No. 367.—Petition of Kipa te Whatanui, of Otaki (No. 2).

Petitioner prays for compensation for losses sustained in connection with a piece of land known as Te Waka, being portion of the Ngakaroro Block No. 2, of which he alleges he has been wrongfully deprived by the action of the Native Land Court.

I am directed to report that this Committee begs to repeat the recommendation made on a similar petition in 1891, viz.: "That the petitioner, through the action of the Native Land Court, has an undoubted grievance. The facts elicited are as follows, viz.: that on the 1st day of April, 1874, the Ngakaroro Block No. 2 was adjudicated on by the Native Land Court. The petitioner was admitted to be the owner of the portion of the block called Te Waka. He was led to believe that all he had to do was to get a survey made of the said portion and bring the matter again before the Native Land Court, when a title would be conferred on him. On the 22nd of April, 1874, the list of owners for the block was handed in for the purpose of being placed on the records of the Court; the name of Kipa te Whatanui was, however, omitted therefrom. Subsequently the matter was, more than once, brought before the Court by the petitioner, but, his name not being on the list of owners, his particular case could not be dealt with. All the official correspondence and memoranda on the subject admit the petitioner's case, and, in some instances, redress is promised. Taking these facts into consideration, the Committee is of opinion that the matter should be referred to the Government for inquiry and favourable consideration."