F.—No. %

The Petitioners, thirteen aboriginal natives, seem to complain against the leasing of lands which has lately been brought into operation by a Proclamation of the Superintendent of the Province of Auckland with reference to the Thames Gold Pields. _ The Petitioners appear to imagine that they will receive less money under the leasing system than they would receive under the system known as claims held under miners' rights. The Committee have examined the printed agreement entered into by the Petitioners with Mr. Mackay the Civil Commissioner, and they have compared it with the Leasing Eegulations proclaimed, and they fail to discover how there can be any real grounds for the apprehensions expressed m the Under the system in force in respect to miners' rights, the Native proprietors receive from the Government Agent a fee of £1 sterling per annum for every plat of ground on a quartz reef, running lengthways across the supposed direction of the reef, measuring 300 feet by 50 feet. Under the leasing system the lessee is compelled, in addition to the fee of £1 per annum on the whole claim, to expend not less than £100 sterling per annum in labour upon every plat of ground of the dimensions above specified. Now supposing that labourers' wages on the gold fields are 6s. 6d. per diem or £101 Bs. per annum, the £100 above mentioned represents, in round numbers, one man, who is obliged to pay a fee of £1 per annum to the Government Agent, to secure a miners' right. If labour on the°Thames Gold Pields should become dearer—a very improbable contingency—then the amount of fees which the Native proprietors would receive would be diminished under the leasing system. If, on the other hand, labour'should become cheaper—a highly probable contingency—the fees which the Native proprietors would receive would be increased. Moreover, under the leasing system a plat of ground which from its dimensions would be held under eight miners' rights, and thus produce to the Native proprietors only £8 sterling per annum, might, if leased to a company, afford employment to fifty miners, whose fees would amount to £50, in addition to the £1 paid by the Company on the whole claim, and thus the Native proprietors would be gainers under the leasing system m the proportion of £51 to £8 per annum. . , I am directed to report that if the substance of this Eeport was honestly and fairly explained to the Petitioners, the Committee are of opinion that the apprehensions of the Petitioners might be J. Ceaceoet "Wilson, C.8., 3rd August, 1869. Chairman.

[tEANSEATION.] He Kiipit tenei na Te Komiti kua ttjeia hei whakaaeoaeo i nga eitenga o nga Pttkapitka INOI E TTJKUA MAI ANA EI Te BITNANGA NtTI, MO EIJNGA I TE PITKAPUKA INOI O NGA TANGATA 13, E WHAt TAKE ANA XI TETAHI "WIIENTJA I HaUEAKI, I TE "W~HENTTA KOITEA ; E INOI ANA EATOTT KIA KATTA E WHAKAITIA NGA MONI O NGA MaINAEAITI, E XI ANA IIOKI EATOTT I WHAKABITEA E EATOTT KO Te MAKE TE EITENGA MO ATTA. MONI. E whakahe ana nga kai inoi, he tangata Maori anake, 13 ratou, mo te riihitanga o nga whenua i te whenua koura i Hauraki i runga i te Panui o Te Huparitene o Akarana. E whakaaro ana nga kai inoi ka iti iho te moni ma ratou i runga l te ntenga rnhi, i te mom c puta ana ki a ratou i runga i te ritenga o te mainaraiti. . Kua ata tirotirohia cTe Komiti te pukapuka whakaaetanga, kua oti nei te ta kite perehi, i tunia c nga kai inoi, c Te Make Komihana hold, a kua ata whakariteritea ki nga Ture whakahaere mo nga riihi kua oti na te Panui, a kahore i kitea c Te Komiti he take tika mo te pouri o nga kai moi l whakaaturia mai i roto ito ratou Pukapuka inoi kite Eunanga Nui. _ I runga i te ritenga c mau nei mo nga mainaraiti c utua ana c Te Kai whakahaere _ likanga o te Kawanatanga te pauna moni kotahi (£1) i ia tau, i ia tau mo te piihi whenua i runga i te toka Kiripaka c tapahi ana i runga i taua toka Kiripaka tona roa c 300 putu tona whanui c 50 putu. I runga ite ritenga riihi c tonoa ana kite tangata c riihi ana kia apititia kite £1 mo te tau kua utua c ia, nga moni kaua c iti iho i te £100 pauna moni i te tau mo nga kai mahi c whakanohoia ana ki runga ki ia piihi whenua c tae ana tona nui ki tera i whakaaturia i_ runga nei. Na, mehcmea c ono hereni me te hikipene ite rate utu mo to kai mahi i_ runga ite whenua koura, ara £101 8i te tau, ko taua £100 pauna rate utu mo te tangata kotahi, c utu ana ia ki Te Kaiwhakahaere tikanga oTe Kawanatanga te £1 ite tau kia pumau ai tana mainaraiti. Mehemea ka

REPORT OE THE PUBLIC PETITIONS COMMITTEE ON THE PETITION OP THIRTEEN- NATIVES OWNING LAfID AT THE THAMES GOLD EIELDS.