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203. You were a member of Parliament—a member of the Legislative Council—were you not?— Yes. 204.' You have never been out of the public service since you joined it, have you ?—Not till 1882. 205. Mr. Holmes.] You and Mr. Bryce were great friends, were you not ? Hon. Mr. Bryce: We got on pretty well. We had some disagreements; but they were nothing very great. Mr. Fenton: Mr. Bryce had his own views and I had mine. We used to have a few differences, but not much. I had a happy time with Mr. Eolleston when I corresponded with him as Minister of Justice. He used to answ r er all letters from the Maoris about the Court to the effect that the Executive Government could not interfere with Courts. Those days were halcyon days for the Court. 206. Mr. Bryce.] Do you mean to imply that I was not as submissive as Mr. Eolleston?— Well, not quite, I think. Mr. Bogan examined. 207. Mr. Bell.] What is your name, Mr. Eogan? —John Eogan. 208. You were a Judge of the Native Land Court, Mr. Eogan?—Yes. 209. When were you appointed ? —I think it was in 1862. 210. When did you cease to be a Judge ?—About eight years ago. Ido not know exactly. 211. You were not a lawyer, I believe ?—No. 212. You were not educated to the profession of the law ?—No; certainly not. 213. Can you say how many of the Judges of the Native Land Court have been educated to the law. I will give you three names : Messrs. Fenton, Brookfield, and O'Brien ?—Yes, those were all lawyers. 214. Can you tell me whether there was any other Judge who was educated to the profession of the law ? —No; none that I am aware of. There were others who were not lawyers—Major Heaphy, Captain Symonds, Mr. Maning, Mr. Halse, and others. 215. You had a knowledge of the Native language ? —Yes. 216. And your fellow-Judges you have named had a knowledge of the Native language ?—Yes— more or less. 217. And of Native custom?— Yes. I have been living the principal part of my life amongst the Maoris—for forty-five years. 218. Now, I wish to call your attention to this memorandum >of Sir Eobert Stout's on the question of the Owhaoko and Kaimanawa Blocks. First of all, in reference to the Kaimanawa Block : You will see that he says, in reference to the application for investigation on the first page of the memorandum, "In tho year 1875 certain Natives applied to have the title to the blocks determined. The notices were gazetted on the 7th day of September, 1875 ; and the Court sat on the 16th September, 1875." I would ask you whether, of your knowledge, the Natives read the Kahiti —whether the Kahiti was the kind of document that would find its way to Patea?— Well, I really could not answer that question. I do not know anything about the Patea District. 219. Then answer the first part of the question. Did the Natives, in your opinion, read the Kahiti ? —As far as I am aware, I do not think they did. 220. Will you refer to this book and see when the notices which were required by the Act of 1873 to be sent out were sent out ? Bead this to the Committee about the Owhaoko Block. It is stated in the memorandum that the notices were on the same day. What is this book, first of all ? ■ —A book of record in the Chief Judge's office —a precis of everything that has taken place in regard to every block of land that has been brought before the Native Land Court. 221. That is a book in which a precis of the proceedings is entered and recorded. Now, will you read this passage : [Paragraph read to effect that notices were sent out, under the the 36th section of the Act, on the sth April, 1875.] So that the record-book says that the notices were sent out on the sth April ?—Yes. 223. Now read on ?—" The district officer has no objection to the hearing of it," &c. 224. What does this mean —that the district officer has no objection to the hearing ?—lt was a rule to send to the district officers in the different parts of the country simply to ascertain whether there was any objection to the cases being heard. If there was no objection they would very probably be dealt with. 225. Then it reads, " Notice issued. Court to sit at Napier on the 16th September, 1875 "?— Yes. 226. Does that " Notice issued " refer to this " notice under section 36," higher up? —I could not say positively, but I think it does. 227. Will you read some passage from this book that has reference to page 91 —" Eecord of the Oruamatua-Kaimanawa." Will you read that, please ?—" Notice under section 36 of the Act of 1873 issued to district and other officers, sth April, 1875." Mr. Bell: I will leave the minute-books with reference to the Kaimanawa-Oruamatua. 228. Hon. Sir R. Stout: Does Mr. Eogan mean to imply that the time for the hearing had been fixed in April ? Is it not a fact that it was not fixed till the 9th August ? 229. Mr. Bell.] lam just coming to that. Section 36 is as follows : " Copies of all notices of claims, as soon as may be after the receipt of the application, and notices of all sittings of the Court for the investigation of titles, with a schedule of the cases to be investigated, shall be forwarded to each of the District Officers, Commissioners of Crown Lands, Inspectors of Surveys, and Native Eeserves Commissioners in whose district the land, or any portion thereof respectively, is situate, also to the claimant and counter-claimant or objector (if any), and to such other persons for

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