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consider that, as you are the new Native Minister, there should be new and better laws, because they have seen that, under the laws passed by former Ministers, great evils have come upon the Native people. In some of the speeches of welcome made to you yesterday it was stated that Sir Donald McLean was the last Native Minister who went to visit the Native people, and we explained that it was he who afforded relief to the Native people when they were suffering trouble —that is, the troubles existing at that time—but now the new trouble is about the land. The troubles affecting the land commenced from the time of Sir Donald McLean down to the time when Mr. Bryce was appointed Native Minister. It is the great desire of the Natives that all troubles between Europeans and Natives in this district shall be put an end to. My earnest wish is that you will grant the request made by Tamanui Tera with regard to the adjournment of the Court, because we all uphold the application made by that chief. I wish to speak with regard to the District Native Committee. I ask that you will instruct Mr. Booth to let that Committee proceed with its duties now. Some time ago it was the custom to call Native members, or have them elected, to seats in the County Councils; but during the recent election no Natives have been asked to stand. The Natives present desire to discuss with you the various matters they have brought before you, so as to arrive at some satisfactory conclusion. Hapimana Tunupaora : I shall now speak of a trouble which affects my district, that is, Ngatikahungunu District; but, when I explain it, it may be seen that other places are affected as well by this grievance. The various hapus of Ngatikahungunu living at Wairoa make the following request to you, the Native Minister : (1.) "With regard to blocks of land wrongfully purchased by the Government : Euakiture, Otaramarama, Otukarangi, and Te Waiau; those are the blocks I refer to. These lands were brought under the Native Land Act. (2.) Some of our lands were taken by the Government surveyors without cause. Te Ahu-o-te-Atua was one, Te Buanui, Tuparaki, Waiau, and other places. (3.) A reserve which we made for one of our hapus at Otaramarama, containing three hundred acres, has been laid out in the wrong place, within a block belonging to Urewera. (4.) With reference to a Native reserve which Sir Donald McLean gave back to us : a hundred acres at W Tahaharera, also two hundred acres situated at Ohinikaka. This land has been taken by Government and given to Europeans. (5.) Eegarding roads made through Native lands. We ask that the Government should fence both sides of these roads. (6.) With reference to the lands that are wrongfully purchased by Europeans. With regard to those improper purchases, we ask that the Government may appoint a commission to inquire into these matters. We ask that this commission may be formed of either Maoris or Europeans. The great troubles under which the Natives labour are those mentioned by Wi Pere, but those which I have mentioned are only local matters. I shall be able to make an explanation with regard to the first matter that I brought before you. I say that the Government purchased those four blocks of land of mine wrongfully, and they got them through the action of the Native Land Court. The law provided that lands should first be surveyed, pass the Court, then be Crown-granted, before purchases were made; but these four blocks of land, were purchased by the Government, that is, by Mr. Locke, before they had passed the Court, and before they had been properly surveyed. The land "was merely estimated to contain so much. Euakiture was estimated to contain fifty thousand acres, Otaramarama was estimated to contain thirty-eight thousand acres more or less, Otukarangi and Te Waiau were only estimated : none of these blocks had been properly surveyed previously; they were only estimated to contain so much. After the Government had obtained possession of those lands then they sent their surveyor to survey them, and it was discovered that the area was greater than had been estimated. I will make an explanation with regard to the second subject, concerning the threa hundred acres that were set apart for another hapu. That reserve was included by Mr. Jodiah Hamlin within two thousand acres set apart for the Urewera. I have made repeated applications during past years to the Government about these reserves. I have made frequent applications by letter, but, as you are here now, I make this application to your face. I will now speak about portions of our land which have been taken by Government surveyors— namely, Waiau and three other blocks. Major Biggs was the Government officer at the time these lands were included within the confiscated boundary. If my explanation with regard to the various matters has not been clear, when you get up to reply you may make further inquiry if you think necessary. I shall now speak of a block of land called Paeroa, which I brought before the Native Land Court in 1867, and handed in a list consisting of eighty-one names. Throe years after that block passed the Court a lease was drawn up for the land and signed by twenty persons; sixty-one were left out. When those sixty-one persons found that their names had not been placed on the certificate, they applied to the Court for a rehearing, the European who leased the land having told them that it belonged to the twenty people only. The sixty-one persons wished to have their names inserted in the certificate. When they brought their application before the Court they were informed by the Court that what the European had told them was quite right, that there were only twenty persons in the certificate. Mr. Munro was presiding Judge. The case was afterwards brought before Judge Heale, and he told them that it was quite true, that only twenty persons had their names inserted. When I brought the land before the Court in the first instance I handed in one list containing eighty-one names; why was that list not adopted? Wi Pere : I omitted to explain, with regard to the block of land at Whangara, that the native interpreters are urging the Natives to sell, and I wish you would issue instructions to those interpreters telling them to desist; but the Natives think that the licenses of those interpreters should be taken away. Baniera te Heuheu : Salutations to you, the Native Minister. Wi Peiwhairangi omitted to include one subject in the document which he read; it refers to the trouble that has come upon the Natives in consequence of the action of the Government. There is a ferry boat across the river at Uawa, Tologa Bay. I think the Natives own the water at XJawa, and they own the land on both blinks. People are summoned if they are taken across in Native canoes. Another complaint that