1.—3

11

[Tbanslation.] Te Pukapuka-inoi a Hapi Hinaki me ona Hoa 207. E tono ana nga kai-inoi kia whakakorea te ture c tuku nei i te waipiro kia hokona i roto i nga takiwa Maori, kia whai mana hoki nga Komiti me nga Ateha Maori kite pehi i te mahi hoko i taua wai. Kua whakahaua ahau kia ki penei atu kite Whare : — E mea ana te Komiti kia tino whakaarohia paitia c te Whare te tono a nga kai-inoi, ana tae kite wa c whiriwhiria ai te Ture whakahaere i nga Raihana Waipiro. Hepetema 24, 1878.

No. 130.—Petition of John Topi Patttei. The petitioner states that he is a chief of the Ngaitahu and Ngatimamoe Tribes, and has been selected to manage their affairs; that a large portion of the South Island sold by the Ngatitoa Tribe to the Queen really belonged to the petitioner and the Tribes Ngaitahu, Ngatimamoe, Rangitane, and Ngatikuia ; and further that these tribes have received no payment or other consideration therefor. The petitioner enters into a long statement regarding the Native intertribal wars by which, as the Ngatitoa chiefs alleged to the Government, they had acquired a title to the land by conquest —an allegation the correctness of which, however, the petitioner denies, stating that, on the contrary, his tribes were victorious. He prays for inquiry, consideration, and relief. I am directed to report as follows: — That the Committee are of opinion that, if the complex questions of Native title raised by the petition are to be inquired into exhaustively, it must be done by a different tribunal from a Select Parliamentary Committee, whose time is manifestly far too limited for such a purpose. The Committee are not prepared to express an opinion as to whether such an inquiry should be held or not, but recommend that it should receive the attention of the Government. 25th September, 1878.

[Translation.] Te Pukapuka-inoi a John Topi Patuki. E ki ana te kai-inoi he rangatira ia no nga Iwi o Ngaitahu me Ngatimamoe a kua whakaritea ia hei whakahaere i o ratou tikanga ; ko tetahi wahi nui o te Waipounamu i hokona c Ngatitoa kite Kuini, na te kai-inoi me nga Iwi Ngaitahu, Ngatimamoe, Rangitane, me Ngatikuia a kahore enei iwi i whiwhi kite utu ki tetahi atu tikanga ranei mo taua whenua. I maha nga korero ote kai-inoi mo nga pakanga o nga iwi Maori i whai take ai nga rangatira o Ngatitoa kite whenua i runga i to ratou toa ki to ratou ki ia kite Kawanatanga, c whakahe ana te kai-inoi ki enei kupu c kii ana ia ko ona iwi i toa. E inoi ana ia kia tirotirohia kia whakaarohia kia whakaorangia ia. Kua whakahaua ahau kia ki penei atu kite Whare : — Ko te whakaaro o te Komiti mehemea ka tino tirotirohia nga putake raruraru o nga take Maori kua whakahuatia c te pitihana ehara i te mea ma te Komiti whiriwhiri o te Paremete c mahi kahore hoki he taima hei mahi i nga mea pera. E kore te Komiti c ahei te whakapuaki kupu me pehea ranei me pehea ranei, engari c ki ana ma te Kawanatanga c whakaaro. September 25, 1878.

No. 181. —Petition of Keita Waebe. The petitioner (Mrs. Wyllie) prays that her name may be inserted in the list of names for the ownership of Waimate, at Poverty Bay, so that she may derive some benefit from the rents of her land. I am directed to report as follows: — It appears to the Committee that with regard to the petition a question of some difficulty is raised. In order to satisfy the claims of loyal Natives in the Poverty Bay District to confiscated territory, a block of land known as the Waimata Reserve, and containing 4,214 acres, was restored by Proclamation under the provisions of "The East Coast Act, 1868." In this Proclamation the names of twenty-three persons are recited, and the question which the petitioner seems desirous of raising is, whether these twenty-three persons have an exclusive right to the benefits derived from the reserve, or whether they are to be merely regarded as trustees for a krgcr number of Natives entitled to participate in the rents and profits derivable from it. Erom the evidence of Mr. Locke it seems certain that the persons whose names are set forth in the Proclamation were selected as the representatives of a large number of people, and that they ought therefore to be regarded as trustees. But the Committee do not think it desirable, even if they were competent to do so, that they should express an opinion as to whether the legal position of those people is what the Committee believe it ought to be. The Committee commend the subject-matter of the petition to the consideration of the Government. 27th September, 1878.

[Translation.] Te Pukapuka-inoi a Keita Waere. E tono ana a Keita Waere kia whakaurua tona ingoa ki roto kite rarangi ingoa o nga tangata o Waimata i Turanga kia puta ai ki a ia tetahi painga i roto i taua whenua. Kua whakahaua ahau kia ki penei atu kite Whare : — Ko te whakaaro a te Komiti he mea ahu raruraru tenei. I whakahokia tetahi whenua ko Waimata te ingoa tona nui c 4,214 eka, hei whakaea i nga tono a nga tangata i piri pono kite Kuini, i runga ite mana o tetahi Panuitanga i whakaputaia i runga i nga ritenga o "TeTure mo te Tai Rawhiti, 1868." E