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different places to where we intended. All these matters are. in Mr. Smith's Survey Department, and he can explain about them. I wish that you would consider the matter so as to have' it right. One of the reserves is put on the edge of the boundary of the gold fields. The reason why it was put there was that there was some firewood. When the survey of thee reserve was finished, it was found that, it did not include the firewood at all, and now we cannel get, this timber that we want. We want you to try, and have the matter set right for us. I ask that the Crown grants of the reserves in the Ohinemuri Block shall issue to us. Now I will cease to talk about those matters ; I will refer to the roads. There is one road that goes to ; it goes through Te Township. There is a Native settlement of twenty acres in that ; there is also some European land in that locality. Within the twenty acres of the Meori block is a sacred place ; there were some bodies buried there a long time ago, and it, is still used as a burial-ground ; a portion of it is precipitous. The Council have determined to run a road right through the Native cultivations. The Maoris say, "No; it should not. be so, because you take land from in; that, is available for cultivation." The Council say, " We want to do it in order to make the road straight." Now, there is an European block close to it ; the road goes over it, but the road is bent, and the Council never attempted there to straighten it ; but over this Maori land they straighten it by taking

it through the land. The portion where the road goes over the Maori land is called " Pure-o-Le Rani." Beyond that twenty-acre block is another settlement of the Natives, about, three or four acres, and the road goes right through it and takes it nearly all away ; and I ask you to give some consideration to this matter. I bring this before you because the Maoris are very incapable of doing any work for their living: the Maori means of support is being able to cultivate potatoes and other food for themselves. If this twenty-acre block is spoiled by the road, anti also the four-acre block, where is the land on which the Maoris aro to cultivate? The Natives do not agree that the. roads should be opened there. There is another road that leads front Paeroa to Te Aroha,—that is, the new road they arc laying off. They have run it right through the centre of the native lands : as soon as ever they came to a block owned by Europeans, they turned it off directly and ran it through a Native block—they avoided the European block. Whim they 'got to a piece owned by Mr. Bennett, they took only a very small portion indeed off it. As soon as they crossed the river, directly on the other side was a Native block of land all under cultivation, and they ran it right through that. This block on the other side of the river is about three acres, and the road goes right through it. The present road that goes to Te Aroha goes over the block called "'T'e Rawhitiroa," and this new road is now laid' parallel with it.

[A map was then produced by Mr. Cheal, District Surveyor, who explained the position of the road in question.]

Mr. Ballance said that a deviation of the road should be made to snit the Natives ; and, in future, surveyors would be instructed to take the road with the least possible injury to the Native cultivations.

Haora Tareranui continued : Another matter is, that, we want to have a pound erected. The reason Why we ask for a pound is that we can see plainly that there will soon be trouble on account of the absence of a pound. The Europeans' cattle are running over our land and breaking into our fences, and as soon as they break through the fences they get into the cultivations and destroy all the food,. , We have disputes with the Europeans about these matters, but because we obey the law we do not come to blows' over it. Some time ago the Europeans wanted a pound in Paeroa, and one was built, but it was never authorized. The Maoris consider that the reason the pound was never given effect to was, because the Europeans saw that they had very little land to run their cattle on,. and they would have to run them on the Maori land, and they would not have the pound, as it might be used for their own cattle. If you were to scud anybody up there you would most likely find that the cattle will have broken into' the settlements and have eaten the food. The fences are built in the same way as the European fences, but the European cattle get in; therefore, we ask that you will authorize a pound to be erected there. If you authorize a pound to be erected there, anything that is impounded should be advertised both in English awl Maori: the reason I ask this is, that pakehas are not the only owners of cattle, and Maories would like to know if any of their own stock get impounded. It has been seen that Maoris lost their horses altogether by having them impounded here they did not know anything about it, and their horses were sold. This is a personal matter of my own : Some time ago I made a claim for compensation on account

of land during Sir Donald McLean's time. Sir Donald McLean said to "Let it be till I go to Waikato, and if I hear from the Waikato chiefs that you have any claim to the land you shall have compensation." After Sir Donald. McLean's death a meeting took place at Cambridge; that was in 1876 ; Dr. Pollen was there as Native Minister. Dr. Pollen said at that meeting, that everything that -Sir Donald McLean had promised he would carry out; but, we were to meet him in the schoolhouse and lay our matters of complaint before him there. I went over to this schoolhouse, and, in the midst of the chiefs of Waikato and Ngatihaua and sonic others that were there, I said openly to him, " Hero is the word that Sir Donald McLean said to me He promised inn that when he got to Waikato he would inquire if I had any claims to Waikato lands. He told me that if the Waikato chiefs agreed that I had any. claim to Waikato lands he would give me some compensation for the loss of them ;" and when I made this statement all the chiefs that were in the schoolhouse at the time acknowledged that I had claims. Dr. Pollen then asked me who was present at the time Sir Donald McLean made this promise. I said Mr. Puckey was ; and Dr. Pollen said, "I will refer the matter to Mr. Puckey." After I came back I saw Mr. Puckey, and we sent numerous letters to the Premier. Subsequent to that, I do not remember the year, Sir F. Whitaker came to Grahamstown, and Mr. Puckey and myself saw him about it. Sir F. Whitaker said to me, "Have you not got any land?" I replied to him by saying, "Because I have land here should I lose land that I had in the Waikato?" After that Mr. Sheehan was Native Minister. I went to Cambridge—I forget the year—and I told Mr. Sheehan all about this matter. He told me that after he had been to Auckland and returned to Cambridge, then he would settle it, He went to Auckland, but I did not

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