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without any attesting officer being present. The said block came before the Native Land Court at Te Taheke for subdivision ; but the" petitioners allege that they received no notice whatever of the sitting, and consequently did not attend; that, although, as they have since heard, the Court was adjourned from Te Taheke to Kotorua, they deny receiving any notice of that sitting; that subsequently they have been informed, which information is borne out by the Court papers, that Harehare and two others of the Ngatinianawa were present at the Rotorua Court; that they arranged with H. K. Burt as to the procedure to be adopted, and forthwith appeared before the Court as representing the desires and wishes of the whole of the owners who were absent; they falsely stated to the Court that a voluntary arrangement had been arrived at, and that a division shown on the plan produced should be given effect to ; that thereupon the Court awarded subdivision B of Waiohau No. 1 to only two persons —viz., Peraniko Pani and Hira te Mumuhu, the said award containing 7,000 acres, the half of the whole block, and representing only forty-three interests, which had been purchased by H. E. Burt; it also included their present cultivations, wahi tapu, and permanent settlement, which they have occupied for the last eighteen years. The petitioners, having set forth all the chief particulars in their case, pray that strict and searching inquiry may be made into the matter, and immediate relief afforded them. I am directed to report as follows : That the Committee, after hearing the evidence of Mehaka Tokopounamu and Korowhiti, carefully perusing papers submitted to the Committee by H. E. Burt, and after looking over the minutes of the proceedings of the Native Land Court, have come to the conclusion that, in the main, the allegations made by the petitioners are correct, and a great injustice has been inflicted upon them, although they do not altogether hold the petitioners blameless in the matter. In recommending the Government to institute a strict inquiry into the case of the petitioners, with a view of taking such remedial measures as will place them in the position of getting their rights, the Committee would draw special attention to the reckless, illegal, and loose manner in which the purchases referred to in the petition were made, and would quote the following paragraph in the minutes above mentioned to show the want of security there is in Native Land Courts for the propel' representation of the Native owners, and how the Court is frequently, though unwittingly, made the channel through which nefarious transactions are legalised: " I hand into the Court a schedule showing the names of the fifty-four sellers, also a list of eleven of those [whose signatures have not been legally attested, and to whom balances are yet due.. In respect of the forty-three first named the purchase is legally complete.] (Mr. Harry Burt explained to the Court the nature of the two lists above referred to as defined in the words above given and bracketed.) I also put in a schedule of the two representative names, which we desire to have specified in the order for No. Ib, viz., Peraniko Ahuriri, Hira te Mumuhu. Schedule, as above, published, and objectors challenged. Harehare (brother of Peraniko) rose to state that there was no opposition." 21st August, 1889.

[Translation.] No. 257, 1889.—Pukapuka-inoi a Mehaka Tokopounamu me etahi atu e 86. E ki ana nga kai-pitihana no Te Patuheuheu ratou he hapu no te Urewera a no ratou tetahi poraka whenua e mohiotia ana ki te ingoa o Wai-hau Nama 1, ko te rahi i te ruritanga 14, 464 eka a i whakataua taua poraka e te Kooti Whenua Maori ki nga tangata kotahi ran e wha tekau ma rima o ratou. A i whakaurua e ratou i runga i te aroha tetahi hapu iti o Ngatimanawa ko Harehare to ratou tino tangata. A i muri tata iho ka tahuri a 11. E. Paati kaiwhakamaori kaiwhahakaliaere whenua ote Pei o Pereti ki te hoko i taua whenua, « hoko ana ia mana ake. Ako tePirihi kaiwhakamaori ano hoki tetahi kaihoko o taua poraka, a na ta raua whakatete pea i rere ke ai te ahua o ta raua hoko, kihai hoki raua i hoko i runga i nga tikanga me nga ritenga hoko whenua e whakaaturia nei e te ture, a he maha nga tangata kihai i rite nga moni mo a ratou hea, a kei etahi kihai rawa tetahi kapa i riro mai, a kei etahi he mea utu ki te taonga ki te pu, a he maha nga ingoa kihai i hainatia ki te aroaro o tetahi apiha i whakaturia mo tera mahi. I tukua taua poraka whenua kia whakawakia e te Kooti Whenua Maori i te Taheke erangi e ki ana nga kai-pitihana kihai rawa i tae mai tetahi panui kia ratou hei whakaatu i te nohoanga o te Kooti no reira kahore ratou i tae atu ki te Kooti. Na ahakoa to ratou rongo i muri iho i te hikitanga ote Kooti ite Taheke ki Kotorua e mea ana ratou kihai tetahi panui i tae mai kia ratou hei whakaatu i te nohoanga o taua Kooti. No muri iho ka rongo ratou a e whakaaetia ana e nga pukapuka ote Kooti aua korero a ratou (ara) nga korero nei i tae ano a Harehare me etahi tokorua o Ngatinianawa ki te Kooti i Kotorua a whakaritea ana e ratou ko Paati te huarahi whakahaere mo taua keehi, a haere tonu atu ratou ki te aroaro o te Kooti whakahaere ai ano e whakahaere ana ratou i nga hiahia o te iwi katoa e ngaro atu ra. I korero teka atu ratou ki te Kooti; i mea kua oti noa ake te whakahaere taua keehi a me whakamana e te Kooti te wehewehenga i runga i te mapi i tukuna ki te Kooti. Heoi whakataua ake e te Kooti te wehenga B o Waiohau No. 1 ki nga tangata e rua anake (ara) kia Peraniko Pani me Hira te Mumuhu a riro ake i a H. E. Paati te hawhe o taua poraka e 7,000 eka a meinga ana ko te hea tera a nga tangata e 43 anake me te uru atu ano hoki nga ngakinga a nga kai-pitihana me nga w Tahi tapu me o ratou kainga i noho ai ratou i roto i nga tau 18 kua pahure ake nei. Heoi ite mea kua whakaaturia katoatia nga tino take o tenei keehi e nga kai-pitihana, e inoi ana ratou kia tukua tetahi tino whiriwhiringa mo tenei keehi me te tuku i tetahi ora ki a ratou. Kua whakahaua ahau kia ki penei: I muri iho ote whakarongonga a te Komiti ki nga korero a Mehaka Tokopounamu me te Korowhiti, i muri iho hoki i te whiriwhiringa i nga korero i roto i nga pukapuka i tukua ki te Komiti e H. E. Paati, i muri iho ano hoki i te tirotirohanga i nga mahi whakahaere a te Kooti, kua whakaaro te Komiti e tika ana te nuinga o nga korero i korerotia e nga kai-pitihana a kua tau tetahi mate nui ki runga i a ratou. Otira kahore te Komiti e mea kihai i puta tetahi he i nga kai-pitihana. A i runga ite mea e tonoa ana te Kawanatauga ete Komiti kia tino whiriwhiria taua keehi kia ahei ai te whakahaere i tetahi tikanga e tau ai te tika ki nga kaipitihana, ka tono ano hoki te Komiti kia ata tirohia te rereke me nga pokanga ketanga i waho

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