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Natives have no money to pay the Court fees, and are forced to borrow money from Europeans. After the lands have passed the Court the money which has been advanced upon them will be made a lien upon the land, and will bring trouble to the Natives. There are others who will indorse what I have said. Tamanui Tera: Welcome to see the people, and to bring us relief from the troubles under which we labour. I indorse the statement of the last speaker with regard to the Waiomatatini Court. I came here to support the request for an adjournment of that Court. Let that Court be put a stop to. There are others here who will support me in making this request. Let that Court be stopped absolutely. Another of my desires is that you will go with me to see the people. I wish to accompany you; I wish to guide you to Waiapu. I came here from the Ngatiporou ; I was sent to represent them. I came here on account of the troubles affecting our land. My desire was to go to Wellington. You stated yesterday that you would come to see us at another time; but lam afraid that it will be a long time before you return; that is why I ask you to go with me to Waiapu now. If you wait till you go back to Wellington there will be a great delay, and the Court will not be put a stop to if you go away to Wellington. We want you to go to Waiapu now, otherwise the Court will go on. I want you to listen to my song. [Tamanui then sang a song, "Where were you in the time of trouble?" I allude to the Koreke, which live in the mountains. That is all I have to say. Wi Pere : This is another matter which affects one of the hapus living at this place. They wish to make their requests to the Native Minister now with regard to this matter. [Wi Pere then read, the following letter: "To the Hon. the Native Minister. Friend, salutations to you. This is a request from us, the undersigned, asking that you will speak to the lessee of the Whangara Block, calling upon him to cease buying shares in that land, bacause that land is restricted. Restrictions were placed upon that land by the Native Land Court in 1871. We ask, therefore, that you will instruct that European to cease purchasing that land." The Native owners have represented to the lessee that this land has restrictions placed upon it, and they have asked him to desist from purchasing. While the present meeting has been going on this European has bought out certain shares ; probably his object is to buy up all the shares, by which means the restriction can be done away with. If there is any person to take our part perhaps you will inform us—that is, to tell this European that he is acting illegally. The Natives are wearying of representing this matter to the European ; he will not listen to what they have to say. The desire of the Natives interested is that those people who have sold to this European shall cease to have any interest in the land. The grantees well knew that there were restrictions upon the land; yet they were persuaded by this European to sell their interests, and take money. I suppose they thought that the non-sellers would be strong enough to hold the land for them. We think, of course, that the Native Land Court will protect the land and prevent it from being sold ; but we are troubled that this European should have gone on purchasing the land in this way, and we ask you to take some action in the matter. That is all I have to say with regard to that subject. I will now speak concerning the Native Land Court now sitting at Waiomatatini. I wrote a number of letters to Ngatiporou asking them to have that Court adjourned to a future time, so as to enable them to attend this meeting, because this meeting was called on their account. The whole of Ngatiporou (including the old chief now present, Tamanui Tera) agreed to have the Court adjourned; but three people stood up and insisted upon the Court proceeding. The result was that the presiding Judge listened to the representations made by the three Natives, and paid no attention to the word of the bulk of the people. I advised some of Ngatiporou to make representations to you upon the subject; perhaps they have already done so. I request you to grant the application made by Tamanui Tera and to direct that the Court be adjourned, because the laws which the Natives wish to be passed have not been completed. The Natives consider that, if these measures which they wish passed are passed during the forthcoming session, there will be no lands to apply them to if the Court goes on now; because the Natives in this district have only a little land left: commencing from Wairoa and extending to the East Capa the whole of the area owned by the Natives only amounts to about a million acres. There are only thirty or forty thousand acres of land owned by the Natives which have not passed the Court. There may be a hundred thousand acres. It is the great desire of the bulk of the Native people in this district that just laws should first bo passed affecting the Natives and their lands, lest things be allowed to remain and to go on as at piesent in their unsatisfactory state, troubles constantly arising between Natives and Europeans. If the present Court would only deal with troubles now existing between Natives and Europeans it would be very well; there would be no objection. I wish to tell you that I myself am responsible for these troubles, because you and the Premier requested me to put a stop to land-selling until after the forthcoming session of Parliament. When I came back I found that troubles were still going on, and I was foolish enough to pay no attention to the request you made me. I did nothing to stop them ; I allowed the present evils to go on. These people have no other matters to bring before you. You are aware of the grievances which they have laid before you to-day, and that there is a great deal beside with regard to those matters. It is the earnest wish of the people of this place that all troubles between them and Europeans may be done away with; secondly, that whatever lands remain to the Natives may be dealt with under a new law, and administered by the Native Committees. I again earnestly request you to give effect to the wish expressed by one of our old men—that is, with regard to the Court. If you yourself have no power to stop that Court to day, will you to-day and to-morrow and the next day communicate with the proper authorities, and, if necessary, go there yourself and put a stop to the Court. I sent full information to all the people of the East Coast with regard to this meeting. That Court was the means of preventing them from coming here. We have received a number of letters from the people, explaining that this Court was the reason why they did not attend. Their letters show that their desire to come here was very great; but they were precluded from doing so by the Court sitting in their own district. The Natives