H.—2l

8

copy, Eeg. iv., No. 69, Grant of 2 acres 1 rood 25 perches, land at Orangikahui, near Eotorua, produced.) I know the allotment at Orangikahui, near Eotorua, granted to Bishop of New Zealand. It is used for a burying-ground. There is no church on it. It is fenced with a ditch and turf bank. There was formerly an English church near this land, but it is now in ruins. I was there about two months ago. The fence was then in good repair ; there is no gate. No one is in charge of it, nor appointed to give or refuse permission for burials. Part of Lot 98, Waiuku Hast — Cemetery. Mr. James Baber, being duly sworn, states (copy of Eecord copy, Eeg. 14b, No. 591, Grant of 2 acres 3 roods, eastern portion of lot 98, Waiuku East, produced): The church at Mauku is erected upon this land, or on land adjoining within the same fence. This land is occupied as a cemetery.

Wednesday, 24th Maech, 1869. Present: —Mr. Hart and Mr. Gisborne. 870 acres, Puniu Biver, Waikato — School. Sir William Martin, Knt., being duly sworn, states :My name is William Martin. I reside at Parnell, near Auckland, and have retired from the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. (Eecord copy, Eeg. iv., No. 70, Grant of 870 acres land situate on the Puniu Eiver, produced.) In this and the other grants of lands for the endowment of schools situate in the Waikato district, the revenues accruing from all these lands have been considered available for the support of any one or more of such schools indiscriminately ; but, in practice, the Trustees have excluded the school at Taurarua from any such participation in these revenues, on the ground that the income of that school was not available for the maintenance of the Waikato schools by the terms of its grants. I became a trustee of this property in the year 1861. At that time the property was, to the best of my belief, unfenced and unoccupied. The land was given by the Native owners to the Church of England for the purposes of a school. Until lately, it has remained as in the year 1861. Very recently, an agreement has been entered into with Messrs. Westneys, of Mangere, near Auckland, to let the land to them for a term of twenty-one years, they undertaking to spend £50 per annum in improving the estate for the first eight years, and for the residue of the term to pay a rent of £100 per year, and to have the whole estate, at the expiration of their lease, properly fenced and laid down in grass and clover. As yet, no rents have ever accrued from this estate. Eev. Bobert Burrows, being duly sworn, states : I am a resident at Auckland, and am Secretary to the Church Missionary Society. Prior to the year 1861, and also subsequent to that date, the Eev. John Morgan, the missionary resident on the church property at Otawhao, spent sums of money in clearing and surface-sowing the land in question. He had charge of a school of Natives and half-castes, the returns in respect of which were regularly forwarded to the Government. There were no proceeds accruing from this estate, nor were any buildings erected on it. Mr. Morgan's school did receive sums of money prior to the passing of the Act of 1858 for its support, specially for increasing the accommodation available for receiving scholars. The superintendence of this school was transferred by Mr. Morgan to Mr. Gorst in or about September, 1862, by whom it was conducted till 1863, when most of them were transferred to St. Stephen's, being about nine in number. 280 acres and 470 acres, Kohanga, Waikato — School. Sir William Martin, being duly sworn, states (Eecord copy, Eeg. iv., No. 71, Grant of 280 acres ; Eeg. iv., No. 78, Grant of 470 acres, land on the Waikato Eiver at Kohanga, produced) : I became a trustee of this property in 1861, but having been previously a member of the Native Board of Education, lam conversant with the history of the schools prior to that date. There was a school established at Maraetai, a little below Kohanga, under the superintendence of the Eev. E. Maunsell (now Archdeacon), at the date of these grants: removed to Kohanga in the year 1853. In 1855, the number of scholars at Kohanga was eighty-one. Prior to the Act of 1858, public money was annually given to the support of the schools, the distribution of which is shown by the returns regularly furnished, such grants commencing in the year 1853. The school was maintained at Kohanga until Mr. Maunsell was obliged to leave the place, and the scholars were dispersed by the commencement of Native disturbances in 1863. The distribution of the capitation allowance under the Act of 1858 will be found in Appendix to the Journals of the House of Eepresentatives for 1865, E. No. 3b. On Mr. Maunsell's removal, the Eev. Joshua te-Moanaroa, a Native deacon, was left in charge of the station. A part of the buildings was temporarily let for a few months, for which a small sum was obtained. In the year 1866, one Mr. Eevell was appointed schoolmaster at Kohanga, and at the beginning of the year following he had a daily average attendance of twenty-five scholars, which fell off before the close of the two years that Mr. Eevell remained there to about half the number. The school estate was let for a term of two years to a Mr. Spargo, at £50 per annum, Mr. Eevell receiving from the trustees this amount, supplemented by them to the sum of £75 in the first year out of other sources. Mr. Eevell also received aid from the General Government, and support also from the Natives, but the latter amount did not come up to the sum promised by them. Since Mr. Eevell's removal, the school has entirely ceased, and at present there is no school and no revenue arising from the estate. Eev. Bobert Burrows, being duly sworn, states : The two grants of land in this ease are contiguous. The lands have been fenced, and were cultivated as an industrialestablishment up to the date of Mr. Maunsell's removal. The buildings consisted of a quadrangle capable of accommodating the master and from 60 to 100 scholars. The proceeds, crops and cattle, were devoted to the