97

G.—7

REPORT on CASE No. XXIV. Htjeamtja No. 2 and No. 3.—Tiaki Kainga, Complainant. Grants have been issued for this land by the Native Land Court to ten persons. Tiaki Kainga made an application to the Commissioners to have the case of this land investigated. The complainant and his witness gave evidence at length, of which the following is a precis: — 1. This land was sold to a European named Joseph Carroll. 2. All the grantees executed the deed of sale. 3. That European asked that that land should be given up to him, that he might look after it for them all. 4. The complainant and other grantees obtained a large quantity of goods from that European. 5. The hapu were very angry. 6. The alienation of the land was restricted at the time of the Court. Mr. Joseph Carroll appeared and gave evidence on his side. Part of what he said agrees with Nos. 1, 2, and 4of the evidence of the complainant. He said nothing on Nos. 3 and 5. On No. 6, he said: After the land had been ceded to him, and after all the grantees had signed the conveyance, then the complainant applied to the Chief Judge of the Court to have restrictions placed on the alienation of the land. On hearing the evidence of the defendant on part 6 of the evidence of the complainant and his party, the Commissioner sent a query to the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court; and his reply agreed with part of the evidence of the defendant given before the Commissioners. Our opinion in this case is: — 1. The sale of this land to Mr. Joseph Carroll was perfectly correct. 2. We do not know the reason why the European said that that land should be given to him to take care of for them all. The Judge of the Native Land Court who heard the case at the time of the investigation of the title to this land knew why the names of all the members of the hapu interested in the land, according to Maori custom, were not written down. It is correct that the alienation of this land was not restricted by law at the time the case was heard before the Native Land Court, but long after the parties had executed the deed of conveyance. Parliament will know what should be done in such a case. Wiremu Hikairo, Commissioner. WiEEJir Te Wheoeo, Commissioner.

No. XXlV.—Htjbamita, No. 2, No. 3.—Tiaki Kainga, Kaitono. Kua whakaputaina he Karaati mo tenei whenua c te Kouti Whenua Maori ki nga tangata kotalii tekau. I tuku tono niai a Tiaki Kainga ki nga Komihana kia wliakawakia taua whenua. He maha nga korero a te Kaitono whakawa raua ko tona kai korero i whakaatu ai heoi, ko nga tino kupu enei o roto i a raua korero : — 1. Ko tenei whenua kua oti te hoko ki tetahi pakeha ko Te Okara te ingoa. 2. I tuhi katoa nga tangata kotalii tekau o roto i te Karaati i o ratou ingoa ki roto i te pukapuka hoko. 3. I ki taua pakeha me tuku atu taua whenua ki a ia tiaki ai mo ratou tahi. 4. He maha nga taouga o taua pakeha i riro kite Kaitono whakawa ratou ko era atu o te Karaati. 5. He nui te riri o te hapu. 6. He whenua here c Te Ture i te wa ano i Koutitia. Itu hoki aTe Okara kite whakaatu korero mo tona taha. Ko etahi o ana korero c rite ana kite waahi 1, 2, & 4 o nga korero a te Kaitono whakawa, ko te 3 & 5 kihai te Kaikaro i whai kupu. Engari ko te G i kiia c ia, no muri i te tukunga o taua whenua ki a ia me te tuhinga hoki o nga ingoa katoa o nga tangata o te Karaati kite pukapuka hoko, katahi te Kaitono whakawa ka tuhi pukapuka atu kite Tumuaki o te Kouti Whenua Maori kia herea taua whenua. Na i runga i te korero a te Kaikaro i whakaatu mai ai mo te waahi tua Go te korero a to Kaitono whakawa ratou ko tona taha, ka tukua he patai ma nga Komihana mo taua mea kite Tumuaki o te Kouti Whenua Maori, a ko tana whakahokinga mai, c rite ana tetahi waahi ki nga korero a te Kaikaro whakawa i whakaatu mai ai kite Kooti. Heoi ko a maua whakaaro mo runga i nga korero mo tenei whenua : — 1. Kua tika rawa te hokonga o tenei whenua kia Te Okara. 2. Kaore maua i mohio kite take hei kiinga ma te Pakeha me tuku taua whenua ki a ia tiaki ai mo ratou tahi. Ko te Kaiwhakawa o te Kouti Whenua Maori nana i whakawa taua whenua i mohio i te wa i whakawa ai ia i tenei whenua kite take i kore ai c tuhia katoatia nga ingoa o nga tangata o te hapu c pa ana ki taua whenua i runga i te tikanga Maori. He tika, kihai taua whenua i herea c te ture i te ra tonu o te whakawakanga a te Kouti Whenua Maori, engari no muri ke iho o te tuhituhinga a nga tangata i o ratou ingoa ki roto i te pukapuka hoko. Ko te Paremata c mohio kite tikanga mo taua tv mea. WiitEHtr Hikairo, Komihana. Wieemtj Te Wheoeo, Komihana.