9

G.—s.

No. 3. Botokawa purchase. No. 4. Taharua purchase. No. 5. Oruanui lease. No. 6. Eunanga No. 2 lease. No. 7. Block from Ngatiwhakaue purchase. No. 8. „ Patuai purchase. No. 9. „ Ngatipikeao purchase. No. 10. „ Ngatikereru purchase. No. 11. „ Ngatimanawa purchase. No. 12. „ Ngatiraukawa purchase. No. 13. „ Ngatitu purchase. No. 14. „ Ngatirangiteaorere purchase. No. 15. „ Ngatiuenukopako purchase. No. 16. „ Ngatituwharetoa purchase. The blocks all but completed are, —■ No. 1. Eunanga No. 1 lease. No. 2. Paeroa lease. No. 3. Parekarangi lease. No. 4. Te Tatua East and AVest lease. No. 5. Heruiwi and Pukahunui lease. No. 6. Tawhitinui and Otuhangu lease. No. 7. AVhakarewa lease. No. 8. Kaikokopu lease. No. 9. Te Puke purchase. No. 10. Paengaroa purchase. No. 11. Kaikopu purchase. No. 12. AVaitahanui purchase. Negotiations regarding the following blocks have been initiated, and advances paid thereon, but their settlement is more remote:— No. 1. Owhitiura and Whakarewarewa lease. No. 2. Te Koutu lease. No. 3. Eotohokahoka purchase. No. 4. Te Pokohu lease. No. 5. Kaingaroa Upper and Lower lease, including certain lands abutting on Eotomahana. It will be observed that no reference is made to monetary matters in this paper, that part of our work having been, at my request, intrusted, from the commencement of our negotiations, solely to Mr. Mitchell, who will transmit to you his report, containing the whole of the information required on this subject. In conclusion, it may be remarked that, throughout the Bay of Plenty and Lake Districts at the present juncture, the utmost confidence in the Government scheme with respect to land purchases and leases is expressed by the tribes generally. I have, &c, H. T. Clarke, Esq., Under Secretary, Wellington. C. 0. Dayis.

No. 4. Captain Porteb, Gisborne, to the Undee Secbetaet, Native Department. Sic, — Gisborne, sth June, 1876. I have the honor to furnish the following report of my land-purchase transactions for the year ended the 31st May, 1876 :— By reference to the Schedule attached hereto, it will be seen that a total area of 324,011 acres is under offer and negotiation, 142,622 acres is shown in course of completion and prices fixed, and 181,389 acres under offer, but for which negotiations have been deferred, pending the investigation of the several titles by the Native Lands Court, and for which prices have not yet been arranged. The AVaitahaia and Aorangi AVai Blocks, representing a total of 59,252 acres, have passed the Court during the last month, and were in each case adjudged to the hapus and persons with whom I had dealt in my preliminary negotiations. The deeds of conveyance for these blocks have been signed, and with the exception of a few signatures required from grantees at a distance, are now complete. The authority for survey of the other blocks has been issued by Mr. Baker, Deputy Inspector of Surveys, and at the next sittings of the Lands Court I trust to be able to report a very large area of land passing through on Government account. In my negotiations for the past year, I have found it necessary to depart, in one or two instances, from the generally existing systems of land purchase throughout the island, and I take the liberty of pointing out their disadvantages. The first is the payment of advance, or earnest money, on lands before the title to them has been adjudged by the Native Lands Court. I found that in almost every case there were two parties, claimants and counter-claimants, and the onus of deciding the right of one or other of these fell to the Purchase Officer, a responsibility that he should not incur at the risk of wrongfully paying away Government money, which, apart from other reasons, determined me to ask the Government to allow of my discontinuing payments of this nature within my district, and which request was willingly approved by you. The next subject is that of surveys. I have instituted the system of throwing the onus of this upon the Natives, by arranging with them the price per acre, less the cost of survey. I have found this a very good precautipp, as, knowing they have to pay, the Natives are careful not to cause delays, 2.— G. 5.