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240. Does that imply that more would have voted at the Court House or school-house? —I think - probably more would have voted at the Court House. 241. Mr. Lumsden.] What was the advertised hour at which the poll was to take place?—At 10 o'clock. 242. How many miles is your house from the polling-place ? —Four miles. 243. I think you stated in effect that the floods did not prevent you reaching the polling-booth ?— I had just crossed the river before it became impassable. 244. And you cannot say, absolutely, that the floods prevented people from recording their votes at the Court House ? —No ; I cannot say positively. 245. Hon. Mr. Stafford.] What was the name of the river flooded ? —The Waiapu. 246. Tou live on the north side?—Tes. 247. Tou think if you had held the poll at the proper place the state of the river might probably have prevented some of those who went to the Court House from attending the school-house. And you are not aware what number attended at the school-house—the proper place ?—I have no idea. I did not hear at all. 248. Did you not make inquiries when you came back ? —No. It w ras so many days afterwards that it slipped from my memory. 219. How far was that from the Kawakawa ? —About fifteen or sixteen miles. 250. Are you prepared to give evidence to the Committee as to why a poll was not taken at Kawakawa?—The only reason I know is that my son, being the only person I could get to go there, was hurt the day previous whilst hunting some horses, and on the morning of the day he was to have proceeded there, found he could not walk over the hills, which it was necessary to pass on foot. 251. Who appointed you Deputy Eeturning Officer? —Mr. Locke. 252. Who appointed your son?—l did, at Mr. Locke's request. He asked me if I could appoint a person, and my son being the only European I could get, I deputed him to do the work. 253. Is it in accordance with the electoral law for a Deputy Eeturning Officer to appoint a person to take a poll ? —I am not acquainted with the law on that point. But those were the instructions given me by Mr. Locke. 254. Have you any personal knowledge of the Kawakawa District? —Tes, I have been there frequently. 255. Was there anything in the state of the weather to flood the streams iv the neighbourhood of Kawakawa, besides the Waiapu Eiver, to prevent voters from getting to Waiapu? —I think not, in the early part of the day, but there might have been in the afternoon of that day. I am not quite aware of the amount of rain that fell at Kawakaw ra. 256. What streams are iv the neighbourhood of Kawakawa ? —The Kawakawa, which takes its rise from Hikurangi, and comes down very rapidly. There are also one or two other streams. 257. Kawakawa is accessible to a considerable number of persons who might have voted ?— Tes. 258. Can you give a rough estinpate of the possible number who might have voted there ? —Well, I think I may say from 250 to 300. Taking the whole neighbourhood of Kawakawa, I should certainly say there are quite as many. 259. And these people did not vote anywhere else ?- -No. 260. Mr. Tole.] How many voters do you think are at Kawakawa? —Altogether? 261. No ; in the district itself? —There might be perhaps from 150 to 200 —that is, including Hicks' Bay, the people of which would have voted. There are a greater number of votes at the latter place than at Kawakawa. There is also another settlement called Horoera. 262. How many are there there ?—About fifty or sixty. 263. Is there not another settlement called Maruhou ?—Tes. 264. How many are there ? —About forty. 265. They would have voted at Kawakawa ?—Tes. 266. Have you ever seen statistics as to the numbers of voters in the different places named ?— I have frequently, on former occasions, taken as nearly as possible the names of those who could vote. 267. Did you prepare a list? —I did not actually prepare lists, but they have been sent to me by different chiefs, and I have sometimes collected them myself. 268. Eor publication in the Journals of the House ?—I do not know what their destination was. I forwarded them to Mr. Locke. 269. Mr. Lumsden.] Were you aware of any list of voters prepared at the last election, Mr. Campbell ?—The only thing I am aware of was a desire on my part to inform the Natives how to proceed on polling-day, without which information I felt sure the officer- would be delayed in making explanations on the day of polling. I employed an intelligent Native to go round explaining how they were to give their votes. That was what 1 directed him to do. 270. Mr. Macandrew.] I should like to know whether the population of this district is increasing. Can you tell me ?—lt is not decreasing, but I do not think it is increasing very much. 271. Because you stated just now that there might be from 250 to 300 voters there ; and I see by the return sent in by you some time ago, that the numbers are very muoh less, being eighty altogether in three different districts, namely, Kawakawa, Horoera, and Maruhou ? —There is one reason for that I can state. In taking a census of Natives, you find that they move about from one settlement to another, the distances between them varying from fifty to one hundred miles ; and it is very difficult to arrive at the actual numbers belonging to these places. It is impossible, I mean, to get an accurate census, and therefore I endeavour to get as closely as possible to the numbers I may find at the time. 272. The return here shows that of Maoris, fifteen years and upwards, there were eighty-five at Kawakawa, ten at Maruhou, and twenty at Horoera. I understand from you that had your son been sound in his limbs, a poll would have beeu taken at Kawakawa? —Certainly. 273. Were you aware at the time that the election would be invalid, no poll having been taken there ?—At the time I certainly felt it was a most annoying occurrence, especially as 1 had no means of putting any oue in his place ; but I was not aware that it would render the election invalid.

Mr. J. H. Campbell.

26th July, 1876'