IN REPLY TO SIR W. MARTIN, D.C.L.

15

E—No. 2

" This invitation was given to the Natives to bring forward any claims which they might " possess ; but none was ever asserted, except the general claim of an anti-land-selling league, " which grasped at the mana of the whole of the extensive territory between Waitaha and Mokau " although this same land had been ceded to the Government. The rights of Retimana and others " were fully recognised. It was admitted that the land was theirs, and that their title could not "be disputed. Indeed it must have been evident to any impartial person who witnessed the "proceedings, that the parties selling the land were confident in the justice of their cause, and "were determined to carry out the sale—notwithstanding the anti-land-selling league and the " King movement. The whole of the purchases previously made at Taranaki have been effected on " the same principle as the present one, namely : that of acquiring the land from the different clans " and subdivisions of those clans which came in from time to time to offer it. I never, during my " residence there, heard of any of the pretended claims that have since sprung into existence, in the " imagination (not of the Natives themselves, who are most interested, and whose imaginations are " easily worked on,) but of persons who have a false sympathy instead of a true one with the Natives, "in matters affecting their real welfare. There was no urgency displayed in this matter, no desire to " hasten it, but ample time was given to all parties to put forward their claims; and not only was there " ample time given but claims were solicited and hunted up in every direction in Taranaki itself. Yet, " with the exception of the two tribes who sold the land on the banks of the Waitara, and another tribe " on the banks of the Waiongana, who were joint claimants to a part of the block, no substantial claims " were put in. If I were to say that no other claims were adduced I should be wrong, but I mean no " substantial claims, no claims that could be recognized by the Government, or which would be " regarded by the natives as valid. Certainly one man told me that his grandfather had once lived a " a short time on the land, and that he therefore expected compensation. Another told me that in one " of their fights he was wounded and suffered great incovenience there, and therefore thought it was " right that he should have some consideration now that the land was sold. Now, this is the class of " claims of which I have just been speaking, which it it is clearly the duty of the Government to resist, '•' as otherwise it would be an utter impossibility to carry out any purchase of land without defrauding " the real owners. By compensating this class of claimants, the real owners would be deprived of " what they are fairly entitled to, merely because the Government chose to recognise ficticious " claims of this character. What I maintain on the present occasion is, that the actual owners of the " soil, the men known and recognized as such, have been conferred with, and their consent to the sale " obtained. With respect to the offer of this land to the Governor at Taranaki, I may state that " great pains were taken both previously to and after the offer, to inquire who the real claimants were, " and to settle with them. And here, I should not omit one important fact that, in settling with them fi a section of the Puketapu tribe which is located in the vicinity of the Waitara, was associated with " Te Teira, Retimana, and others in effecting this sale. These men were exceedingly jealous of the offer " when it was first made and were on the eve of protesting altogether against the sale of the land. Their claims " were at once admitted by the selling party, but it was rather difficult to effect a satisfactory arrange- " ment at once between the parties. It happened that they were too distinct, and it was this which " caused the difficulty. During the investigation which took place, and while the difficulty was being " adjusted, I felt convinced that the claims then preferred by these conflicting parties were substantially " good, and that in fact the sale must be proceed with, or otherwise the Natives who had offered " the land would be treated with great injustice. The officer whom I instructed to conduct the " negotiation (Mr. District Commissioner Parris) was requested to persevere in his enquiries into the ff matter from time to time ; not in any way to hasten the arrangement, but to give full opportunity to " opposing claimants to come forward and state their case. He not only did this, but he also took a "great deal of trouble in visiting, as far as lay in his power, every part of his district, to make sure " that there should be no substantial claim overlooked. I have already stated that there was a public " notification from myself inviting all persons who had claims to bring them forward in order that they "might be carefully investigated, No fresh claims were recorded, however; no rights were shown by the "Natives who opposed the sale, except the right which the land-league conferred upon them, that of " claiming land everywhere, and of opposing the sale of land everywhere. In the officer who conducted " the negotiation I place the most implicit reliance. He was on very friendly terms with William " King, and was universally liked by the Natives of the district. He was instrumental, lam almost " certain, on one occasion, in saving the life of William King when a trap had been laid for him, by " Ihaia, and a party of Wanganui Natives. It was with great regret that I heard this officer' character " assailed-—a man who has taken such an interest in the welfare of the Natives of his district since he has. " been there, and who has used all his influence to prevent the disgraceful feuds continually being carried " on in the district, frequently with the greatest success ; and who has, in carrying out these duties, " more than once run the risk of losing his own life. I regret exceedingly to find a public officer, who " devotes his time to the interests of the community in which he resides, stigmatised in the manner in " which Mr. Parris has been. I should have much preferred that any reflection in connexion with this " purchase should have been at once directed to myself, by whose instructions it was carried out; I " should have preferred this, to hearing an officer thus stigmatised who is certainly worthy of a better {{ reward. " I passed over from Taranaki, where the transaction had been so far initiated, and went almost " directly to the Natives in Queen's Charlotte's Sound, who were claimants to this Block. I had a " meeting of them at Waikawa, having first intimated to them by letter that I was coming, and the f whole of the Natives there, after a careful enquiry into the extent, position, description of " boundaries, and the rival claims of the Natives, agreed to sell their own interest in the land^

NATIVE AFFAIKS.