G.—6

Of these thirteen vendors, then, one was rendered landless by the sale, six were already landless, and six were not rendered landless. (c) Sales of more than half an acre and less than one acre : — (i) Te Hira Pateoro : His other lands were of a calculated area of 7 acres 2 roods 7 perches and of a calculated value of £227 14s. 7d. He was not rendered landless by the sale. (ii) Puti Rau IJoterene: Her other lands were of a calculated area of 7 acres 37 perches and of a calculated value of £255 12s. 6d. She was not rendered landless by the sale. A subsequent sale by this Native was confirmed by the Tokerau District Maori Land Board. (d) Sales of more than one acre : — (i) Hariata Whareiti: Her other lands were of a calculated area of 174 acres 1 rood 32 perches and of a calculated value of £218 7s. She was not rendered landless by the sale. (ii) Hikiera Taierua : His other lands were of a calculated area of 10 acres 30 perches and of a calculated value of £24 4s. 2d. He was rendered landless by the sale. (iii) Hori Paerimu : His other lands were of a calculated area of 9 acres 1 rood 3 perches and of a calculated value of £43 Bs. 4d. He was rendered landless by the sale. (iv) Mata Hare Terewai: She had no other lands and she was rendered landless by the sale. She was a married woman residing in Rarotonga before the sale, and she returned to Rarotonga after a visit to New Zealand. (v) Mere Paora Tuhaere : Her other lands were of a calculated area of 167 acres 28 perches and of a calculated value of £913 14s. 6d. She was not rendered landless by the sale. (vi) Merea Kingi : Her other lands were of a calculated area of 52 acres 22 perches and of a calculated value of £138 lis. 7d. and may be sufficient. (vi) Te Rere Arama: Her other lands were of a calculated area of 126 acres 4 perches and of a calculated value of £151 Bs. Bd. and may be sufficient. (viii) Rotana Ropiha Reihana: She had no other lands and she was rendered landless by the sale. This Native was resident in Rarotonga. (ix) Tumanako Reweti : Her other lands were of a calculated area of 143 acres 1 rood 23 perches and of a calculated value of £285 7s. 6d. She was not rendered landless by the sale. (x) Wiremu Watene Tautari : At the time when he first sold an interest in the papakainga his other lands were of a calculated area of 538 acres 1 rood 10 perches and of a calculated value of £836 14s. lOd. On the 10th July, 1923, by which date Wiremu had sold to the Crown an interest in the papakainga equivalent to an area of 3 acres 2 roods 0-12 perches valued at £946 2s. 10d., leaving an area of 4 acres 15-92 perches with a value of £1,105 12s. Id., the Tokerau District Maori Land Board confirmed the sale by him of the Nukuroa If 1 Block containing 521 acres 16 perches valued at £800. Wiremu subsequently disposed of his remaining interests in the papakainga piecemeal, but he may be regarded as not having been rendered landless until the final sale on 22nd June, 1926, when he alienated an interest worth £250 10s. He was rendered landless by the sale. Of these ten vendors, then, five were rendered landless by the sale. 35. The general result of sales of interests in the papakainga to the Crown, disregarding the doubtful cases, is that six Native vendors —namely, Muri Watene, Hikiera Taierua, Hori Paerimu, Mata Hare Terewai, Rotana Ropiha Reihana, and Wiremu Watene Tautari —were rendered landless within the meaning given to that term by the Native Land Act, 1909. Two of these —Mata Hare Terewai and Rotana Ropiha Reihana —were resident out of New Zealand, living in Rarotonga. 36. Question 2 is, " Whether there was anything contained in section 373 of the Native Land Act, 1909 (re-enacted in section 453 of the Native Land Act, 1931), which prevented the Native Land Purchase Board from lawfully purchasing the said land or any interests therein or which rendered any such purchases when made invalid." The answer is : The Native Land Purchase Board, by the Native Land Purchase Officer, did not in certain cases fully discharge the duty imposed by section 109 (10) of the Native Land Amendment Act, 1913, and purchased when, pursuant to section 373, a purchase should not have been made. No purchase was, however, rendered invalid thereby. Question 3 : Whether there were any valid reasons why the Crown should have abstained from purchasing the interests of such of the owners as were willing to sell, and did sell, their interests to the Crown ? 37. The Natives were willing to sell and did sell, and had there been no Order in Council in force prohibiting alienations except to the Crown, the interests of the Natives in the papakainga land, if not sold to the Crown, would most probably have been disposed of to private persons. The Crown had purchased the bulk of the Orakei Block subdivisions before it commenced to purchase interests in the papakainga. The papakainga, if not purchased, would shortly in the course of progress become an isolated Native settlement adjacent to a closely settled residential area. Most of the papakainga land is only four feet above the high-water mark. The Native occupiers must, in the interests of health, have been subject to the pressure of the requirements of the city in sanitation and in housing, and they could no longer, in such a locality, live the free life which they prefer.

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