I.—3b

1877. NEW ZEALAND.

NATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. (REPORT ON THE PETITION OF HORI KEREI TAIAROA, TOGETHER WITH THE MINUTES OF EVIDENCE THEREUPON.)

The petitioner requests that the Government will pay him the sum of £6,000, being the rent for the Princes Street Eeserve, Dunedin, previous to the period at which the grant was made to the Superintendent of Otago ; and also that interest be paid him for the time during which the said sum of £6,000 has been withheld. I am directed to report as follows : — That there appears to have been a misapprehension as to the full extent of the compromise effected by the payment of the sum of £5,000 to the Natives, and the two parties understood the agreement differently. That, under all the circumstances, it is highly desirable to remove all further grounds of complaint; and the Committee is of opinion that a further payment should be made to the Natives of the rents which had accrued prior to the issue of the Crown grant, or a reserve should be made of land to that value, for the benefit of the Natives interested. John Betce, Chairman.

Protest against the Report of the Committee by the Hon. Mr. Fox. Having been personally and intimately acquainted with all the circumstances of the case, from the date of the Otago purchase to the present time, including those particulars in connection with Mr. Mantell's mission to Otago, when he advised the reserve of the land in question, and having heard and read all the evidence taken before this Committee, I beg respectfully to enter my protest against the decision of the majority of the Committee, believing that the payment of £5,000 was intended by Sir Julius Vogel and Mr. Macandrew to be final; and that, if the agents for the Natives did not intend it so to be, they should not have concealed that fact, as it is stated in Mr. Izard's evidence that they did ; and that their clients are estopped by their action from any further claim beyond that which the Government understood to be settled by the payment. William Fox. I agree in the above. —J. Macajtdeew. 21st November, 1877.

MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. In re the' Petition of Mr. Taiaeoa, M.H.B. Mr. Taiaroa examined. 1. The Chairman,] This is a petition which you have caused to be presented to the House of Representatives. Do you want to make any statement to the Committee in support of the prayer?—I have no direct evidence to give. I can only state what I heard. 2. Can the direct evidence be procured ? —Tes ; the evidence of the persons named in the petition can be obtained. I can only state my belief. I could make a statement, but that might not perhaps be accepted as correct evidence. 3. You can make a statement, and indicate any evidence you propose to call. Although I have an objection to taking evidence like that, where direct evidence can be given, still I do not wish to shut you out, Mr. Taiaroa, from making a statement to the Committee. I would prefer that you would take that course. Make a statement, therefore, and indicate any evidence you are likely to bring forward. Will you begin by making it clear to the Committee what you want—what you want the £6,000 for ? —What I ask for is the sum of £6,000, with interest added, being accrued rents up to the time the Governor executed a grant of this land to the Superintendent. That sum of £6,000, before I—l. 3b.