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Thursdat, 24th August, 1911. The Chairman: Before proceeding with the inquiry I wish to inform the representatives of the Press of a resolution that has been passed unanimously by the Committee —" That the Press be requested to report only the evidence in these proceedings. , ' (To Mr. F. G. Dalziell, of l-'indlav. Dalziell, and Co.) : With reference to your application, Mr. Dalziell, the Committee has deoide/d that you are to be allowed to be present, to deal only with matters that affect your firm. Francis Husky Dillon Bell, Solicitor, Wellington, sworn and examined. (No. 4.) 1. The Chairman.] Are you prepared to make a statement, or would you rather that Mr. Masser questioned you? Sir. Masse;/: If Mr. Bell will make a statement it may render a lot of questions unnecessary. Witness: I am prepared to make a statement. 2. Hon. Sir J. Carroll.] Is it a statement of fact? 3. The Chairman.] It is a statement that will be given as evidence, I presume?— Yee. 1 understand that Sir James raises the point that I might refer to matters which are not precisely fact. May I say that I desire to show that the Natives have really suffered a wrong —I do not say by anybody's act, but they have suffered a wrong, and I desire to state facts in support of that proposition. The Chairman: I understand the position you take up. The Committee would like you to do as you say. Witness: Of course, I shall have to refer to an Act occasionally, but only to show what I mean in my statement. Ido not want to be an advocate, but I want to establish my case if I can. 4. The Chairman.] Will you proceed, Mr. Bell, please?— Will the Committee permit me to state, first, the position of these Native owners of the Mokau Block as to legal advice. When the Native Land Commission was established the Government invited Mr. Skerrett to act on behalf of the Natives generally before the Commission, and no better appointment could have been made. Mr. Skerrett, when asked to advise the Natives interested in the Mokau Block, was not asked by the Natives, but by the Government under the appointment which they gave him. In that sense, and in that sense only, as I understand it—l speak in Mr. Skerrett's absence, but with some knowledge —in that sense only was Mr. Skerrett the legal adviser of the Native owners of the Mokau Blocks. Before the first meeting of the assembled owners a number —a representative number —of the Native owners came to me and obtained an opinion from me, and they asked me to advise them and act for them. I did not attend the first meeting of the assembled owners, but I met Mr. Skerrett, and had the opportunity of discussing briefly with him his position and mine. Mr. Skerrett thought that he represented a large majority of the Native owners. I thought the contrary, but we neither of us knew. Mr. Skerrett attended the first meeting of the assembled owners in January. That meeting rejected the proposition to sell by an overwhelming majority, so far as it was put to the vote. It was clear that they were against it; and Mr. Skerrett returned to Wellington and then informed me, first, that he was mistaken in supposing that he represented anything like a majority; secondly, that I represented a large majority; and, thirdly, that he would take no further steps in the matter, leaving the Natives' interests, so far as he was concerned, to me. And he went to England. I do not refer to any part of the conversation between Mr Skerrett and myself but this, and I have verified it by ascertaining the instructions which Mr. Skerrett gave to his office, which were that nothing further was to be done by them and that the matter was ended. So it is clear that by the mutual assent of Mr. Skerrett and myself, from that point of time 1 represented, at all events, a large majority of the Native owners. I think it may be said that my learned friend Mr. Dalziell represented a minority —in this sense, that a minority were in favour of selling, and were, so to speak, in the camp of Mr. Dalziell's client. Mr. Dalziell: I think it would serve the purposes of justice if I might be allowed to say one word here. The Chairman: Ido not know that you can at this point in the proceedings. You will have an opportunity later on. * Mr. Dalziell: I think-Mr. Bell will agree to my doing so. The Chairman: If Mr. Bell has no objection you may. Witness: I have no objection. Mr. Dalziell: It is only this : I should like it very much if Mr. Bell would be absolutely sure about his facts before he states them. I will give you an illustration. Mr. Bell says that the resolution to sell was thrown out by a majority. As a matter of fact, with respect to Block If— the main block, and the only block, I think Mr. Bell will admit, about which, so far as the lessee was concerned, there was any substantial doubt —a majority of the Native owners voted in favour of the sale of that block. Unfortunately, Mr. Bell was not present; but that is a fact. The voting was taken down. Ihe only reason why that resolution was not taken before the Maori Land Board and verified was that all parties concerned desired that the whole of the block should be dealt with at the same time and, if possible, the whole question settled. I make that statement at this stage because it would be a pity, I think, if Mr. Bell's statement was allowed to go without contradiction. I may say in addition that a majority of the Natives present were against the sale of the other blocks. Witness: I am obliged to Mr. Dalziell. I speak only from what Mr. Skerrett reported to me when he returned. He seems to have arrived at a different conclusion as to what was the result of the meeting than my learned friend Mr. Dalziell. Mr. Dalziell: There was the actual voting. Witness: At all events, I am glad Mr. Dalziell has had the opportunity of making the correction. As I have said, it was apparent to Mr. Skerrett that so far from the majority being in the camp of my learned friend Mr. Dalziell, they were in the camp opposed to him. At my instance