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No. 41 of 1881.—Petition of Robert Studholme Thompson (No. 2).
Petitioner, acting for his wife, an aboriginal, says that she is a claimant of land on the Waimate Plains and at Waitara; that she has always been loyal, and so was her father; that petitioner has a dwelling-house on his wife's land on the Waimate Plains, in which their eldest daughter was born in 1874; that the Natives have never disputed his wife's right to occupy the land; that petitioner has applied to the West Coast Commission for a grant of a piece of land for his wife, and was told that it would be considered in connection with her tribal right; that he and his wife visited Wellington in April, 1880, and consulted their lawyer for the purpose of seeing the Native Minister; that, in October last, Dr. Buller saw the Native Minister, but had an unsatisfactory interview; that petitioner then sent a formal protest to the Native Minister, and was thereupon dismissed from the office of government Native Interpreter: that the West Coast Commissioner declined to see him on the subject of the claim, though he offered to receive and duly consider any written communication from petitioner's wife; that the Commissioner has declined further correspondence from him on his wife's claim; that, failing other remedy, he applies to Parliament for redress.
I am directed to report as follows:—
That, in the opinion of this Committee, the claims raised by the petitioner are part of a class which should properly be inquired into by the West Coast Royal Commission, and that the petition be accordingly referred to Sir William Fox.
[Translation.]
No. 41 of 1881.—Pukapuka-inoi a Rapata Tarihome Tamihana (Nama 2).
E Whakahaere ana te kai-pitihana mo te taha ki tona wahine, he Maori, e ki ana kei te whai take tona wahine ki nga whenua o Waimate me Waitara; i piri pono tonu tona wahine ki Te Kuini i nga takiwa katoa, tae noa ki te papa o tona wahine; he whare ano to te kai-pitihana i runga i te whenua a tona wahine i Waimate, a i whanau ta raua tamaiti matamua ki reira i te tau 1874; kaore ano nga Maori i whakahe i te tika o tona wahine ki te noho i tera whenua; kua tono karaati te kai-pitihana ki te Komihana mo te Tai Hauauru mo tetahi piihi whenua ma tona wahine, a ko te kupu whakahoki ki tona tono, i mea, tera ano e whakaarohia i runga i ona take e uru ana ki roto ki te paanga o tona iwi; i haere raua ko te wahine ki Poneke i Aperira, 1880, i korero ki ta raua roia mo te haere kia kite i te Minita mo te Taha Maori; no te Oketopa kua pahure ake nei i kite a Takuta Pura i te Minita mo to Taha Maori engari kihai i pai ta raua korero; i tukua e te kai-pitihana tetahi whakahe ki te Minita mo te Taha Maori no reira ka whakamutua tona mahi Kaiwhakamaori mo te Kawanatanga; kihai i whakaae te Komihana o te Tai Hauauru kia kite i te kai-pitihana i runga i tona tono, engari i whakaae ma tona wahine e tuhituhi atu a tera ano e whakaarohia; kua kore e whakaae e Te Komihana kia tuhi atu ano te kai-pitihana ki a ia mo tona wahine; na i te mea kaore he ora ke atu e puta ana ki a ia, tenei ka tono te kai-pitihana ki te Paramete kia whakatikaia ia.
Kua whakahaua ahau kia ki penei:—
Ki te whakaaro a te Komiti ko nga take kua ara nei i te kai-pitihana, e pa ke ana ki nga tu take e tika nei ma Te Komihana o te Tai Hauauru ke e whiriwhiri, heoi ko tenei pitihana me tuku atu kia Ta Wiremu Pokiha.