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1878. NEW ZEALAND. PETITION OF JAMES MACKINTOSH AND SON (PAPERS RELATING TO THE ACTION TAKEN ON THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency. No. 1. Petition of James Mackintosh and Son. To the House of Eepresentatives of New Zealand in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of the undersigned showeth, — That three years ago your petitioner and his son selected each 200 acres under the deferred-pay ment system in the Southland District. The land was unsurveyed, and nearly two years elapsed before survey was completed, and license issued. In the meantime we had to pay the half-yearly instalments regularly, notwithstanding we were kept out of possession of the land. Having made arrangements to reside constantly on the land, by building a comfortable house and putting up fencing, we had determined to cultivate and put under crop about two-thirds of the allotment this season, September. That the Board having revoked the license on the ground alleged, that the conditions of residence were not fully complied with, your petitioners crave your honorable House to inquire into the harsh treatment they have received at the hands of the Board, and to give such redress as may be thought proper. And your petitioners will ever pray, &c. James Mackintosh, (for Self and Son.)

No. 2. Public Petitions Committee Eeport on the Petition of James Mackintosh and Son. The petitioners complain of the action of the Southland Waste Lands Board in cancelling their license to occupy land on deferred payments, on the ground of not having complied with the conditions. They pray for inquiry and redress. The Committee have examined James Mackintosh, one of the petitioners, and also two members of the Waste Lands Board, and it appears that the license in question was cancelled because the Board considered that the petitioners were evading the condition of personal residence. The petitioners ask for independent inquiry, and state that they would pay the costs if the result of such inquiry was adverse to their interest. I am directed to report that the Committee recommend that a Commission of impartial persons be appointed to inquire into petitioners' case, with power to take evidence on oath, whose decision shall be final; and, in the event of the petitioners failing to prove to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that they complied with the conditions of personal occupation within the meaning of subsection 4 of section 54 of " The Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872," the cost of such inquiry be paid by petitioners. Thomas Kelly, 26th October, 1877. Chairman.

No. 3. Eoyal Commission to Charles Dudley Eobert Ward, Esq., and a District Judge, and to James Stewart Shanks, Esq., to inquire into the Petition of James Mackintosh and Son. To all to whom these presents shall come, and to Charles Dudley Eobert Ward, Esq. and a District Court Judge, and James Stewart Shanks, Esq., Chairman of the Southland County Council, greeting. Whereas one James Mackintosh, of Invercargill, in the Provincial District of Otago, on behalf of himself and his son, has presented a petition to the House of Eepresentatives, setting forth, amongst other things, that three years ago petitioner and his son selected each 200 acres of land, under the deferred-payment system, in the Southland District; and that the Southland waste lands Board have revoked the license or licenses issued to the said petitioners on the alleged ground that the conditions of residence were not fully complied with, and the petitioners craved the honorable House to inquire into the harsh treatment they had received at the hands of the Board, and to give such redress as might be thought proper: I—o. 3.