No. 292, 1878.—Petition of Rev. G. P. Mutu and Others.

The petitioners, members of the Ngaitahu tribe, residing at Kaiapoi, pray that means may be provided for investigating their claims as against those of the Ngatitoa tribe, or any other Natives not being the original owners of the soil. They object to the fulfilment of any promise which recognizes a claim on the part of the Ngatitoa tribe by right of conquest, alleging that they were a peaceable people, unwilling to fight or murder, and the Ngatitoa people were the aggressors.

I am directed to report as follows:—

That the Committee cannot advise any action in the direction indicated by the petitioners, as the rights of the Ngatitoa tribe to the lands in question have been recognized for over a quarter of a century. In regard to this class of petitions, the Committee would call the attention of the House to the following report made on the 25th September, 1878: "That the Committee are of opinion that, if the complex questions of Native title raised by the petition are to be inquired into exhaustively, it must be done by a different tribunal from a Select Parliamentary Committee, whose time is manifestly far too limited for such a purpose. The Committee are not prepared to express an opinion as to whether such an inquiry should be held or not, but recommend that it should receive the attention of the Government."