A.—No. 3.

8

RELIGIOUS, CHARITABLE, AND

Wanganui, postmaster. lam a member of the Roman Catholic Communion in this place. I know the land comprised in the grant referred to by the Record, No. 69. There has been no alteration in the trustees as far as I can ascertain. The land adjoins land comprised in grant (Record No. 14-68). The land included in the first-mentioned being swampy at the time the grant was made,,the adjoining sections comprised in tho later grant were purchased with funds of tho Mission, and on this land the chapel is built. On tho land in Grant A'o. 69 a school and house for the schoolmaster are built. The average attendance of children is about forty. It is a day school. The education is simply elementary —reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and grammar. There used to be a master, who left for want of sufficient funds. The school is at present superintended by a mistress. The church has accommodation for between 500 and 600 persons. Tho services are regularly performed on Sundays, and generally daily. The average charge to the pupils of the school is 3s. per month. The school and house are of timber, with shingled roofs. The church is of timber, with shingled roof. Lot 86, Petre Town, Wanganui. — Cemetery. Mr. Macdonough, being duly sworn, states : I know the land comprised in the grant referred to, No. 86 on the Record, area 1 acre. It is used as cemetery, fenced in, and maintained in order. The land forms portion, of a larger cemetery, from which it is separated by the fence. The sexton, who acts for the whole cemetery, receives a fee for each burial as a return for digging the graves. He also keeps the cemetery in order. When land is required permanently for a grave, there is a charge made of £5, which is applied in improving and maintaining tho cemetery. With respect to the grant of 250 acres for a school, referred to as entered on Record book, No. 52, considerable dissatisfaction exists amongst the Catholic community on account of so^ large a portion of the town land being set apart under circumstances which, in practice, confine the benefits arising therefrom to the children of persons of one religious denomination. Evidence taken before Mr. Domett, at Wellington. Monday, 11th November, 1869. Mr. Walter Johnston, being duly sworn, states: My name is Walter Woods Johnston. I reside at Wellington. Grant, 108 acres, Porirua. No. 1 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 35, area 108 acres). —I believe this section is leased to a MrTaylor. I know nothing about the rents or their application. Grant, 1 acre, Wellington. No. 2 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 36, area 1 acre). —I know nothing about this section. Grant, 2 roods, Wellington. No. 3 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 72, area 2 roods). —This was a reserve given by the New Zealand Company to the Roman Catholic Church, and has always been used as the site for a chapel. I know nothing more about this section. Grant, 1 acre, Lower Ilutt. No. 4 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 92, area 1 acre). —This was not given by the Government, but by Te Puni. Part of the land is used as a cemetery, and three-fourths are occupied by Native relatives of Te Puni. Grant, 221- perches, Wellington. No. 5 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 93, area 22-J perches).' —In trust for a Roman Catholic school. I have no doubt there is an annual rental proceeding from this, but I know nothing of the application of the same. Grant, 2 roods 34 perches, Wellington. No. 6 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 30, area 2 roods 34 perches). —There is no trust declared in this grant; the land was bought by the congregation. Referring to Grant No. 3, I may remark, that twenty feet of this was sold to the Union Bank of Australia. Grant, 2 acres 3 roods 20 perches, Wellington. No. 7 (N.M. Miscellaneous, p. 73, area 2 acres 3 roods 20 perches).—This has always been used as a cemetery. There are two sections used as cemeteries in Greytown and Carterton of two acres each, given by the Provincial Government to the Catholics for that purpose. There is also one acre at .Masterton, given for the same purpose by the trustees, under what trust I do not know, I put in a memorandum showing the nature of the title of all the lands hold by the Catholic body, and the mode of their acquisition.

The Religious, Educational, and Charitable Trusts at Wellington, and the Lands Bought or Given for the same purposes, by the Roman Catholic Bishop, and tho Catholic Congregation, in the same place and district, &c.

Where situated. o "£ S o Quantity of Land. Destination. By Grant or Purchase. Observations. Wellington ... i 2 acres 3 roods 20 perches 2 roods E. C. Cemetery ... Given by the IN". Z. Company 2 Te Aro Chapel ... Ditto 20 feet sold to the Union Bank. 3 2 acres 34 perches ... Religious purposes Bought by the Congregation