No. 96 of Session II., 1879.—Petition of Kereopa Hone Hone and 35 Others.

The petitioners state that certain lands at Karioi (in Raglan District), as per boundaries stated in the petition, was appropriated to them. This land was not surveyed at the time it was granted. When surveyors were appointed, they proceeded to lay out only 600 acres, quite irrespective of the boundaries named. The petitioners pray that the boundaries should be consistent with the names of places named in the original purchase.

I am directed to report as follows:—

That it appears that the back boundary of this reserve was never completely surveyed, and that, in the absence of such survey, Mr. Rogan's estimate of the area of the reserve must have been entirely conjectural. On the other hand, there seems no reason to doubt the accuracy of the points designated by name as indicating the boundaries intended at the time of the sale, though they would no doubt very largely increase the area beyond Mr. Rogan's estimate. Under all the circumstances, the Committee is of opinion that the larger area contended for by the Natives ought to be granted to them. The only difficulty appears to be that a small piece of the disputed land has been given, under the Homestead law, by the Government to an European; but he has signified his intention to remove if the Government will give him an equivalent outside the reserve. This the Committee recommend should be done.