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satisfaction with the administration of the Public Trustee, or is it only local ? —The whole of the Natives on the West Coast are unanimous in objecting to the administration by the Public Trustee. 814. Was it the unanimous wish, or only the w 7 ish of certain of them, that they should get the administration of the land into their own hands?— Yes; it is the general wish of the Natives to have the management of their land. 815. Do you know whether they were put up to this by Europeans, or was it their own wish?—lt was their own wish. We were not instigated by Europeans in any way. 816. If these notices in connection with the Arbitration Court were served in Maori you would be in a position to know what was done by the Arbitration Court ?—Had the notices been printed in Maori you could then have decided what was good and what was bad. 817. Would you have objected to the Arbitration Court, or would you have consented to the arbitration ?—I do not think we would have agreed to appoint arbitrators at all. 818. Has the consent of your people been ever asked that the Public Trustee should renew any lease ?—No. 819. Mr. Bennett.] You said just now that the Public Trustee never consulted you in regard to these new leases ?—No. 820. Did not I consult you and your people, with Major Turner, as to the renewal of Turner's lease in 1886 ? —The only negotiation I know of was when Major Turner and his son came and asked us if we would grant them a lease, and we might fix the rent. 821. Was I present ? —You were not present when Turner had the interview with us. 822. Do you mean to say that you and your people did not get £35 on account, for the specific purpose of renewing the lease ?—We did not get that money. We got £15, which was part of the rent. 823. Dr. Fitchett.] What rent ? —The £15 we received was part of the rent due under the old lease. 824. If it was part of the old rent, how was it you repaid it to him—to Major Turner ?—This money we received from Major Turner was an advance, and when the rent for the year became due he took credit for the amount he had given us, and gave us the balance. It was a portion of the rent under the old lease. 825. I will put the question again ? —We asked Major Turner for an advance before the day fixed for paying the rent, and when the day of payment came round he deducted the £15 advanced. 826. Was that in consideration of a new lease being given to the Natives?—We had some debts to pay, and we asked him for some money. 827. Mr. Bennett.] Did you ever get the Act of 1887, and the regulations thereunder, in the Maori language ? —I myself received no such document. 828. Did you refuse to take it then ? —You never sent me a copy. 829. Did you get it from the post-office, or did you refuse to take it from the post-office?—l do not know if there was a copy left for me at the post-office. 830. Mr. Bell] Did you see the Act of 1887 in Maori, and the regulations thereunder ?—I may have seen the document, but I do not remember. 831. Were there plenty of them to be got for the asking ?— I do not know. 832. Did you hear that there were documents for you and other Maoris at the post-office ?—I am in the habit of going to the post-office and asking for letters and papers, and I often see letters with the names of other people on them. 833. Did you not keep out of the way to prevent the notices and documents being served on you ?—I am not in the habit of keeping myself out of sight. lam in the habit of going about the towns. I never get myself out of sight. 834. Do you know that Natives on the coast kept out of the way of the people who had these notices to give them?— Nothing of the sort came under my own personal observation. I have heard other Europeans make statements that such was the case. 835. But do you know whether it was a fact ?—I am not aware, of my own knowledge, that such was the case. I never saw it myself. I never saw it in any of my tribe. 836. Did you never hear from the other Maoris ? —No. 837. Did you live on the coast all the time except the time you were with the Ngapuhi?—l have several places of residence. I stay sometimes a week at one place and sometimes a week at another. 838. Do I understand you to say that neither Pearce nor Turner have made much improvements on the lands of Otoia?—Europeans may think they have done a great deal, but I do not consider so. 839. Then, do you say that the land is not in much better condition now than when you resided on it ?—lt is improved. 840. But you say it is not much better?—lt is not greatly improved. 841. Then, why should they pay such high rent now? —The original understanding was that the land was to come back to us at end of the term. We did not renew the leases, because we ourselves have not sufficient land. 842. That is not an answer to my question. I asked you why should Europeans pay so much more rent now, as you say the land is very little better now than it was when it was leased to them—why should they be required now to pay so much more rent ?—We did not wish that the Arbitration Court should grant renewals at a greatly-reduced rent: we wanted to make our own arrangements. 843. Do you approve of the action of the Natives in not appointing an arbitrator or arbitrators ? —I think the Maoris were quite right, because they did not know the meaning of the appointment of arbitrators.