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to have a new Committee district formed, to extend to tlie western su!e of Ohiwa, and to begin at the Waitahanui River. Crops. —The crops are very fair throughout the district; kumaras in particular are exceedingly good all along the coast. Potatoes also, judging from the quantities the Natives arc selling, must be very abundant. The maize likewise is of good quality, and may now be looked upon as saved, although not all harvested. Public Works. —The Torere Natives have during the past year been employed widening the coast-road between Opepe and their settlement, and the Whanau-a-Apanui have been engaged in making a horse-track over the hills from Hauai to Maraenui, which, when traversable, will prove a great boon to travellers, as it will avoid six or seven miles of heavy shingly-beach travelling) and obviate the risk and delay occasioned in rough weather at Maraenui Point. The Te Kaha and Raukokore Natives have likewise been employed in repairing the bridle-track between those places. The Natives appear anxious to be employed road-making, especially those resident at the eastern end of the district. It is a question whether road-making is beneficial to them or not. I fancy it has a tendency to reduce the extent of cultivations, which necessarily makes them run short of food in the following spring. Schools. —There are nine Native schools in this district under my supervision. The last quarter's returns show that on the 31st March ultimo there was an average attendance of 247 boys and 170 girls, making a total of 422, being an increase of seventeen over the last year's attendance. It will be seen that the males far outnumber the females. If this, together with the result of the census, which shows the males to exceed the females by 126, is any criterion, then I am afraid, though the Maoris may have slightly increased in this district since 1881, yet these facts must show that they must decrease, when the females are not equal in number to the males. While speaking of schools, perhaps I may be excused if I allude to that useful little book, compiled by the Inspector of Native Schools, called " Health for the Maori." I have more than once, when conversing with Natives about diseases and the means of preventing the same, had my attention drawn by the speakers to this work, and been told that was what was told them by Mr. Pope in his book; thereby showing me that they are reading the work and evidently taking notice of its contents : but I fear our endeavours to improve their condition will be of little avail until we can find some means to make them renounce their old customs with respect to tohungas, makutu, and poropitis (i.e., healers of the sick, belief in witchcraft, and prophetic persons of any other description). These, in my humble opinion, do more towards the destruction of the Native race than anything else I know of. Maketu. —I have visited Maketu, as heretofore, periodically, and held the usual Courts there. The business of this Court has much increased since my last report, although the Natives have not been so litigious as heretofore — a circumstance which I attribute to the fact of their being more or less engaged in the Native Land Court, passing their lands through that Court. The conduct of the Natives, so far as it lias come under my knowledge, has been remarkably good : no Native has been punished for any serious offence. 1 have, &c, R. S. Rush, The Under-Secretary, Native Department, Wellington. Resident Magistrate.

No. 8. Mr. 11. D. Johnson, Government Agent, liotorua, to the Under-Sechetary, Native Department. Sin,— Rptorua, 30th April, 1886. In compliance with your Circular No. "2, of the 24th ultimo, I have the honour to report upon the state of the Natives in the liotorua District. I am glad to be able to state that during the past twelve months the Natives of this district have been generally law-abiding. There have been a few serious disputes between contending hapus relative to the ownership of land not yet adjudicated upon by the Native Land Court; but they have been happily settled without recourse to bodily violence. Considerable excitement was caused in November last by the ejection of Mrs. Graham from the Terrace Hotel at Te Wairoa, and the subsequent assault upon Constable Abrams when he was attempting to arrest certain of the Natives concerned. There can be no doubt that the Natives believed that they were only exercising their legal right in resuming possession of the premises, having been so advised by Europeans, although they acted improperly in their manner of gaining their object. The assault upon the constable was brought about entirely by his own want of tact and judgment. Later, in the day I went out to Te Wairoa: and the result was that the whole of the five Natives concerned in the ejectment came in quietly, and submitted to the law. They were charged before two Justices of the Peace, and were then admitted to bail to appear before the Resident Magistrate on the usual Court-day. They duly appeared ; but when the case was called on Mrs. Graham's solicitor stated that he did not propose to call any evidence, and the accused wei-e discharged. The matter has since been settled by arbitration. More recently there was an attempt made, under legal advice, to re-enter a portion of the Lake House property at Ohincmutu, which resulted in the forcible ejection of two Native women by certain Europeans,