I.—3b.

32

[t. paeata.

overcame the opposition of these old people, and induced them to see the thing from my point of view—that the Government had promised schools to educate the rising generation of Maoris, and that they had not kept this promise. 1 think I am correct in stating that the Waikouaiti school was the first Government school for Maoris established upon the Ngaitahu Block in fulfilment of the promise made by Mr. Mantell to the vendors. I desire to condense things in this statement of mine as far as I can, and I will not therefore say any more on that head. I will simply say, in conclusion in regard to this matter, that subsequent to that time other Native schools were established upon this Ngaitahu Block. The Native school which was established at Kaiapoi was not established by the Government. That was done by the Church Missionary Society, which is quite distinct from the Government. Seventeen years after the date of Mr. Kemp's purchase in 1848 the Government for the first time provided medical attendance, which had been distinctly promised to the Maoris at the time of the sale of the land in 1848, and this they now propose to withdraw in spite of the continued protests and complaints of the Maoris at the present day. Prior to that time, and, in fact, subsequent to that time, Maori invalids were compelled to go to hospital at their own expense, and pay medical fees, and that still continues at the present time. Those who can afford it are required to pay £1 per week. I can quote from my own personal knowledge twenty or more cases of that kind. The Chairman: I thought there was a special fund for that purpose. Mr. Parata: If there is a special fund it is not devoted to paying Maoris' fees for the hospitals. What I want to say distinctly and advisedly to you gentlemen, as members of this Committee, is that the Government so far has never carried out or fulfilled the promises made at the time of Kemp's purchase in 1848. It may be that there have been cases in which Maoris who were absolutely destitute and with not a shilling to their name—there may have been cases of that kind admitted to the hospitals free of charge. But the point I wish to make, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, is that at the time of the sale in 1848 it was distinctly promised to the Natives,, amongst other things, that hospitals would be provided for them for ail time free of charge, no matter whether the patients desiring admittance to the hospital were men of property or persons in poverty-stricken circumstances and without anything at all. No stipulation whatever was made in regard to the question of fees—it was simply stated that these hospitals were to be open and free to all Maoris. And that was one of the inducements which led the Maoris to consent to the fale to Mr. Mantell—because they considered it would be an advantage to their children and descendants to have free hospitals and medical attendance. Yet it was not until the year 1865 that medicines even were provided free of charge for Maoris. In certain districts medicines weie provided; in other districts none were provided. The point I want to make, Mr. Chairman, ic. that one of the inducements held out by Mr. Mantell to the Maoris in order to obtain their signatures to his deed of sale was that he promised, among other things, to have schools, and hospitals, and medical attendance provided free of charge for them and their children for all time. And, furthermore, he told the Maori vendors that he himself would ask the Queen's Ministers, representing the Crown, to pay them a large additional sum of money for the land sold by them over and above the £2,000 which had already been paid to them. Thus the old chiefs were induced to part with their land, because they looked upon it that the Government officials were upright and responsible men, and would keep their promises to them, and would not attempt to mislead them. But, unfortunately, since that time those Maoris who sold their land, and their descendants after them, have found out that those promises, which they believed to have been made to them in all honour and good faith by those men, have since proved to have been entirely false and unreliable. Having arrived at that realization of the position, they petitioned the Parliament of New Zealand in regard to the way they had been humbugged, deceived, hoodwinked, and misled by the Government officials with whom they had negotiated the sale of their land. I can do no better than make use of the European phrase—they were " robbed and denied of their rights." And again, in Judge Fenton's Court in 1868, they were injured, robbed, and murdered of their rights. Look, by way of example, at Mr. Kemp's deed of purchase in the first place. It must be recognized and admitted that the deed of sale submitted to the Maoris by Mr. Kemp, and signed by them, differed very materially from the subsequent deed submitted to them by Mr. Mantell, and which was subsequently signed by Sir John Hall on behalf of the Governor. The Ngaitahu Tribe then found that the contents of Mr. Mantell's deed were different from what was contained in the first deed which had been submitted to them by Mr. Kemp. Mr. Mantell knew what they did not know, that Mr. Kemp's original deed of purchase was invalid, and for that reason he (Mr. Mantell) questioned Matiaha Tiramorehu, one of the principal chiefs who appeared before him at Akaroa, together with other chiefs. Mr. Mantell said to Matiaha Tiramorehu on that occasion, as I said the other day, " I am including in the present deed an area which was not included in the original deed of Mr. Kemp's purchase." And I contend that this proves beyond a doubt that I am entirely correct in strenuously urging and contending that the Maoris, in selling to Kemp, never sold the land on the western or inland side of the boundary laid down by their chiefs and principal men when selling to Kemp in 1848. That statement of Mr. Mantell's is the proof of my contention. Mr. Kemp intimidated the Maoris by threats in order to make them sign the deed of sale to him. I have also stated to the Committee the claims put forward by the Maoris at Kaiapoi and other places to Lieut.-Governor Eyre on the occasion of his visit to Akaroa after the purchase had been made in the year 1848. Mr. Chairman, you will remember that yesterday I gave the boundary-line from Kaiapoi to Otumatua, and thence" along the coast to Purehurehu, which is the North Head, Otago, and thence westerly inland to Maungaatua, and from thence north to Maungatere, which is Mount Grey, and from, there easterly back to Kaiapoi, the point of commencement. Mr. Rhodes: Is it to the tops of the hills?