G.—2.

tions at stream-crossings. The country generally is of good quality, but the bush is very dense. In some places the soil appears very rich and deep; and, generally speaking, the road Avill open up a first-class country for bush-farmers." This " Hursthouse line " is now being connected with the main coast-road by the four cross-lines we recommended through the forest across the Plains: and there can now be no doubt of the success that will attend a series of small-farm settlements in that back country. We now feel justified in increasing our estimate of the available land in the Waimate Plains Division by the whole area comprised between the nine-mile and the six-mile radii, and the effect of this addition on our estimate of last March Avill be this :— Acres. The total area of Waimate Plains division is ... ... ... 146,000 Deducting the land inside six-mile radius as unavailable ... ... 16,000 There remain ... ... ... ... 130,000 Erom this we have to take — Manaia's and Hone Pihama's Eeserves ... ... 3,000 Cultivations on the Piain (estimated) ... ... 300 The Continuous Eeserve ... ... ... 25,000 28,300 Leaving... ... ... ... 101,700 As it is a condition of the Continuous Reserve that the compensation awards that were to be located between Omuturangi and Kaupukunui shall merge in it, there is no deduction to be made on that ground from the aA railable area on the Plains. There will, then, remain to us on the Plains about 20,000 acres of firstclass open land, and nearly 82,000 of first-class forest land, besides 16,000 acres inside the six-mile radius to the top of the mountain. 4. Patea, Division, from Stratford to Waitotara. All the good land on the Coast in this subdivision has long been occupied. There is some good land in the surveyed districts at Ngaire and the Mountain Road, as well as in the Moumahaki Block; but it is all forest, and until roads are made is therefore not attractive to settlers. We could not terminate our inquiry into the matters that were brought before us in this division, because we found it impossible to get on in the absence of a mass of records known as the "Worgan Papers," Avhile to keep the large number of Natives much longer Avho attended our sittings, would have caused great expense and waste of time. We therefore promised the Natives that, if Ave had Your Excellency's permission, we would return there to complete our inquiry; and our scrutiny of the Worgan papers has since convinced us that there are things which, for the credit of the country, must be sifted and cleared up in connection with that person's official acts during the time when (to the misfortune of every one) he was alloAved to represent the Government in that district. In the meantime we refrain from referring further to it except to say it is money that is in question, and not land. The tables in the Appendices slioav that there are no more reserves to make there, nor awards to allocate, nor promises to redeem; unless Mr. Richmond's old promise Ave have referred to may rightly, under all the circumstances, be revived for the purpose of showing some consideration to the chief Taurua. 5. Summary. Bringing together, then, the four divisions we have been speaking of, Ave may say at once that in regard to the first (north of Waitara) and last (Patea), we do not think there is any use in counting the area "that belongs to the Crown there as having any bearing on the question which is of real interest at present: namely, what land will be left to us on the Plains and in the Parihaka country. This Ave will noAv state to Your Excellencv. 1. In the Parihaka Division we have— Acres of Open. Acres of Forest. In Parihaka Block ... ... ... 15,000 6,000 In Oeo Block ... ... ... ... 4,500 16,000 2. In Waimate Plains Division we have ... ... 20,000 82,000 Total available for settlement ... ... 39,500 104,000

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