V— No. 11

purchased by him (the Petitioner) in the town of Hawkesbury, and tends " to the exclusive benefit of Mr. Jones' private town of AVest Hawkesbury." The prayer of the Petitioner is that the abovenamed public buildings may be at once removed to the sites originally laid down for them in the plan of the town of Hawkesbury. The Committee direct me to report that they see no grounds why the prayer of the Petitioner should be entertained by the Legislature. J. Ceaceoft Wilson, C.8., Chairman. No. 32. SIX MEMBEES OF THE ABAWA TRIBE. The Petitioners' six members of the Arawa tribe residing at Maketu, pray that a house for the sale of spirituous liquors be not suffered to be established within the Arawa territories. The Committee direct me to report that tho Petition appears to have been presented by a Minister of the Crown, and that they are unable to discover the reasons why this course has been deemed necessary, seeing that the Government have power to carry out the wishes of the Petitioners' by appointing the Arawa territories a district under " The Native Districts Regulation Act, 1858." J. Ceaceoft Wilson, C.8., Chairman. No. 33. WILLIAM ERASER. The Petitioner states that he is a Captain in the Ist Waikato Regiment; that Lieut. J. S. Dunne, of the same regiment, for some time had charge of a company, and during that period and in the year 1865 he became a public defaulter ; that a Board of Officers was convened for the purpose of examining his accounts, and the matter was compromised by the Petitioner agreeing to pay all the regimental debts of Lieut. J. S. Dunne on an arrangement, whether with the Board or with Lieut. J. S. Dunne does not appear; that he the Petitioner was to have the land to which Lieut. J. S. Dunne would be entitled at the expiration of his time of service ; that the Petitioner, in consequence of that arrangement, paid outstanding regimental debts due by Lieut. J. S. Dunne to the amount of £561 17s. ; that subsequently the Government, in ignorance of the said arrangement, cancelled the commission of the said John S. Dunne ; that by this act of the Government the Petitioner has lost the security in consideration of which he became responsible for the above sum, and he prays that the land to which Lieut. John S. Dunne would have been entitled, had his commission not been cancelled, may be granted to him the Petitioner. The Committee direct me to report that they are of opinion that the matter is one which should be disposed of by the Government. J. Ceaceoft AVilson, C.8., Chairman. No. 34. SIXTY MEN OF THE Ist WAIKATO EEGIMENT. The Petition is in accordance with Standing Orders, and it is signed by sixty men of the Ist AVaikato Eegiment,stationedatHarapipi in the Upper AVaikato District. It contains a complaint that the Petitioners are threatened to be kept on further service for an unlimited time against their express wish, although their period of service has expired, and the Petitioners pray that the House will ensure to them their immediate discharge and the possession of their promised lands. The Committee have examined tho Defence Minister and the letter book of the Defence Office, and they are of opinion that the complaint of the Petitioners is not strictly in accordance with facts. At the same time the Committee direct me to report that the great delay in locating the Petitioners upon their lands, is not only a violation of the agreement under which they enlisted, but that it entails hardship upon the Petitioners, and a pecuniary burden upon the Colony which it is unable to bear. lam also directed to observe that there does not exist in tho case of the Petitioners the same hindrance to the completion of the surveys of tho land which it is proposed to assign to the Petitioners, as exists in the case of the Taranaki Military Settlers and the Patea District, and that consequently there is no apparent justification of the delay of which the Petitioners complain. J. Ceaceoft Wilson, C.8., Chairman. No. 35. TAEANAKI MILITAEY SETTLEES. The Petition is in accordance with Standing Orders, and it is signed by thirty-four discharged men of the corps designated " Taranaki Military Settlers." The Petitioners complain, that although their period of service has expired, and although suitable land is now available, their lands have not been assigned to them according to agreement. The Committee have examined one of the Petitioners, and also the Hon. the Defence Minister. The Committee arc of opinion that the present difficulty in locating the Petitioners upon their promised lands arises from two causes. The first cause is, that the period of service for which the Petitioners were enlisted was three years —which period has been reduced by the Government, as a reward for good service, to two years aud six months, thus depriving tho Government of six months' time for

8

REPORTS OE COMMITTEE