13

C—6.

He at first insisted on ss. and 2s. 6d. per acre. I felt no anxiety however about this matter, for the question of title having been settled, I knew the eventual purchasing of his interest was only a matter of time. After a day or two of patient waiting, during which time I received assistance and advice from Mr. Kemp, as to conceding to a higher price, I eventually concluded with Parore, with the concurrence of his people, to purchase his interest in the whole of the two blocks for the sum of £2,500; thus purchasing the entire interest in both blocks, containing 72,892 acres, for the sum of £4,500, being a fraction over Is. 2|-d. per acre. I also agreed to let Parore have a small reserve in the Maunganui of about 250 acres, being an eel fishery which is to be cut out of the block and a grant issued to him for the same. Parore then signed the deeds, upon which I paid him £2,400, which, together with the sum of £100 paid to Tiopira on his account, made the amount agreed on. Mangakahia Lands. These blocks are those the purchase of which was first negotiated for by Colonel McDonnell. The price originally arranged for was at 2s. 6d. per acre, and afterwards reduced to 2s. for such portion of the land as was kauri forest, and Is. 3d. for the balance of the land, excepting that the moneys which up to that time had been paid as deposit (which included a sum of £250 which had been advanced by a Mr. Wright, at Whangarei, on the orders of Colonel McDonnell, purporting to be given on behalf of the Government), amounting in all to £545 on the two blocks above named. I was not previously aware of the fact of there having been three prices agreed on. However, from the evidence of Mr. Nelson, Mr. Clendon, and Mr. Wright, who were present at the arrangement, together with the statement of the Natives, there is no doubt the agreement was as Te Wharepapa stated, although Colonel McDonnell only informed me of the two prices, 2s. 6d. and Is. 3d. per acre; so I carried out the agreement as stated by the parties present. Not being able to ascertain the actual acreage of the kauri forest contained in these blocks, I obtained information from reliable parties, and, with the concurrence of the owners, rated them as follows: — Kairara. Kauri forest, 7,500 acres, at 2s. ... ... ... ... £750 0 0 Land covering deposits, 1,960 acres, at 2s. 6d. ... ... ... 245 0 0 Balance, 17,346 acres, at Is. 3d. ... ... ... ... 1,084 2 6 Total ... ... ... ... ... £2,079 2 6 Opouteke. Kauri forest, 11,000 acres, at 2s. ... ... ... ... £1,100 0 0 Land covering deposits (including £250 paid by Wright), 2,400 acres, at 2s. 6d. . ' ... ... ... ... ... 300 0 0 Balance, rated at Is. 3d., 30,222 acres ... ... ... 1,888 17 6 Total ... ... ... ... ... £3,288 17 6 The owners being the same in each block, I, in order to make even money in each deed, transferred the odd 2s. 6d. from Kairara to Opouteke, making £2,079 for Kairara, and £3,289 for Opouteke. There may be some discrepancy in the acreage of Opouteke, as the Inspector of Surveys has sent a surveyor to go over one of the boundaries again; but the figures on which this calculation is based, I obtained from the Inspector, leaving the acreage in the deed blank for the correct figures, which, he tells me, will not vary much. The Natives understand this, and accept the figures. There is, however, one proviso in the deed, that a grant be issued to certain Natives for 50 acres at a portion marked out on the plan, being an old burial-place. This, as well as the reserve before mentioned in Maunganui, will be laid off and placed on the plans of the deeds before the same are deposited for registration. In addition to the sum of £3,289 paid to the Mangakahia Natives for Opouteke, I had also to pay a sum of £100 to a Native named Haurangi, to extinguish a claim he had to the block, which claim Te Wharepapa would not admit, although he had admitted it when the land went through the Court, Te Haurangi then leaving the matter in his hands. As this was likely to lead to some complication, I paid him the sum above-named, for which he agreed to dispose of any claim he might have. I consulted Mr. Kemp on this matter, and he quite concurred with me in the advisability of settling the matter in that manner. The price, therefore, of the Opouteke Block is £3,389, and is so stated in the vouchers and deed. Oue. This block is the old land claim purchased by the Government from the Eev. Charles Baker, and on which Mr. Brissenden has paid a sum of £125, in satisfaction of all Native claims on the surveyed portion of the same; it contains 3,968 acres. The title was passed by the Court without opposition, and a deed signed without any further payment. There is yet a sum of £35 outstanding on Mr. Baker's claim, which was paid by Mr. Brissenden, but the land which is to represent that sum has not yet been surveyed; it is situated on the south of the Oue, and named Opuhcte. Tou will observe in the vouchers a contingency voucher for a sum of £200, paid to Te Wharepapa for services as agreed on by Colonel McDonnell, which I was instructed by you to pay in the manner I have. The whole of these blocks being completed, I have done so.