No. 11.
The Assistant Native Secretary to Mr. Commissioner
Kemp.
Sir,—
I have the honour, by direction of Mr. McLean, to request you to proceed to Wairarapa to arrange the long-standing 5-per-cent. question with the Natives of that district. You will probably find it necessary to give some notice of the time and place at which you will hold a meeting, in order to give all parties interested time to attend. The Government wish you, if possible, to make arrangements with the leading chiefs to receive the amount still due, leaving them to distribute it among their following in such manner as they may deem fair and proper. It should be explained to the chiefs that their claim to this allowance has never been lost sight of by the Government, as they must know from the several advances that have from time to time been made to them on account of these moneys. Mr. McLean concludes that you have armed yourself with all necessary information on the subject of this question, and feels assured that your intimate knowledge of the Wairarapa Natives will enable you to bring this long-pending question to a satisfactory and final conclusion. I enclose the copy of a letter addressed to Mr. Wardell, R.M., requesting him to render you every assistance in the matter on which you are engaged.