I.—2a.

6

108. Why did you not do so ? —Because I did not wish to do so. 109. "Would it not have been better to have brought me into Court ?—I thought it would be much better to settle the matter quietly. 110. "Why not sue? —Because I had no right to sue. 111. "Was it not your money ?—No. 112. It was for the express purpose of refunding you advances on their account and supplies given to them ? —I suppose it was. 113. Have you taken legal advice ? —None. 114. You have referred to the matter of my asking you to interest yourself in obtaining some land for a Mr. Perkins: have you got a copy of that letter ? —No, I have not. 115. Do you remember the contents of it ? —Tes ; it was to this effect: " Dear Sir, —"Will you kindly interest yourself on behalf of my friend, Mr. Perkins, who is residing in Onewhero. Can you secure for him 100 acres or more of the land on which he is residing ? If so, I will hand over to you the money." 116. Did I mention that the land was inside the Pakiri Block ?—No. 117. Then how do you say that I asked you to buy the land because it was in the Pakiri Block ?—■ I did not say so. 118. Then that statement in the petition is incorrect ?—I do not think it is in the petition. Mr. Sheehan : It is there. The Chairman read an extract from the petition bearing on this subject. 119. Mr. Sheehan.^ Mr. Perkins was a settler, was he not ? —Tes. 120. And I asked you to assist in securing for him the freehold of land on which he was living, without mentioning particular blocks ? —No, but that was part of it. 121. I have not been a frequent visitor to Onewhero, have I ? —You have been there twice or three times. 122. And you are aware that this Pakiri Block contains 35,000 acres ?—No, I have not seen a map. 123. It runs in a long, narrow strip of land on the East Coast, does it not ? —lt may, but I do not know the boundaries. 124. Then, if you do not know the boundaries, is it not probable that I do not know them? —It is possible. Ido not know. 125. That was in 1872, was it not—on the occasion of my first election ? —I think it would be. 126. Assuming that it was in 1872, you must have known about the Pakiri Block if I wrote you asking you to buy land in it ?—I knew at that time —that is, by a statement made by a Government officer. 127. But you had heard at that time that there was a Pakiri Block which had been surveyed and put through the Court, and that the land I asked you to buy was inside that ? —Yes, it was inside that. 128. You said just now that it was not until December, 1874. You said about the time I got the cheque, or shortly before that, referring to your personal interview with me, before you got the cheque ?—Shortly before. 129. At that time, Mr. Gittos, I was not a member of the Government, was I ?—I do not know. 130. I joined the Government in 1877, and therefore I could not have been a member of it in 1872 ?—I do not know. 131. Do you not know I was a private member of the House at that time ?—Yes, I think so. 132. There was some dispute about the boundary of the block on that occasion, as appears from your own statement. The Oruawharo people alleged that some of the lands on that side of the boundary had been improperly taken into the back block ? —Yes. 133. And this land in respect of which I wrote you for Mr. Perkins formed part of the disputed block, did it not ? —Yes. 134. The impression in the district was that it was not inside the Pakiri Block ? —The impression of the Europeans was that it was in the Pakiri Block, and of the Maoris, that it was not. 135. It would n0t,,1 presume, be improbable that a traveller in the country would hear that the block was inside. It would be part of Jhe common talk of the district, I presume. Is it not quite possible that a settler in the district, or settlers in the district, might have told me this particular piece of land or other lands were not inside the block ? —lt might be so ; but the general impression was that it was inside. 136. Did the letter I sent you on behalf of Mr. Perkins contain any improper overture to you ? —■ Nothing. 137. No terms or anything that you might not have received ?—Nothing. 138. No suggestion of anything that you might be ashamed to do ? —Nothing. 139. It was an ordinary business letter recommending Mr. Perkins to your consideration ?—Yes. 140. Now, Mr. Gittos, you will remember that you mention in your petition that you spoke to me with regard to a rehearing of this particular area ? —Yes. 141. Did I not inform you in the presence of Mr. Gill that, as the law stood, a rehearing could only be given by an Act of the Assembly ? —You did that. 142. The six months given by the Act having expired many years before ?—Yes. 143. And I promised you that I would look into the matter, and see if a rehearing could not be arranged for ? —I understood that you promised it should be. 144. If you remember, I pointed out to you that the House would most jealously watch any attempt to grant a rehearing of a block which had passed through the Court so many years before ? — Yes. 145. Did I not mention to you the Ohikoka Block ? —I do not remember. 146. Then, so far as that allegation goes against me, it is that a rehearing was not obtained from the House by statute ?—That there was no rehearing.

Rev. W. Gittos, Aug. 2,1880.