No. 15, Sess. I.—Petition of John Duncan and Another.

Petitioners ask that a grant issued to certain Natives of a block of land situated in Waikato may be cancelled, and that an inquiry may be held to ascertain the names of all the members of the Ngatitipa Tribe interested in the said land, and that the present grantees may be declared trustees for such persons.

I am directed to report as follows:—

That this petition is in all respects similar to that of last year from the same individuals, and the Committee repeats what was then reported, namely: "That this is one of the numerous cases in which those whose names were put into Crown grants for convenience may assume all the rights of full ownership. They were not thought by the ordinary members of the tribe to be more than trustees; but lately so many of these virtual trusts have been misappropriated to the profit of individuals, that, naturally, the Maoris outside the record of the grantees have become alarmed by the actual or possible sacrifice of their interests. The Committee considers that, in the interest of the general body of real, as apart from nominal, owners, legislation is necessary, in order to have renewed Crown grants similar to the one now referred to, and recommend the subject to the early attention of the Government."

The Committee would only add that the Government should consider whether it would not be possible to at once introduce a Bill to stop any transactions in this case or similar cases until general legislation can be adopted to cover the whole question.