J.—7

2

6. That the Government also some years ago sent people about the country, asking us questions, and telling us about this new law of the Government, and we told these people of all the miseries and evils which had befallen us because of the work of your Native Land Courts, and your lawyers and interpreters. 7. That the Government, if its thoughts had been just and fair to the Maori people, would long ago have come to our assistance, and made for us a law which should be fair in its operation and easily understood. 8. That we arc afraid that at this sitting of the Parliament the promising-work of the Government will begin again, and we shall be told pleasant things about this new law of theirs, but shall not see the law made. 9. That we are grieved because of this deception and promise-making of the Government, and therefore request that the Parliament will turn their thoughts to us, and demand from the Government that these should be made good. 10. That only those portions of the Maori people who have fought for the Europeans, and have dwelt quietly under the laws made by the Parliament, have suffered injury; for we, believing that the law about the land was good, have had our lands surveyed and put into Crown grants, because we were told that our lands would thereby be secured to us under the niana of the Queen ; and now nearly all those lands are mortgaged or sold, and we the Maoris are left poor and without lands. 11. That if we had not trusted in the laws of the Europeans, but like the rebel or " King" natives had remained holding on to our lands under our Maori customs, those lands would still be in our possession, and would not have gone for debts and drink, and for small sums of money, to deceitful Europeans. 12. That even now it would be better that the work of the Law Courts should cease altogether unless the laws are made better than they now are. Wherefore we ask the Parliament to do away with the bad laws now in force, and to place in their stead a good law which shall be capable of being understood, and under which the evil work of swallowing up lands by debts and drink and mortgages — of going to the grantees one by one, and not speaking to them all together —of leaving us in the hands of the lawyers and interpreters of tho European purchasers, and all these other evils, —may be put an end to. [Here follow 371 signatures.] Ki te Whakaminenga o Niu Tireni e noho nei i te Paremata. Tenei Pitihana, no matou nga tangata Maori e mau nei o matou ingoa i raro ake nei, no Haaka Pei no Wairarapa, no te Wairoa—no Turanganui, e whakaatu ana, — 1. I roto i nga Tau tuamaha kua pahure atu nei i mate nga tangata maori i te rawakore, i te kino, ko te take ko te he, ko te whakapoauau me te mahi whakahipahipa a te ture mo nga whenua maori. 2. Ko te ture mataati i hangaa, hei tukunga mai i te karaati o nga whenua mo nga tangata maori, i muri tata iho i tera ka turuki mai he ture muri iho he ture ano a muri rawa iho he ture ano, ko ia ture me ia ture whakariro ke ana i era o mua, a tae noa ki tenei takiwa e kore rawa e taea te mohio i te peheatanga o nga ture e whakahaerea ana mo nga whenua maori. 3. Na nga ture e mau tonu i whakaputa i nga kino ka tuhia iho nei a i whakatupu hoki i te mate mo nga iwi tangata maori. Tuatahi. I te timatanga, pau ana nga whenua, i te utu mo te ruritanga mo te Kooti, mo nga karaati mo nga roia me nga kai whakamaori me era atu utu, a koia ano i iti rawa iho ai te whenua e toe nei kia matou. Tuarua. He torutoru nga ingoa tangata i tuhia ki roto i nga karaati o nga whenua uunui, a e kore hoki e tiakina te mana o te iwi nona ake te whenua, no te kore maunga o ratau ingoa i te karaati, koia hoki, ka taea te reti, me te whakatina me te hoko i te whenua, e nga tangata i te karaati hei painga mo ratou ake ano katahi tenei mahi i mohiotia i whakaaetia e nga tangata o waho me te kore o ratou uruki nga moni i putu mai i te reti i te hoko ranei. Tuatoru. He tini te tangata e mau nei to ratou ingoa ki nga karaati a e kore hoki e rite tonu to ratou take ki te whenua, he nui to tetahi he iti to etahi, e kore hoki te ture e ata rapu marire i te take o ia tangata o ia tangata i roto i te karaati kua oti ke te whenua te reti ki te pakeha penei i muri i te reti ka hokona te wahi o etahi, ka puritia to etahi, akuanei, e kore e taea te rapu i te wahi o nga tangata kahore i hokona to ratou whenua. Tuawha. He huarahi mama tenei mo nga tangata kuare e whai whenua ana kia hokona nga whenua a e kore hoki era atu tangata e whakaarohia. Tuarima. Kihai hoki i ata oti marire tetahi ritenga, hei whakapumau kia matou nga kupu whakahaere me nga kupu whakamarama o nga pakeha mohio me nga pakeha e kore nei e uru ki te hoko whenua, tatemea kei te takiwa e tuhituhi ano i o ratou ingoa ki nga pukapuka tuku whenua, heoi nei te whakamaramatanga ko to nga pakeha pu ano e kaika ana kia mau nga ingoa o nga tangata ki te pukapuka tuku i te whenua. Tuaono. E kore e whakaarohia he ritenga e tika ai te utu mo te whenua ina ka hokona, retia ranei, noho kuare ana hoki nga tangata maori ki te take e koni ai te utu mo te whenua koia ratou ka riro tonu ai i te whakawai ki te reti ki te hoko ranei i te whenua, ko te utu ia he utu iti rawa iho i te utu e paingia e ratou i to ratou hokohoko whakapakeha. Tuawhitu. He mea ano ka tapoko te ingoa o tetahi tamaiti wahine marcna ranei, pena ka haere noa atu te kai whakamaori ki taua tamaiti, wahine ranei meinga ai kia tuhia tona ingoa a e hara nei hoki tenei i te tikanga mo nga wahine me nga tamariki pakeha. Tuawaru. E kore etahi whenua e tohungia, hei nohoanga hei oranga ano mo nga tangata maori inahoki he tokomaha nga tangata kua pau rawa atu to ratou whenua a kahore rawa nei he piihi hei nohoanga mona hei mahinga ranei mana.