was 1 £IOO,OOO. The price to be paid for the block for the froehold was-£85.000, and for the leasehold £56,000. His company bought ‘from the Mason, Chambers Company,' being registered op ! March 18 No one had eycr beon asked by the company to represent it at meetings of the Natives. He war, chairman ot the company. He had never had communication with any members of the Ministry in the mutter.

To Mr Ngata : The company had no dealings with Mr Hermann Lewis.

To Mr Massey: The company was registered on March 18. Lewis got confirmation from the Land Board on March 22. The q'omnany had couie to no decision in regard to working the minerals on the. block. To Mr Jennings: Surveyors had been working for the last three months on the land. The company intended to quit the land at once.