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because there is no one beyond you, 0 Premier to think and decide. There is no one but yourself, for you are the alpha and omega. Here lam standing up as one of the Ngatiawa Tribe. To-mor-row I will meet you as a member of the Urewera Tribe, as I am connected with both parties. I will, therefore, close what I have to say There are many at Euatoki who will welcome you as I have to-day I will now speak to you with reference to a matter which was touched upon by Tiaki Eewiri —it was in reference to the mill. I corroborate what he said. All that property—four acres —that was given to us by the Government was improperly diverted. The trouble that exists in reference to that matter is with the dam. We now ask the Government to comply with Tiaki Eewiri's request—that the dam may be assured to us. Although this may be a matter which the Premier, who is also Native Minister, may not have to deal with, nevertheless we lay it fully before him Now, with regard to the schoolhouse at Otamauru. The children have been attending school there for years, it is merely a raupo whare, and the children have been getting instruction in the raupo whare. It is very incommodious. What we would wish you to do would be to grant us a weatherboard house. Even though you may not grant us this request, we, at any rate, ask for a weatherboard building of some sort. The Premier . How many children are attending the school? Hurinui Apanui About forty-six, with an average of thirty-four Another matter is with regard to surveying a site for a school. No survey has yet been made of a site upon which a school should be erected. The Premier You are in error the site has been surveyed. Hurinui Apanui I will now conclude my remarks by wishing the Premier and the Hon. Mr Carroll long life and happiness. Meihana Kohata I belong to Ngatipukeko. Salutations to you, the members of Parliament, who have been chosen by the House to visit us at Whakatane. We greatly rejoice at your coming amongst us. May you live for ever —all of you. We would like you to visit Te Poro Poro to-morrow I represent Ngatipukeko, and I request you to visit Te Poro Poro to-morrow We have very many subjects to discuss and bring under your notice. We therefore hope you will visit us and come to our place to-morrow, for this reason that we are a tribe living upon lands reserved for us out of territory confiscated by the Government. Therefore I ask you to visit us at our principal settlement, and to hear what we have to say, and hear what all the Ngatipukeko have to say and put before you, and that we may hear what you have to say I hope you will consent to go there tomorrow, and let us know now If you will consent to visit us as I have requested, I will leave all subjects for discussion until then, so that the whole tribe may know what has been said. The Premier It is rather difficult for me to visit each of these places with the time at my disposal, and if there are sufficient representatives here to do justice to the tribes and the subjects they have to bring forward I would prefer to hear them now, and I can then be the best judge. Tamati Waaka : When I first stood up to speak, it was simply to offer my congratulations to the Premier and to the Hon. Mr. Carroll. I now rise to say that Meihana Kohata's application to you to visit us at our settlement is correct, and I think you both ought to go there. I shall be very glad if the Premier and Mr. Carroll can see their way to fall in with the views expressed by the last speaker, Meihana Kohata, and visit Poro Poro, because the Ngatipukeko have many very important matters to bring before the Government, hence it is that I support the request that Meihana Kohata has made. There is another matter I wish to speak to the Premier about it is with reference to a bridge. I presume the Europeans have already spoken to you about it. That bridge should be erected in the vicinity of Poro Poro. We with the Europeans are equally anxious that this bridge should be erected, and that the discussion should take place at Poro Poro, and that the Europeans and Maoris should both take part in that discussion —for this reason that this bridge goes through our common land. It is important to us that this matter should be discussed there, as it affects our land. Therefore I say we should all meet together at Poro Poro. We hope our request will be granted, as the Premier is now here to listen to what is to be said by all parties, and we do not know when he will be able to visit us again. Tiwai I come from Opotiki, my tribal name from my forefathers in old times was Awa. That is from here right up to Tauranga. You, the Premier, now sitting before me, are a perfect stranger I see you now for the first time. Before you was the Hon. Mr. Ballance, who visited this place. I hear, Mr Premier, you came here with the Hon. Mr Carroll, that you want roads throughout the North Island from Whakatane to Gisborne. One of my principal reasons for commg here was to speak to the Premier Ido not wish to go back to the works of our grandfathers, or even our fathers. I have known many Governments —Sir George Grey, together with his friends. Tiaki Eewiri, Ngatiawa, Ngatipukeko, and Tuhoe have claimed, the Euatoki Block, and Tuhoe created trouble in connection with the survey of it. If you visit Euatoki possibly something will be said about this survey and these lands, therefore I think it should be spoken about here, that the Premier may know what they have to say here in Whakatane. There are three applications before the Native Land Court in reference to that block. There is a second application by Numia, also another application from the Ngatipukeko. I am most anxious that the Native Land Court should speedily adjudicate upon this block, Euatoki, so that there may be no further adjournments, so that it may be known definitely who are the persons who own that land. I urge strongly on behalf of the Ngatiawa that the Native Land Court proceed with the investigation of the titles to this block Euatoki-—for this simple reason, that our applications were the first lodged. It was only on the application of Tuhoe that the survey was authorised and made. We, therefore, now ask the Government that there should be no further delay in bringing the matter before the Court. Mr Biddle, a European, whose wife was interested in the block, supported the last speaker Hon. Mr Carroll Salutations to you, the people who dwell in this part of the country—the tribes of Ngatiawa and Ngatipukeko! Salutations to you who recall to my mind the memory of our old people and the past times. Salutations to you who are here to represent your fathers