69

G.— l

" 28. The Judges to be appointed under this Act for this District Native Land Court to be thoroughly well-informed as to the nature of Maori claims to land and property, their rights and privileges, their chiefs, and hapus, and tribes, and also to be well versed in the Native language. The Judges to be so appointed not to exceed six in number, exclusive of the Chief Judge, who is not to be affected by the observations contained in the preceding portion of this clause. " 29. The said Judges to interpret all necessary things for the information of the Chairman and members of the Committee, such as documents, &c, referred to before the Court. " 30. The Clerks for such Courts not to be those speaking English only ; rather should they be persons thoroughly well versed in the Native language, and competent writers ; and duly licensed in accordance with the law for licensing Native interpreters. "31. All documents relating to this Court to be in the Maori language. Certificates of title, memorials of ownership, and Crown grants, and all other documents affecting Native lands—let the main or principal document be the one in the Maori language, and the English version to be regarded as the copy. And in like manner should all mortgages, leases, sales, deeds of exchange, and all deeds of a similar character, concerning Maori lands, be prepared. " 32. One copy of all records of the full evidence of every case, and of the judgments mpapatipu, subdivision, or other cases of any nature whatsoever brought before the District Native Land Court, the Investigating Committee, and the Commission Court, to be deposited in the Native Land Office, and a copy also to be left with the Chairman of the Committee for safe custody ; each copy to be a true copy of the other in every respect. " 33. Should the case of any person or persons relating to papatipu, subdivision, or succession, put forward, not succeed in any Court, and application be made for rehearing, should that same case again fail before the Court of Investigation, it shall be proper for that case to bear the cost of hearing only. Should application be made to Parliament to have the case heard a third time, and the application be acceded to, and should the applicant again fail to gain his case, then it shall be right and proper that the said party should defray all, such costs of the case as the Judge of this Court and the Chairman may consider fit to demand ; and, further, to pay the costs of the successful party or parties in such sum as not to exceed £100 or be less than £25. " 34. The law compelling the payment of duty in a lump sum on Maori lands should be repealed, and, in lieu, the duty so chargeable should be paid annually, and at a reduced rate. The rate of duty chargeable for leases and sales to be £5 per centum, and not £10 per centum. " 35. The £1 fee charged and collected by the Court for hearing-fees to be reduced by the Court to 10s. for each case per diem, or for the time the hearing may take place. This does not include succession fees. " 36. The GoA'ernment and the Chief Judge to defray the travelling-expenses of any Committee, or member or members of any Committee, to the locality Avhere the sittings of the Court take place, if the Committee called upon reside outside the district in Avhich the Court is holding its sitting. No such payment, hoAvever, to be made to the Committee of the district in which the Court holds its sittings. On the date on which the Committee is chosen to sit along with the Judge in Court it shall be proper for the remuneration of members engaged in the adjudication to commence, the rate to be 10s. per day, until they cease to act in Court, or until such time as the services of the Committee shall be dispensed with. The rate and conditions of pay for the Chairman of the Committee shall be the same as above. "37. The power enabling lawyers and agents to appear in Court on behalf of Native Land Court cases should be reA'oked. " 38. The Government to arrange the amount of salary to be paid to the Chief Judge of this Court and to the other Judges and Clerks, and the Commissioner and Clerk, irrespective of Assessors referred to in clause 5 of this laAv. "39. That sittings of the Native Land Court be held in Native centres of population, not in European towns. The Chief Judge of this Court to Avrite to the Chairman of the Committee of the district and inquire from him the locality best adapted for sittings of the Court to be held, where a suitable building may be had. On intimation to that effect being received from the Chairman, the Chief Judge to cause public notification of the same to be made, stating the locality where the Court shall be held. " 40. The Government to have certain records prepared, seven in number, six being for this Island and one for the Middle Island, to be deposited in each District Court in Avhich the District Native Land Court will hold sittings. Such records to be for the purpose of showing the acreage of the blocks in each district, as also of the other Island, held by each Native male and female, including half-castes, every such person to be included in these record-books; also maps of each block, showing the area of each block and the individual acreage of each person, that the residue left to each person may be fully known, and also that the quality of such land may be knoAvn— Avhether it is good land or bad—thereby enabling the position of each owner to be known, as to Avhether or not assent should be given to sales, leases, mortgages, or exchanges, or whether or not such persons have any other land left for themselves. "41. The Government to consolidate all the laws bearing upon Native lands and Native properties, that the said laws may be all contained in one book, and published in the Maori and English languages. The laws to be so published to date from the year 1865, and continue until the year 1890. " 42. In leasing Native land to any person, whether Native or European, the term of such lease not to exceed seven years for lands within town boundaries, commencing at the main road in the town and embracing an area of eight miles. Lands further distant than eight miles from town, to be leased for no longer period than fourteen years, if it be not bush-land. Should it be all bush-land, or a large portion of it bush-land, the period of lease not to exceed thirty years. This is for leasing forest-lands,