Wednesday, December 29.

Hakopa, being duly sworn, states: My name is Hakopa (Jacob). I have four children. Two go to the school. After this I won't send my children to the school, because the land will be taken from the children. It is only new that I do not wish to send them, so that they may get money for Wakerawa.

Mr. Charles Alley, being duly sworn, states: My belief is, that if I had a son old enough to go to the College here, he would be refused. I believe it from my acquaintance with Bishop Hobhouse. He told me the College was for the Maoris alono. I consider there is much dissatisfaction existing that there is no school for Europeans supported out of this estate. The teacher at the Provincial Government school has only £110 a year, and the clergyman, Mr, Poole, gets £150, while Mr. Ronaldson has £285. I think there are several young men here, and also parents of children, who would be glad to pay weekly for education given by such a clergyman as Mr. Ronaldson. I think it is a great shame that that College is closed against white people. According to the grant the land was given for each.

William Andrews, being duly sworn, states: I have been nearly twenty years in this district, as assistant Wesleyan preacher. I always understood the College was to be for both races, but it has not been so. As an individual, I am quite willing to bear a part towards the expense, If there is not enough coming in from the land. I think the feeling is general. We wish for a school that would give a superior education. I am aware there is no fit building for the purpose. I know there has been an ill-feeling amongst us over since that building was put up, because of the expense, which I heard was £700, and the bad way in which it was built. I told Mr. Tudor at the time that the two chimneys would all have to come down again. He said he hoped not. The architect did not employ proper people I think the Maoris are dissatisfied with the school owing to there not having been proper attention paid to them. Sometimes there has been somebody to look after the school and sometimes not. I know that there has been always a dissatisfaction among them as to the land the Bishop received. They say the land is theirs. It was taken from them without their consent, and they do not know what is done with the money.

James Macdonald, being duly sworn, states: I have been lately a storekeeper. I have been in this district twenty years. I always understood that the College was to be open for the Europeans as well as for the Maoris. I know there are several families about here would be very glad to avail themselves of a good school, but never understood they could do so. I think it possible that if a certain scale of payment bad been adopted, European children might be educated at the school.

page 295

Charles Alley recalled: The chimneys of the building were erected by private contract, so far as I know; I was in Nelson at the time. I was instructed to go to Dr. Greenwood to give in a tender for the chimneys of the school at Motueka. I went to Dr. Greenwood. He told me to go to Mr. Russell. Mr. Russell acted, I believe, in the capacity of a builder. I saw him at Richmond. I told him that I would build the chimneys for £12. He said he could not give it, as he had only £14 for it. He offered £10. I said I could not do it for that. I was over here two months after. Mr. Tudor applied to me to inspect those chimneys. I went and looked at them, and I told Mr. Tudor they would never act. I could see, and almost put my hand through one of them. The flues were too small, and they were not pargetted. The actual contract accepted was for £14, which was sufficient to have made a good job of it. I would have done it for £12. The plaster was only two-coat work, instead of three. I consider it a very inferior job. I told Mr. Tudor so. The lathes are in several places perpendicular, which will never hold the mortar properly. The zinc at the angle at the junction of the dormer with the roof was put over the plaster instead of under, so that the water always soaked in behind it.

Takerei Paerata declared he would not send his children. I took my son Herewini from the school a long time ago, because they whipped him.

Nopera said: Me speak English—me never go to school—here my master (touching his own head)—me put it in here all the same potatoes into the ground. My way speaking English—half English, half Maori—like a pot of "bingo" (half ale, half porter). The man at the school^*—the master—he make a beat of Paerata's boy. That no good. That no the Maori way. That old fellow (Paerata), he take him away. That the way the Maori no go to the school. They make one hour read; one hour school a week; all the rest time grow potatoe, grow wheat, grow cabbage. What the good of that? Maori no like that.

Ramari Tekauri: My name is now Herewine (Selwyn). My land was called Matakino-kino, (now sections 1 to 9, also 10 and 11 Riwaka, the other side of Motueka). It was mine before I was ill. It was land of my forefathers. I lived there till I went to Nelson. I lived on the Motueka river, Sections 72, 73, 74. Riwaka was my father's land too. I was requested to give up my land for a school, and I also had land at the Wakarewa which I also gave up; but I kept the Motueka river land. I stuck to that land. I did not stay there because I was ill. No one told me to go off it. I have no land now. The Government has taken that at Motueka. I gave up the rest. The only thing I received for that land was my maintenance during my illness. Nobody ever told me this was the payment for my land. I had £2 a month from Taylor, the policeman at Takaka, by Mr. Brunner's authority. I don't know how much I received. I don't know how to count. I received it for about ten weeks while I lived at Motupipi. This was paid up to the time of my marriage. My father, E. Kia, got ten blankets for his share of the land at Motueka. Captain Wakefield gave him them. My father died whilst I was at Nelson. Whilst I was at Nelson they let the cottage that my husband (Charley) had built, and the land to Mr. Jackson and others, who said they had taken it on lease from Mr. Brunner.

Edmund Parkinson: I am a carpenter. I have lived here 14 or 15 years. I and my partner, Edward Bibbey, put up the school buildings. It was soon after our arrival. We tendered for the carpenter's work, but not the timber. We made it according to Mr. Clarke's plan, who was architect. Dr. Greenwood and Mr. Tudor had to do with it. The timber was splendid, and there was plenty of it. At that time wages were tip-top, and timber was very dear. We had just left Melbourne, and had put up a barn for Dr. Greenwood, and had also done work for Mr Allen, both of whom were satisfied. We did a portion of the lathe work; some of the outside with gutters, some inside, to the best of my recollection. I do not recollect the amount of the contract. My mate has been gone away some time. I cannot recollect whether tenders were advertised for. We got paid about days' wages; we worked from light to dark in summer time, and did not get anything out of the way by it. I do not think you could put up a better building now for the same money, though you might put more work upon it. I and my mate, while waiting for the plasterers, re-sunk the well. This was extra work. It was a dangerous job in that gravelly soil taking bricks out from the well. I do not know anything about the lead or zinc being put outside the plaster of the putters. The weather-boarding at the end was only intended for temporary work, to be built on to again afterwards.

Mr. F. D. Greenwood re-examined: The Bishop's object in offering the terms to Saxon was to get the property improved and made more productive. The Bishop had the lease prepared, which I now produce, but which was never signed, Saxon having been willing at first to agree to those terms; but I believe, on finding the land inferior to what he expected, he afterwards refused. The terms the Bishop offered are in the lease: they are a pepper-co[gap — reason: damage]n rent for the first seven years; £52 10s. for each of the next three years; and £105 per annum for each of the last four years, with strict conditions as to fencing and proper farming. The old lease ran out about that time; and last year he got a new lease granted, at a rent of £91 15s. per annum, including the stony sections, hill sections, and piece of good land, all formerly held at a rental of £70 14s. Tarrant and Guy had the land before Saxon. They paid £35 rent per annum, besides interest on cost of a barn—altogether £47 a year. Saxon objected to taking the stony part of the land. Mr. Sinclair and myself went up to the land. I went over it, and gave him my opinion of the proper amount of rent to be charged, which was accordingly demanded and agreed to The lease has been duly executed. The interest on the barn and, buildings (which is included in the rent) is calculated at 12 per cent., which Mr. Saxon considers high and complains of, because he says he laid out £200 on the house himself. This, however, would not entitle him to exemption from payment of the interest agreed upon when Bishop Hobhouse advanced the money (£200) out of the Trust Fund. Out of the whole estate of 1050 acres, 350 acres are comparatively worthless, being composed of stones and gravel.

page 296