Page image
Page image

G.—l

73

attend it. We also wish the Bishop's control over that property to be cancelled, and that the control of these endowments may be vested in the Native Committee of the district, together with some officer Avhom the Government may choose to appoint for the purpose. That is all I have to say with regard to the school at Papawai. Some of their lands were sold by the people of Wairarapa to. McLean at a low price, so that provision should be made for a revenue to them out of the proceeds. The particular reasons are set forth in the deeds of conveyance, one of them being a promise to establish hospitals for the benefit of the Natives, that the Natives would have free medical attendance, and that the Government would give to the Natives flour-mills, and that the old chiefs would receive pensions ; and that, moreover, the Government would refund to the Natives 5 per cent, out of the proceeds of the land. Then there was a sixth stipulation—namely, that the reserves to be made would be for the benefit of the whole of the Natives interested in these lands, as well as large reserves for the benefit of Natives outside of those who had sold. These are the conditions included in those deeds. The promise as to the flour-mill has been fulfilled, and the portion of the arrangement relating to the repayment of 5 per cent, of the proceeds has also been fulfilled ; but a portion of those conditions remains as yet unfulfilled. The stipulation Avith regard to the hospital has been entirely neglected, while the promise to provide free medical attendance has only been partially carried out. It has been carried out to this extent : that medical attendance was supplied by the Government for a short time, and then discontinued. The promise by the Government to establish schools for the special benefit of the Native children has been fulfilled to the extent of erecting a Native school at Papawai; but, with regard to the reserves there, the Government have altogether failed to execute their promise. This failure arose from the fact that those persons who sold land to the Government also sold those reserves that were set apart for the non-sellers. These are our troubles in connection with the Native land sold in this district. Ido not include disputes with regard to lands in other places. The promises I have mentioned also apply in the cases of the Whareama, Turanganui, Turakerai, and Tauherenikau Blocks, and are set forth in the deeds of conveyance which were drawn up in respect of them. The stipulation with regard to the 5 per cent, relates to the Whareama and other blocks. Mr. Bees : We shall have all these deeds searched. Then the Maoris can bring up block after block before the Commission, and have the transactions in respect of them thoroughly inquired into. Mr. Carroll: We are precluded by the terms of the reference to us from going into these things now, but we can recommend the Government to appoint a special Commission to investigate and settle all existing grievances between Natives and Europeans or between Natives and the Government, dating back from this time to the time when these transactions betAveen Natives and Europeans commenced, and that this settlement shall be a final settlement. Te Whatahoro : I have hoav made matters clear, and concluded the expression of my views. The ideas of those who are concerned in and affected by these troubles are the same as mine. That is all I have to say. Mr. Carroll: The Commissioners are very much gratified at hearing what has been said to them, because they have seen that a great deal of time, and attention, and careful preparation has been devoted to the subjects laid before them by the Natives of this place. They have received statements of Native opinion at all the different places they have visited, and they perceive that wherever differences exist they relate mainly to minor questions, while on all the really important questions there is a considerable agreement. The Commissioners have taken evidence from both sides, and the Native feeling seems everywhere to follow the same general lines as have been laid down here; while some of the evidence is of a different character from that adduced at this place. The labours of the Commission are now approaching an end, and Avhen the Commissioners go to Wellington the whole of the evidence taken by them will be carefully considered, for the purpose of laying before the Government the vieAvs they have formed upon the various matters submitted to them. The Government on their part have consented, upon the report of the Commission being furnished to them, to have the same printed, and circulated among the Natives of this Island, and then you will have an opportunity of ascertaining for yourselves if any matters which require attention have been omitted from the report. This is all that I have to say. We have now almost finished our journeyings, and we shall conclude them shortly at the head of the fish—Wellington. When we Avere at Palmerston North we intended to go thence to Otaki; but we learnt at the former place that the Natives had just assembled in connection with the death of Wi Parata's wife, and so we deferred our visit for a time. Mr. Bees : The Commissioners are very much pleased to find that, in regard to their general ideas on the subjects submitted to the Commission for investigation, the Natives throughout the ] sland are practically of one mind. And this is the more remarkable because there has been no interchange of ideas between the Maoris. There has been no intercommunication, and no common principles laid down for their adoption, and yet they agree in the main in the opinions they have expressed. There are minor differences, of course—differences in relation to small matters—in every place, but they are really only matters of detail; and the result will be this : that, whilst the Commission Avill be able to propose such laws as will meet generally with the acceptance of all, there will be some things in which the smaller wishes of each will be left out. The Parliament and the Government are very anxious to settle for ever all outstanding matters of dispute and of grievance, so that there may be no difference and no dissatisfaction afterAvards. It is therefore very strange, and at the same time very pleasant to the Commissioners, to find that the minds of the Europeans whom they have examined run in the same general direction as the minds of the Maoris as to what ought to be done. Now, we shall have no opportunity of testifying our gratitude to the people who assembled at that meeting at the Wairoa for the very elaborate report with which they have furnished us, excepting this occasion, and therefore we have much pleasure in remarking upon the ability displayed in that report, which, of course, will be printed along Avith the evidence taken bv and the J— G. 1.

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert