New Plymouth Nov. 10/70 My Dear Sir, It affords me very great pleasure to be able to inform you that the Native question in this district is looking favourable, as you will see by my official reports by this mail. I believe your only difficulty now, is the confiscated lands, which the Natives are virtually in possession of. I am anxious to know what is thought of the action of Te Whiti at the Pariaka meeting by the northern tribes, for if it has had the same effect upon them that it has upon the tribes of this district, Te Whiti will have conferred a great benefit upon the country, whether he intended it or not. I think he means well, and it was a bold act of his to take up the position he did against the King and other confederations, which bids fair to be a death blow to the old existing leagues in opposition to Government. The Mokau Natives who have for a long time been very sullen, even to northern Natives, by refusing any one to pass their place, are now become very civil, and it is worthy of notice that Te Whitis people were the first to break the Tapu. I am working hard to get the road works started, and I hope you will send me an early answer to my official report. It is absolutely necessary to take on Nelson Carrington and economy to do so, for there will be five or six different sections of Natives working, besides the Volunteers, and it requires almost daily supervision as the work advances. I think if he got at the rate of £200 a year it would be sufficient. I am sadly perplexed with Court cases about loot horses, which run away from parties who brought them from the looters and get back to the Natives who very naturally keep them and when they bring them in to Town they are seized. I have two cases in Court this week for Pariaka Natives. The Attorney General gave his opinion to the late Government that claims to looted cattle and horses cannot be sustained as against the previous owner, and this is sometimes met by Europeans swearing that they bred the animal. I am sadly bored by P. Carrington on behalf of his brother Wellington, who he states you promised employment through me. I remember your speaking to me about him in case anything could be given him on the roads. There is work for him to superintend some of the Native contracts if you will approve of it, but you must not afterwards bully me for not using economy. Yours Very Faithfully, Robert Parris.