I.—3a.

88

[F. BATTENBUBY.

123. It was free? — Yes. 124. And on that ground she would not sell at 10s. ? —Yes. 125. She disclaims any eSect in the leases over her interests?- —Yes. 126. She claims that her interest is not subject to the leases?— Yes. 127. That is the ground upon which she refrains from entering the proposal of sale? —Yes. 128. Hon. Mr. Ngata.] When you speak of the Mokau settlement where the Maoris live, do you include Mahoenui? —It is three hours' ride —it is really Mokau. 129. Where do most of the owners of the block live? —That depends where they are at times they are all over the place. 130. Would you say that the owners living at Mokau, exclusive of Mahoenui, owned the majority of the interests in this block? —No, they did not —they were part-owners with the Otaki people. 131. Those actually at Mokau do not represent the majority of the interests? —I do not think they do. 132. Do you remember a meeting being held ai Mahoenui somewhere about the third week in March ?—I heard of it, but was not there. 133. You heard that that was the meeting which finally decided the sale?'—Yes. I! I. Do you know alter that time that Hardy was at Mokau? —I do not think so. 135. We heard in evidence yesterday that he was in Mokau after the sale?—l do not think he was. 136. What interest lias your wife in the block?— Only a small interest. 137. I find she has 56 acres in If and 14 acres in Ij?—Yes, only a small interest. I know they offered her something like £52. 138. For the whole of her interest? —Yes; the cheque was offered to her for £52, but she rejected it. 139. Do you recollect the papers being signed when Mr. Hardy or Damon visited there? — Only to oppose the sale of the block. 140. Are you sure they were to oppose the sale of the block? —Yes, and to give a guarantee to provide funds to fight the case in the Supreme Court. 141. Do you not know that the papers that were signed were authority to the solicitors to take the case on?— Yes, Hardy was simply their agent. 142. And those were the papers they signed, to authorize the action to go on?— Yes. 143. Not to oppose the sale? —Yes, to oppose the sale. 144. Are you sure of that? —Oh, yes. 145. You could not put those two things in one document? —They were opposed to the sale. 146. But the document was not an authority to oppose the sale—it was an authority to the solicitors to curry the case on in the Supreme Court? —Yes, to fight the leases, not to sell. 147. You were not present at any of the meetings at Te Kuiti? —Not one. 148. The Chairman.] Has your wife an interest in other lands outside the interests she holds in the Mokau-Mohakatino Block? —Yes, various interests. 149. In regard to ths 10-per-cent. deduction, would that also include the cost of provisions for such a large number of visitors who were at the kainga where the meeting took place?— That was outside of that. 150. How many Natives belong to the kainga at Mokau? —It is a hard thing to guess how many—there are thirty to forty. 151. But the 10-per-cent. expenses does not include the cost of provisioning such a large number of visitors from all parts?— No. 152. You know the road right into Ohura?—Yes. 153. You go there frequently: could you give me the distance to Ohura through Whitten's place?— Somewhere about forty miles. 154. Have you been from Waitaanga to Maungaroa?—Yes, only once, but it was all burning road then. 155. Would you be safe in saving that it would be from fifteen to sixteen miles from Waitaanga to Maungaroa? —Yes, all that. 156. Then if the railway comes out at Maungaroa it is fifteen or sixteen miles away? —Yes. 157. In regard to reading, you are conversant with the trouble and expense of roading?— Yes, certainly. 158. You know the trouble in connection with the Okau Road? —Yes. 159. And you know Blanchard's Bluff? —Yes. 160. It would cost a lot of money to get a road through there? —Yes. 161. Is not a lot of the land sandstone ami papa on this Mokau Block, and difficult to road? —Yes, some spots are bad, but a lot of patches are good. 162. Speaking of the roads in Mokau district generally, it is very expensive to road?— Yes, there it is. 163. In reference to the sublessees, have you any idea what area Mr. Walter Jones has at the present time, where the homestead is? —Close on 300 acres, T think. T have not gone into the area of the sections myself—that is a rough guess. 164. That is what you would term the better-class land?—lncluding the coast-line with a section of the other land it is good average. 165. Do you know what Eglinton held at Mohakatino, now held by Bayly?—Yes, there must be about close on 1,000 acres, roughly. 166. That also is good land?— Yes. 107. Those two instances 1 have given of the sublessees over which this company has no rights whatever for 27J years, that land as compared with the upper reaches is the best land? —-If it is not the best it is good average.