G.—s

14

No. 6. The Hon. Sir W. Fox to the Hon. the Native Miotstee. Sib,— West Coast Commission Office, New Plymouth, Bth March, 1882. I have the honor to inform you that, immediately after you left JSTew Plymouth, I arranged with Major Parris and Mr. Humphries, Chief Surveyor, that they should proceed to the continuous reserve, Waimate Plains, in order to define on the ground, and after consultation with the Natives, the localities of the deduction of 5,000 acres decided by the Government to be made from that reserve. Those gentlemen met all, or nearly all, the representative chiefs of the several hapus, and spent several days in examining the locality. I have now the honor to forward a plan of the reserve on which there are marked (and coloured brown) the approximate portions which it has been proposed by them to deduct. Care has been taken in deciding the locations to make them fit in as far as possible with existing road-lines and intended subdivision-boundaries among the various hapus. The question of these subdivisions was also gone into with the Natives interested, and the material collected for the preparation of the grants to the hapus, which I shall get prepared with all possible expedition consistent with the necessary execution of the surveys. I have only to add that the suggestions made by Messrs. Parris and Humphries are in accordance with my own intentions, and I believe quite satisfactory to the Natives themselves, whose temper and co-operation in the matter appear to have been all that could be desired. I have, &c, William Fox, The Hon. the Native Minister. West Coast Commissioner.