27

C—No. 4

CONFISCATED LANDS.

After careful inquiry, these claims have been rejected by the Compensation Court. Moreover, the Whanganui Natives, who acted with our troops, received, subsequent to the decision of the Court, a bonus of £2,500, in addition to their pay, for services rendered, and in full satisfaction of any unsettled land claims they might have. Major Kemp, of Putiki, the most prominent of these claimants, requested that his case should be again inquired into and decided. A commission of inquiry was granted, but he did not proceed with his statement to the Commissioner, from a fear that his action might embarrass the Government by inducing numerous Natives to bring forward fresh claims ; and it certainly would be embarrassing to have questions revived that have been already disposed of by the Compensation Court. An officer who can fully explain the whole of the questions connected with the confiscated lands in this district to the Natives, and who will survey the boundaries of their awards, and, if found necessary, subdivide them, is most essential; and this duty is intrusted to Mr. G. B. Worgan, who is requested'to give it his early and diligent attention, consulting with Mr. Parris on any question on which he may require information relating to past transactions connected with these lands. The lands north of Waingongoro, as far as Stoney Biver, although nominally confiscated, are, with the exception of 1,400 acres at Opunake, quite unavailable for settlement, until arrangements are made with the Natives'for lands sufficient for their own requirements. Mr. Parris will provide for the location of the Natives as much in the neighbourhood of Kaupokonui and Oeo as possible, and compensate tho Native owners for all lands they may relinquish south and north of that river, in order to free them from all difficulties and obstructions, at rates not exceeding ss. per acre. In effecting these arrangements, Mr. Parris will use his own judgment as to the most suitable time for commencing negotiations ; all that I must urge is, the importance of due attention being paid to the subject whenever a seasonable opportunity for doing so presents itself. In the meantime, Mr. Parris will use his best endeavour to extend the telegraph line from New Plymouth, so as to connect it with the station at Opunake. Whanganui, 20th January, 1872. DonxVld McLean.

No. 17. The Civil Commissionek, New Plymouth, to the Hon. D. McLean. g IE New Plymouth, 25th April, 1872, Referring to vour instructions of the 20th January last, in reference to the settlement of the confiscated lands on the West Coast, and to my telegram of 13th March, 1872, in which I reported the result of a meeting I had with two hapus, Umutahi and Ahitahi, and also to subsequent telegrams, which induced mo to go to Wellington, hoping to have had a personal interview with you, but was too late I have now the honor to report that, at the meeting when the question was discussed about settling the before-mentioned two hapus on special blocks with defined boundaries, they pleaded for some Time for the restoration of some of their old residences near Ketemarae; in reply to which I informed that it was useless for them to ask for any part of the land which had been surveyed and allotted to settlers. They then asked to have a block next to the boundary line of the surveyed and The Umutahi people agreed to settle on a block to be defined at Mawhitiwliiti, north of the Waingongoro, the residence of their old chief Kewetone, who is still living, and behaved very well at The Ahitahi hapu was formerly represented by the chief Hori Te Pakako (now deceased) whose tribal territory was south of and bounded by the Waingongoro Eiver, and I am of opinion that it will be a difficult matter to get them to settle north of that river. There is another hapu, Ngatitupaea, represented by the chief Ahitana Moana, for^ whom it will be necessary to reserve some of the confiscated land between the Tangahoe and Ahitahi districts. I state this as my opinion, not having gone into the question with them the same as with the others. The Ngatitupaea refused to join Titokowaru in 1868, when they were living in the district referred to, and were removed therefrom by myself, by authority of the Government, to avoid unpleasant complications with neutral Natives. About two-thirds of them agreed to remove to Oeo with Hone Pihama, and the remainder went with Ahitana to the Ngaere. Those who went to Oeo only remained there a month, after which they removed to Parihaka, where they have been living ever since. When Titokowaru fell back upon the Ngaere district, and from thence to Ngatimaru, Ahitana with his followers removed towards the Waitara, but kept aloof from Titokowaru; and in the month of January last he came into town and stopped two days at the Native Hostelry, and then went on to Parihaka, where they have been ever since. After arriving at Parihaka, he consulted Te Whiti about going back to Ngatiruanui (Keteonetea) to settle, when Te Whiti advised him not to do so at present, as it would only produce trouble. The Ngatitupaea have for several years past professed to be allied to Te Whiti, and have been guided by his advice; but how long they may continue to do so is uncertain, and I have explained their condition to enable you to judge what should be done in their particular case to provide for their future settlement. The Ngatitupaea hapu is said to number about 100 men and women. The Umutahi and Ahitahi have furnished me with a list of the adult numbers of their tribes : —Umutahi, 120 ; Ahitahi, 131. The settlement of these last two hapus will I think be a test of the practicability of settling Titokowaru's people, who are now virtually in occupation of all their tribal territory from Waingongoro. to Omuturangi. I have, &c, E. Paebis, Civil Commissioner.