1.—12

4

the 2nd February, 1888. They appear in the Government Gazette, Vol. i., 1888, p. 227. Ido not think it necessary to read them. I will show what took place under these. What happened was this : The Natives declined to appoint arbitrators to deal with the confirmed leases ; many ought never to have been confirmed: it was a great concession to the lessees to have them confirmed. They were asked by the Trustee, and they all came in and said they wanted the new leases. They asked that the new leases should be sent to arbitration, but the Natives declined to appoint arbitrators, save in one case, and in that one case the arbitrator never consented to the award. What happened to the Natives was simply pure robbery—there is no other word for it. I will give illustrations. The rent under one of the old leases was £60, £80, and up to £100, to be increased every five years. The rent fixed by the arbitrators was £28. Parliament had no business to give improvements and appoint arbitrators. If the rents were too high it should have said, "We will reduce them;" but to make a new lease with perpetual renewal it had no power, and it was simply monstrous. I will give illustrations of the arbitrations. They reduced the rent in the case I have mentioned to £28, and the cost of the arbitration charged against the Natives was £80; so that it cost something like three years' rent to pay the cost of the arbitration. These arbitrators were local men. Mr. Livingstone was one. He was a man who took up a strong position against the Maoris. I believe he was a fair man, but his land had been ploughed by the Natives. But I do not care, if they had appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court as arbitrator, the Natives had no right to have their property submitted to arbitration under the Act of 1887. Many of these Natives had remained loyal to us during the whole of the rebellion; they were promised faithfully that their land should not be touched if they remained loyal to the Queen; they got their land, and then comes in this statute and says, they are bound to take a surrender of their lease, and go to arbitration, and let the arbitrators fix what rent they please. I ask, would Europeans have submitted to this ? There are leases all over the colony; and if this law is to be applied to the Maoris, then the Maoris have a right to say it shall apply to the Europeans. They say they are entitled to the same rights as the pakehas. The Natives have a right to say, when leasing European lands, "We shall have the rents reduced, and the terms of the leases altered, simply because we desire it." No Parliament would sanction that, and why should that principle be applied to Maori leases ? I will give other examples, from a list which I have in my hand.

The Confirmed Leases. Arbitrators: Mr. James Livingston for the Lessors, Mr. R.H. Nolan for part of the Lessees, and Mr. Cowen for remainder.

Upon this, evidence will be called. The costs of the arbitration heaped up by all these cases were simply monstrous, and if it had been a long equity suit they would not have been so much. The amount paid for arbitration must have exceeded hundreds of pounds. I have here a list of thirty leases coming to £2,442, some of the rents being as low as £14, the highest, £605. I ask the

Eiddiford, F. Wilson, W. andG.... Hobbs, A. S. Johnstone, George ... Pearce, G. V. Caverhill, J. S. Caverhill, J. S. Newland, G. S. Lysaght, F. V. Lysaght, J. E. Lysaght, J. E. Symes, W. Symes, W. and A. ... Wilson and Frere ... Wilson and Frere ... Wilson and Frere ... McBroom, W. C. ... Eiddiford, F. Bayly, G. F. Nicholson, T. H. ... Boss, J. ... Gower, G.... Gower, W. and S. ... Gower, W. and S. ... Hutchison, G. Wilson, W. Turner, H. T. Eiddiford, F. Siggs, J. H. Caverhill, J. S. Name of Lessee. E £ 60 183 57 12 42 127 150 48 49 180 28 83 60 40 55 55 7 5 40 57 225 358 45 44 125 15 105 72 43 87 Bent under Old Lease. lent« j t I j | I j under Old' £ 80 262 71 15 54 205 38 55 90 45 57 10 6 85 250 52 150 20 140 90 53 100 . Lease l I 3. £ 100 393 86 72 47 116 50 80 13 8 114 300 175 108 64 Bent under Cost of New Lease. Arbitration. £ £ 28 80 208 77 80 53 14 49 18 47 92 43 125 52 23 63 59 52 605 179 62 52 73 119 66 90 42 59 52 I 56 54 81 16 ■ j 41 3 I 10 34 48 65 137 252 166 50 100 25 56 39 72 165 134 10 54 72 109 81 91 35 147 123 125