WORKING 03? THE NATIVE LAND ACTS.

35

A.—No. 2a,

Rehearing. Does not think that rehearings can be dispensed with, but it should be for the Judge to determine whether they should be granted or not. Gazettes, Sfc. Gazettes and Maori newspapers should be circulated more generally amongst the Natives. None ever come to my hapu, or to Ngunguru, or to several other places along the coast. Ebtj Nehtja. Wieemu Pomare. —His father a Ngapuhi chief, and his mother a Ngatiraukawa woman of rank. (He is now training for Holy Orders.) The Maoris who understand English customs approve of the Native Land Court and the Judges, but why are these assessors appointed to sit beside the Judges? Most of them sit there and say nothing, because they know nothing ; they are like the pictures in a shop window, only put there to be looked at ; they ought to appoint only those men who are intelligent and understand English customs. Some of the useless ones have indeed been dismissed, but others have been sitting for years, and are no good. Wiremu Hikairo is a good assessor, for lie knows both English and Maori custom ; and Hare Wirikake cross-examines the witnesses ; but what does Eawiri Te Tahua know? Does he ever open his lips? Has he been told to be silent? Good assessors can be of great assistance to the Judges in different cases where Maori custom is in question, and it is easy enough to get good men, if they are sufficiently paid. I don't think £1 a day is enough ; it ought to be 30s. Juries. I would like to see the jury system carried out. In the Aroha case I would have got jurors from a distance, who would have been disinterested in the question. The expense would be the difficulty, but in important cases the parties concerned would be willing to pay it; a majority should decide tho verdict. It would not be easy to get Maoris who would be quite unprejudiced, but £1 per day would induce men to come from any distance. The Maoris don't at all approve of paying the fees of Court; these have only recently been insisted on ;we were not aware that it was laid down in the Act, I was one of the first Natives who passed land through the Court at Mahurangi; a block of 1,220 acres waa investigated by Mr. Rogan, but I did not pay any fees, and this seems to be a new custom. Those changes are not clear to us. Tho Maoris would like all the laws connected with Natives and their lands translated and circulated, as newspapers are amongst the Europeans. In the same way, what the Maori Members say in the Assembly should bo told to us. We know nothing of the laws, they are never sent to us ; they arc stowed away in the pigeon-holes of the Government, and wo never see them. Certificates and Crown Grants. "We do not approve of the limitation cf ten names to a Crown grant. Every owner's name should be in the Crown grant, and if they arc too numerous for convenience, the land should be subdivided before the Crown grants are issued. I quite expect to suffer loss, because my name was not inserted in the Crown grant for a block of 7,000 acres at Manawatu in which I have an interest. It is not all sold yet, but 1 feel sure that I shall not have my share of the money when it is. About 1,000 acres of it was sold to a European of the name of Nixon for £200, £100 of which ought to have been distributed amongst my wife, who was the principal claimant through her father (she is my cousin also), and my brother and sister, who had equal interests in the block with myself; but none of these names were in the grant, and we did not get one penny of the money. There is a block of 2,537 acres of land at Puhoi Mahurangi, near the Hot Spring;!, belonging to Te Hemara and thirty-one others ; it was heard in Court in January, 186G, and Te Hemara got tho Crown grant in his own name ; he has sold some portions of the land and mortgaged other parts, but the other owners have never received any portion of the money and have no redress. The Court was asked in the first instance to insert all the names of the thirty-one that were interested, but it was subsequently arranged that Te Hemera's name only should be inserted. I was present on the occasion; it was one of the first pieces of land adjudicated on by the Cnurt. Te Hemara also sold a piece of land of eight acres culled Orakorako, near Maliurangi, for which a certificate was granted to him alone at the same Court, and under similar circumstances he has sold the land and never gave the others a share of the money. The Pakehas often advise the Natives to get as few names as possible to a grant for the convenience of selling. I know that the law was amended on this point in 18C7, but I would not allow the ten grantees to lease the land until it had been subdivided. Claims. I object to any one person being able to demand an investigation for any block of land. Where many are concerned, no one man should make a claim without the consent of a majority of those interested. Surveyors. I have heard of several cases in which the surveyors have caused great trouble to the Natives. 1,220 acres of my land at Mahurangi was surveyed by Campbell ; he was to receive £2 per day, and the bill came to £33. I could not pay the money at once, and Campbell threatened to sell the land, and instructed a lawyer to demand the money, who said that the land should be sold if I did not pay it. I did pay it, and got my Crown grant, but it cost me a great deal of money. We had an agreement with the surveyor specifying the terms, and telling him that he might have to wait for his money, but it was not witnessed, and it was our own fault; but these things often happen, and Maoris get frightened when they are threatened with the law, and do as they are required. A good many Maoris are taken in by the surveyors. Patuone, of the Bay of Islands, was imposed upon about two years ago. The surveyor said he would do the work and wait for the payment until the land was sold, and now he demands payment. He should have ascertained before he commenced when the land was to be offered 10