I.—3a.

12

Thursday, 25th August, 1892. Heeewini te Toko further examined. 1. Mr. Kapa.) Did you make any arrangement with Mr. Lundon prior to the sale ? We. made . an arrangement with Mr. Lundon about the price to be paid for the land. 2. What price did you agree upon? —Mr. Lundon said that the only price the Government would give was 4s. per acre. We would not agree to accept that price, because we had previously asked £1 per acre, and we told him that a company had already offered us 10s. an acre. I wish to give a very full answer to this before further questions are asked. Mr. Lundon replied, " The Government are quite unable to give more than 4s. an acre, and the company you speak of cannot now purchase." 3. Did Mr. Lundon explain to you that he would be paid out of the purchase-money ? —No. 4. Do you know anything about the authority produced yesterday for Mr. Lundon to act as your agent ? —I know absolutely nothing about that document—absolutely nothing whatever. 5. Did not you and the Native owners make some arrangement amongst yourselves for Mr. London to act on your behalf? —No. 6. Are you aware that Eaiha Tamaho has received money from the Government ? —Yes. 7. Do you know if she was an owner in the Kaitaia Block? —She did not receive a share of her father's interest, but her brother was appointed successor according to the first arrangement; but some years afterwards, through an oversight of the Judge, Eaiha was appointed successor to her deceased father, for the same interest to which her brother had already been appointed to succeed. And this is how it came about that the Government paid her £108, and so it happened that she became entitled to a share, though I do not think that she was legally appointed. 8. Why do you say that she was not properly appointed, seeing that she was paid her share ? —I do not know. 9. How did you look upon Mr. Lundon ? Was he acting as an officer of the Government ?—We believed he was a Government officer—that the Government had appointed him land-purchase officer .for qur district. 10. And in coming to your district he offered you 4s. an acre ?—Yes ; but we finally agreed to sell for 4s. 6d. 11. How many weeks or months after the sale was it that you heard that a much larger price had been paid by the Government for your share ?—Perhaps three weeks or a month, I am not quite certain. We found out in this manner : Raiha wrote to the Government, applying to be paid for the half of her father's share, and she received a letter in reply as follows : " The share of your father has been paid for in full to your brother, Hekiera." —I am not giving the exact words, but I am giving the sense of the letter. —" The Native Minister will show you his love and pay you £108 15s. for one-half of the share—equal to one-half of your share." When I read that letter, however, we then became aware that this sum was being paid for the half-share—double the amount which had been paid for our shares. 12. Hon. Mr. Mitchelson.] Did you see the letter?— Yes, I saw the letter, and read it over. The letter was sent by Mr. Sheridan. When Eaiha went to the Postmaster, Mr. Millar, to get it he asked me to give him the document, and he has it now in his possession. On our becoming aware that we were entitled to a much larger amount, we wrote to the Government, as explained by Eikihana yesterday. We then became absolutely certain that the proper amount we should have received was £217 ; hence our petition to the House. We found that the price the Government were paying for the land was 7s. 6d. an acre. 13. Was Eaiha Tamaho one of the grantees in the block?— She was appointed successor by her father. 14. Then the money she received was for her own interest? —Her brother was first appointed successor alone of her father's interest, and subsequently she and her brother were appointed, so she became entitled to a half-share with him. 15. The sum of £130 10s. was what you received?— Yes. IC. That was supposed to be for a full share ? —Yes. 17. If Eaiha Tamaho only received the amount stated, then Hekeira Tamaho must have received more than he was entitled to ?—Yes, I say that too much has been paid for his share. 18. Can you explain why Eaiha only received £108 15s. ?—I cannot explain that. 19. Hon. Mr. Carroll.] Would you have been perfectly satisfied with the £130 10s. if you had not discovered that the Government were paying more?— Yes, I would have been quite satisfied had I not become aware that some of our money had been lost or misappropriated. 20. Mr. Lundon.] How long was it, after you had got your money and gone home, that Eaiha got hers? —I have already answered that question, and stated that, as far as I can remember,, it was three weeks or a month afterwards. I have no clear recollection. 21. You are very clear about the letter she got, and you ought to be equally clear about the money —about the time?—l had good reason for remembering the contents or the purport of the document, seeing that it indicated to us that we ought to have got a much larger amount for the land. That is why it was strongly impressed on me. 22. When the arrangement was made for the sale of the land, was there an interpreter present ?—At the first negotiations we made for the sale of the block, Mrs. Hardiman was the interpreter. 23. Was there any other owner of land present at the time ?—Only myself and Hone Papahia. 24. Was the arrangement finally settled then?— Between me and these two men ? No. 25. Was there a licensed interpreter present when you arranged about the price of the land ?— Eobert Cochrane was the licensed interpreter. 26. Was the old chief Eangaunu the owner of the land then? —Yes. 27. Was Tipene an owner of the land ?—Yes.