G.—s

4

enei ka peratia hoki eau nga porohita rahui i Patea, i Whenuakura, me Waitotara. No mua noatu i whakaaetia ai enei porohita ki nga Maori, engari kahore ano kia wehewehea kia ratou, kaore ano hoki i whakaputaina nga Karauna karaati. Ka wehewehea katoatia enei, ka whakaputaina nga Karauna karaati ki nga hapu me nga rangatira i whakaaetia nei kia ratou aua whenua. Na tera ano nga whenua i whakaaetia kia hoatu ma Patukai, Upokomutu, me Puketoretore, ara ki nga tangata tuturu o taua takiwa. Me wehewehe enei ki nga hapu, me tuku he Karauna karaati kia ratou. Ka hiahia nga iwi kia peratia ka mahia ai tera. Ma ratou c tuku mai nga ingoa o nga tangata. Tera ano hoki nga whakataunga a te Kooti mo etahi whenua iti i Nga Motu tae atu ki Parininihi. Ka ata kimihia enei, Ua whakaputaina hoki nga Karauna karaati mo aua whenua. Kia oti enei mahi kei reira mutu ai nga raruraru me nga tautohe mornuga i aua whenua. Ka riro i nga Maori a ratou whenua, ka riro hoki i nga Pakeha nga whenua ma ratou. Ka riro tahi i a ratou a ratou Karauna karaati ka tino whakatuturutia rawatia hoki n»a rohe. Koia nei hoki te take i tupu ake ai nga raruraru i roto i nga tau maha noatu kua pahemo ake nei. Notemea kaore i marama nga rohe ote wheuua, kaore hoki he Karauna karaati. Kua timataria tenei mahi i naianei, aka haere tonu a mutu noa taua mahi. William Fox (Te Pokiha), Hawera, Maihe, 1881. Komihana.

[Tkanslation.] This is my word to the Maoris between Waitotara and Parininihi, about the work that I am doing on the land. Twelve months ago Sir Dillon Bell and myself were sent by the Parliament to inquire about the promises made to the Maoris on that land, about these reserves and why their Crown grants had not been issued. We inquired into those matters at Oeo, at Hawera, at Patea, at Taranaki, and Waitara, and afterwards we examined all the letters and papers in the Government offices at Wellington, which had been written for more than twenty years. We were seven months doing that work. When we had made all things certain, we reported them to the G-overnor, and he consulted with the Parliament, so that they also might know Then the Parliament made a law, that the Governor should send some person to do all the things that in our report we had said ought to be done. The Governor would have sent Sir Dillon Bell and myself to do that work, but Sir D. Bell was sent by the Government to England to do there the work of the colony about other matters, and so the Governor sent me alone to do the work here about the land. That is why I have come to finish all things about the laud that we, Sir Dillon Bell and myself, had said last year ought to be done. Now, the first thing that I have to do is about the reserves, to ascertain how they should be divided among the different hapus, so that each may know what is its own, and receive its own rents if it leases any of that land. lam now busy getting the names of the people of each hapu, and I have sent surveyors to mark off tho shares of each hapu in each reserve. As soon as that is done, I will inform the Governor and send in the plans, and he will give a Crown grant to each hapu for its own piece of those reserves. Then that piece will be theirs and their children's for ever ; their names —the names of each of them —will be plain on the Crown grant, and there will be no more disputing about it. There are also reserves which have been made for single chiefs, for Hone Pihatna, Manaia, and others, for themselves only, because they have been loyal to the Queen, and have assisted the Government in making peace. Their hapus, also, will have land elsewhere. Some of these grants have already been issued, and the others are being prepared. Then, there is the large new reserve of 25,000 acres on the Waimate Plains, which will be for the Ngatiruanuis and the hapus who live at Weriweri, Mawhitiwhiti, Okaiawa, and other places. That reserve is now surveyed. It extends from Waingongoro to Oeo, and is 15 miles long and 3y broad. All men may see it: the pegs are on the ground. That reserve, also, lam ready to divide among the hapus, that each may have its own Crown grant. The Maoris will have to give me the names of the men, women, and children of each hapu, that they may be put on the Crown grants. lam waiting for these things now Let the hapus send me that information to my office at Hawera. These reserves are all near Hawera. When these are finished, I shall do the same with the reserves near Patea, Wbenuakura, and Waitotara. These I'eserves have been made and given to the Maoris long ago ; but they are not divided among the hapus, and the grants are not issued. All these will be divided when necessary, and grants be given to the hapus or the chiefs to whom they have been promised. Then there are the lands which were promised to be given back to Patukai, Upokomutu, and Puketoretore —that is, to the people who belong to that district. These should be divided among the hapus, and Crown grants issued to them. This will be done when the tribes choose. They will have to give the names of the people. Then there are all the lands awarded by the Court around Taranaki and all the way to Parininihi (White Cliffs) All these will be made clear, and the grants issued, When all these things are finished, there will be no more disputes about those lauds. The Maoris will have their lands, and the pakehas theirs; both will have Crown grants, and the boundaries will be fixed for ever. This has been the source of the trouble in all these years past, that the boundaries of the land were uncertain, and there were no Crown grants. That work is now begun, and will not cease till it is finished. William Pox, Hawera, March, 1881. Commissioner.

APPENDIX 11. Captain H. L. Skeet, Chief Surveyor to the West Coast Royal Commission, to the "West Coast COMMISSIONEE. Sik, — Survey Office, West Coast Commission, Hawera, Gth June, 1881. I have the honor to report that, since the organization of the Survey Department of the Eoyal "West Coast Commission under my charge in February last, the following work has been performed;—