E.—No. 10.

6

RETURN OF PERSONS

RETURN of alt. vnsoHS SQUATTJN& qx, o n ix ant way occtjpttxg MAORI LANDS oveb wiiion the native title -has not bees EXTixarxsnED, with the fl'LLEST PAKTICULAHS THAT CAN BE OBTAINED AS TO THE OHA/RAfcTER OP THE TENANCY, ETC. HAtVKE'S BAT— continued. OCCUPANT. LOCALITY. NATTTEE OF OCCUPATION. HKXTAT, -BELIEVED TO BE PAID. AREA. (Approximate.) • — Ellingham ... 8. Gidney J. Knight J. D. Orinond... Hamilton Wilkinson ... A. St. Hill ... — Crosse .1. D. Canning... ;i TeAute ii ... ... ... ■. - ■tO-mileBush... Eparaima Reserve & other native land •10-mile Bush... Porangahau ... Accommodation house & bush., Bush land (sawyer) ... Sheep-run >> jj 80 acres "),000 „ 10,000 „ 8,000 „ 15,000 „ 8,000 „ 12,000 „ ,> ... ... . ,, ... ... ... ... „ ,, ... ... ... ... », ... These persons, I am informed, actually pay a rent; but very many others have stock on these fertile plains, which adjoin the town, and either pay no grass-money, or from time to time give some small sum to the chief proprietors. In some cases cattle , and horses wander to this excellent pasture and the owner has no wish to trespass, but ; more frequently their animals are turned out there to fatten, which they do very rapidly. I heard lately that, besides horses, there 'were 4,000 great cattle and 7,000 sheep on this land. J. Ilallott -Alley ■—- Shirley Ford and McHardy ... — Batey — Powdrell — Dolbel — Knox Puh Kowhai Plats, Ahuriri Plains ( Cattle-run, and rim for stock-- \ of all descriptions 10,000 acres, of which 2,000 is unavailable swamp. Gr. S. Cooper ... II. R. Russell .1. P. Russell W. Rathbone (Yuickshank and Grant — Anibal Tarawera ) Waipukurau ... ... \ ) Native Reserve ... ... \ TeAute '.. Tikokino, Ruataniwha Waimarama ... Sheep-run 1,200 acres. 218 „ Store Sheep-run 10,000 „ 5,000 „ This return is entirely compiled from information given to me by settlers, in most cases by the persons concerned themselves, or by their neighbours; and so far as the area of the land is concerned, it is impossible to ascertain it until the lands are surveyed. Rents differ so very much that no rule can be deduced from such as have been reported to me, but I believe the gross rental of Maori lands leased to settlers is not less now than £12,000 per annum. G. S. WinTMORE, C.C.