35

G.—s

from them, to obtain authority from me to have a survey of lands which they wished to pass through the Native Land Court. They frequently communicated with the surveyor, and made their own bargain ■with him ; but authority was obtained from me. I met Mr. Heale here in February, 1875. It was then arranged for him to take over all surveys then pending, and from that date things were to be done in accordance with the Act. [Letter put in from Mr. Heale to Judge Eogan, 24th February, 1877. This letter spoke of irregularities which had taken place in respect of surveys, and stated that Mr. Heale would do the best he could by authorizing them ex post facto. Letter missing.] I first became acquainted with Mr. Wilson as Land Purchase Officer in this district about January or February, 1875. Before that I only knew him as negotiating for the Government the blocks of Motu and Waikohu Matawai, in the Bay of Plenty District, which blocks partly overlapped the watershed into this district. In a letter to the Government, of 24th June, 1874, Mr. Wilson says that the Natives on the coast between the Bay of Plenty and Poverty Bay are becoming desirous to lease their lands, that this movement has manifested itself within the last few weeks, and he thinks it should be encouraged. I infer from that, that Mr. Wilson had not then begun negotiations here. Up to the beginning of 1875 I had never been officially informed that Mr. Wilson was Land Purchase Officer in this district, nor had any applications of his for surveyors ever come under my notice. I may have met Mr. Wilson in the manner stated by him in 1874 relative to his negotiations for the Waingaromia Blocks, but I did not know he held the office of Land Purchase Officer for this district until the early part of 1875. I saw Mr. Wilson on my arrival from Napier in February, 1875. That is the beginning of my official intercourse with him. He mentioned several blocks of land he was engaged in negotiating. The surveys of Waingaromia and Tuakau were authorized by mo before that: I think it was towards the end of 1873. About that time I told Mr. Campion that there would probably be a good many surveys to be done in this district, and that I should like him to do them ; but I told him I had then no authority to employ him. Mr. Campion did survey some other blocks, but not Waingaromia. Mr. Eaffie completed that survey. [Mr. Locke read his letter, 25th May, 1875: to be received as evidence.] i The arrangements referred to in my letter just read were made before the arrival of the Native Minister i in April, 1875, and not in consequence of any instructions from him. I told him of the arrangements, and ' he approved of them. I feel sure that when Mr. Wilson mentioned the lands for which he was negotiating in February, 1875, I must have told him that surveys had already been authorized for some of them. Whether he knew where the blocks were Ido not know. I remember informing Mr. Wilson of the new arrangement in a conversation in his office. There must have been frequent conversations about it. The application for surveys (Mr. Wilson's applications) were not customarily sent through me after this. I acted on the arrangement by sending notice to Mr. Wilson of all such applications. [Mr. Locke read his memorandum of 25th August, 1876, on Mr. Wilson's report: to be i received as evidence.] There is one correction I have to make in that memorandum. I was informed ■ that Mr. Campbell was to act as District Officer at the Courts at Tolago Bay and Waiapu ; but I have since been informed that Captain Porter acted as stated by Mr. Wilson. [Mr. Wilson's evidence on the conversation with Messrs. Locke and Eead was read to the witness.] Up to a short time previous to that conversation, Mr. Wilson's office was in Captain Eead's store. At that time Cooper as well as Wilson was negotiating for getting the matter settled iu the easiest way. I did not urge the payment of any large sum of money. I mentioned my views upon it to the Native Minister, and he approved. I believe at that time Captain Head was bond fide endeavouring to get Cooper bought out. Ido not think at that time he was directly interested. He thought it desirable the thing should be settled, and the land obtained by Government. I did not understand that any payment was to be made to Captain Eead, except perhaps what he may have advanced to Cooper. Cooper's demand was so exorbitant that we all agreed it could not be complied with. The fact referred to by Mr. Wilson that the lands on the Ngatiporou side were gazetted in February, 1876, without any evil arising, I attribute to the adoption of the course recommended by me —that the boundaries of rival parties should be surveyed, and the case determined by the Native Lands Court. The Court began to sit at Gisborne on the 18th June, and continued sitting up to the 31st July. Waingaromia was down for hearing on the 18th June (notice dated 14th May), in the Kahiti. The block there mentioned did not include all the land surveyed under that name. I believe it was put off from day to day to see if that could be rectified in any way, but the Natives pressed for a hearing. I think the notice sent by telegram was simply for the purpose of getting an amended description of the land. I had some conversation with Mr. Wilson about this time. He complained that his blocks were not taken altogether. He said if the hearing took place now his case would be prejudiced. I agreed, and told him the intention was to get the case formally before the Court, and then adjourn it, so as to give him time to get in his applications, so that the cases would be heard altogether. The other parties had their claims gazetted first. I believe the intention to get a fresh order for hearing to amend the former one was announced in open Court. After my explanation, Mr. Wilson went to Wellington. The adjournment was always intended, and was not in any way caused by any communication to me from Wellington. Mr. Wilson telegraphed to the Natives to Wellington to say that he had arranged for an adjournment. I complained of this to the Native Minister. I received a reply from Mr. Clarke. [Telegram put in, 28th July, 1875.] I attribute the difficulty in Wainga- ± romia case to Mr. Wilson's neglect in getting the applications gazetted. If the applications for 1 Parariki and Arakihi had been gazetted, I, as District Officer, should have informed the Court that there was a counter-claim. I did bring that under the notice of the Court iu respect to the blocks then down for hearing. It was understood that the case would be adjourned, and so Mr. Wilson's Natives did not, all of them, remain throughout the sitting. The amended order of hearing in manuscript included those blocks. They were afterwards gazetted again, on Mr. Wilson's application, in January, 1876, for hearing on the 10th March, at Wai-o-matatini. Had they been called at that Court, I suppose the hearing would have been adjourned until the sth April, when the cases adjourned on the 29th July, 1875, were 1o be heard. The usual plan is to send in applications for hearing immediately on entering into negotiations for land. The Court of the 29th July was adjourned to the sth April, at Tolago Bay, where Mr. Wilson's 5—G. 5.

See Appendii, No. 43.

See Part 1., Sub-enclosure 4 to Enclosure in No. 3.

See Part 1., No. 3.

Appendii, No. 44.