THE BAY OF PLENTY TIMES. “The spirit of the times shall teach me speed.” KING JOHN, ACT IV. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1873.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume II, Issue 110, 20 September 1873, Page 2

THE BAY OF PLENTY TIMES. “ The spirit of the times shall teach me speed.” KING JOHN, ACT IV. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1873.

We place before our readers to-day the following official matter relative to the location of immigrants at Tauranga, from which it will be seen that the delay hitherto has not been the fault of the present Ministry. It is satisfactory to discover this, because in the absence of detailed information on the subject we have very naturally cast the blame on the Ministry of the day, and looked upon the repeated promises of settling immigrants in this district as not to be depended upon. On referring to the copies of correspondence, just laid before the House of Representatives,between the various Ministers and the Agent-General at home, wo find that the primary and real cause of delay was the action taken by the Honorable Mr Sewell and Hr Peatherston (Agent-General) in London. The facts are these ; Mr Hslfibmbe was appointed by the Honorable H. McLean, in September, 1871. to examine the Tauranga lands. Ho sent in his report on the 20th of October same year, w hich document was in due course" laid before the House of Representatives. On the

71,1 iof May 1872, tho Munster of Works sent in a memorandum to the Agent-General requesting him ? give circulation to the conditions noon winch certain portions of the confisr-iLS lands could be acquired by small farmers and others, on a system of deferred par ments. These as regards Tauranga were ■ 1. Blocks may vary from not less "ban inn acres to not more than 500 acres, at the nriee rf £1 per acre. * ot 2. The purchase money to extend over Bva years, payable at the rate of £2O per cent, at th end of each year, excepting for the first y e *f which is to be paid to yourself in London, toeeth«t with a further deposit of £2O per cent, as a proof of boml fide intention to occupy the land. H 01 3;, Towards the passage of the lessee and hi* family, the O-overnment, through the A<*ent Q-eneral, will contribute one-third of the'cost provided such contribution does not exceed th« amount received for the first year’s payment under clause 2, and that the passages are either second or third-class, r But during the short time that the Stafford cum Gillies Ministry was in power the Honorable Mr Sewell iu Sep tember 30, 1872, wrote to the A«r e nt" General instructing him to suspend all action under the memorandum of May 7th. Dr Featherston, in reply, wro te January 9,1873, stating he had refrained taking any steps whatever in regard to the instructions he had received'relative to Mr Ormond’s proposed scheme of settlement on the confiscated lands of the East and West Coasts, —so that in reality the Agent-General took no notice of those instructions, not even so far as to acknowledge their receipt for nearly sis months; hut iu March, two months" still later, he deigns to write why he had not carried ont the instructions conveyed in the memorandum ;

I could not conceal from myself that the pro* posal to form settlements on the confiscated lands in question would inevitably have bean viewed with disfavour by statesmen and others interested in the progress of the colony, and that they would have regarded it as likely to prove fatal to the Native policy which they had so cordially'approved, and the success of which they had watched with so much interest. I feel equally certain that the influential journals of this country would have condemned the project, and would have raised the old cries, however unjust, of the settlers’ greed for land, &e., and the result of the very announcement of the scheme would, I feel persuaded, be almost fatal to the prospects of New Zealand emigration. Feeling thus strongly on the subject, I was very glad to receive a telegram and despatch from the Hon. Mr Sewell, requesting me to suspend all action under those instructions ; and I base the expression (in my letter of 9fch January) of my hope that tha scheme would not be resuscitated; partly upon the announcement of the Hon. Mr Stafford when Premier, “ that a very large extent of the confiscated lands had been given back, either through the action of the Compensation Court or by special Executive action on the part of the Government,” and that “ the Government could give no specific “answer as to their intention with regard to the x-emaining portion of the lands until they knew what claims there were and what promises had been made.” We have, therefore, to thank the Stafford Ministry and the Agent-General for the broken promises we have on previous occasions so bitterly complained of in this all important matter of immigration. It is, however, gratifying to find by a statement made during the present session by the Hon. Mr O’Korke, Minister for Immigration, in reply to our member, Mr Kelly, “ that the contract recently entered into with the New Zealand Shipping Company provided for aship to come direct to Tauranga. and that the Agent-General would be instructed to send one out with 250 souls.” Asa surveyor appointed by the Government arrived in Tauranga last week for the purpose of laying out roads with a view to lands being cut up into suitable allotments, we may fairly anticipate that during the approaching summer one or more special small farm settlements may be formed around us. This project will, of course, not interfere with, prevent, or retard in any way whatever the Nova Scotian immigration scheme of Dr Pollen or other Government measures; on the same subject, on the contrary, Mr OTiorke is reported in “ Hansard ” as having stated on the 12th of August last “ that the number of immigrants already ordered for Auckland was 3,500, and if the Government could induce any of them to settle at Tauranga they would do so.”

Mb Baegavilke’s visit to the Bay of Plenty is postponed for “ a week or two,” as will be perceived on reference to our advertising columns, in consequence of the late heavy rains having caused the creeks between Tauranga and Cambridge to rise considerably—so much so, indeed, that the guides refused to escort Mr Dargaville.

We learn by telegram that in the TTou-e of 3iojireseutat ives on Wednesday last, in reply to Mr- Sheehan, Mr Mcßt-aa said a bill would be introduced to remedy the defects in Ac's edoing to the Maori lands ou the Bast Coast, and to do away with joint tenancy.

DtTKiKG the week requisitions from natives have been numerously signed, and letters by several influential chiefs written to the Honorable the I efence Minister, praying that the Government will not remove Mr Commissioner Clarke from this district, as is commonly reported to be their intention. A large number of signatures were attached to ths requisition by the Ngaeterangi, Tapaunahi, Ngaituwhiwhia, Poriakau, and other tribes resident in the Bay of Plenty.