No. 361.—Petition of Arihi te Nahu and 17 Others.

Petitioners object to the finding of the Appellate Court in regard to Poukawa Reserve, Te Hauke, Hawke's Bay District, and pray that legislation may be passed to enable a further hearing of the case.

I am directed to report that, owing to the large amount of business before the Committee, it is impossible at this late stage of the session to deal conclusively with this petition, but, in view of the difficulty in deciding questions of the nature stated therein, it is suggested that the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court should cause a case to be stated as to the Native custom in circumstances similar to those involved in the petition, and submit the same to the Native Land Court Judges under the provisions of section 43 of "The Native Land Laws Amendment Act, 1895."