THE TARANAKI QUESTION.

13

E—No. 2

33 the Government assumption on the point was contrary to what was certified by the Board of Inquiry above-mentioned, (p. 2.) and by Mr. McLean, to be the general rule of Native Tenure. It is also to be remarked that Mr. Parris' inquiry, even as to individual claims, did not extend beyond the sellers on the spot, It was well known that there were other members of the Tribe at Waikanae, as well as at Wellington, Queen Charlotte's Sound, &c. Mr. MeLean, the Chief Commissioner, bad expressly instructed Mr. Parris personally to visit absentee claimants. The following is an extract from " Instructions to District Land Purchase Commissioner, relative to Purchase of Land from the Natives at Taranaki," dated Auckland, August 26th, 1857. [Pap. E. p. ].] "In pursuing your enquiries amongst the resident Natives, you should not appear to attach much weight to the claims of absentees, as it may be assumed that they have acquired a vested interest in land elsewhere, and should not now be considered as having an equal claim with their relatives who remain in actual possession of the soil. "At the same time, I am desired to state that it is His Excellency's wish to have a separate investigation of the claims of absentees, instituted at the places where they reside; when they will be settled with, in proportion to the relative merits of their claims, on a basis which will fully preserve the distinction which should be made between resident and non-resident proprietors." Yet neither Mr. McLean nor Mr. Parris instituted any investigation at Waikanae. So far as appears, all the notice taken by Mr. Parris of absent claimants, was this:—At the time of paying the first instalment to Teira (29ih November, 18:")9,) a declaration was read to the Natives there assembled, that if any man could prove his claim to any piece of land within the block, such claim would be respected. [Pap. E. No. 3. p. 21.) That declaration does not appear to have been conveyed to any, except those who were then on the ground (50). Nor could it have any legal effect in any case. There was no legal summons, nor any power to take evidence on oath. In #hort, there was no tribunal. The following statement has been made by some of the adverse claimants :— From certain Members of the Ngatiawa tribe to the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington. Waikanae, July 29,1860. Mr. Superintendent, Greeting to you. These are our words ; hear them, that you. may declare them openly in the presence of the Governor. We have portions of land also at Waitara within the piece of land which was wrongly sold by Teira to the Governor ; we, as well as those who have been driven off that piece of land. It belonged to all our ancestors. We never heard from the old men who have lately died, that that land belonged only to Ngaiituaho and Ngatihinga, or to the ancestors of Teira and his companions, whose pedigree has been lately set forth, or to his father, and that by them it was given to our ancestors and to our fathers as to dependents who should raise food for the ancestors of Teira and his companions, or for his father and the fathers of his companions. Nor is it land that has lately been discovered by Teira, or by his father or by his companions, that we should be mistaken in what we say about it, or that it should be right to make strong assertions with reference to that land in order to justify their making no account Of us and those who have been forcibly driven off it. No. It is old land that belonged to our ancestors. Now we have heard the defence of Mr. Parris' wrong doing with reference to our portions of land there, which says " A long time was allowed to elapse, and nothing was said about the land ; Parris, the Land Commissioner of Taranaki, carefully inquired that he might find out who were the owners of the land which was offered him. Parris searched, and at length he found them out." These words were intended to excite everybody's admiration, that it might be thought that he really had searched. Listen. We were all the time living at Waikanae ; one of us at Otaki. Now Parris never came to make inquiries of us as to whether we had land there or not ; nor did any assistant of his in that work come to inquire ; nor did he write any letter of inquiry ; nor did he, in the course of that year, print in the Newspaper his inquiries as to the owners of that land. None, none at all. Off goes one of the land purchasers to make inquiries of some people of Arapawa, passing over us without inquiry. We did not hear ot it until the time when Teira received the money. Still we felt no apprehension of losing our lands, because we were continually hearing of the strong declaration of Wiremu Kingi, that he would keep our land* lor us. For he is our Chief, a protecting shade for our lands. The second time was when they went to survey it. The third time was when the soldiers were sent to take it. How could we get a word in ? When the trouble had become serious, then Parris goes and prints in the Newspaper that he has made inquiry, AYe ask this question. What are we, peaceable persons who are not joining in the fightings to do when our lands are wrongly taken away by the Governor ? Where shall we seek a way by which we may get our lands restored to us? Shall we seek it from the Queen, or from whom? We imagined that it was for the Law to rectify wrongs. Up Jo this time our hearts keep anxiously inquiring. We will say no more. From us, members of Ngatiawa, and owners of that land at Waitara. Hohepa Ngapaiu. Kiripata Pake. Patiiiana Tikara. Epiha Paikau Tupoki. PINAREPE TE NeKE. Henare te Marau. Paora Matua awaka. HuTANA AWATEA. Wiper ah ama Putiki. Teretitj Tamaka. EIWAI TE AhU. It is now admitted that the complaint made in the foregoing letter is well founded ; that no one authorised by the Government ever did inquire into the claims at Waikanae. Mr. McLean himself visited Queen Charlotte's Sound and Wellington. As to his proceedings at those places, especially at the latter, our information is scanty. But whatever inquiry there might be elsewhere, there was none at Waikanae (51).