JACKSON BAY SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4836, 21 September 1876, Page 6

JACKSON BAY SETTLEMENT.

The following paper relative to this settlement has been tabled, and as the subject at issue was raised in this journal we give it publicity : His Honor the Superintendent, Westland, to the Hon. the Minister for Immigration. Sir, -My attention having been drawn to certain statements made by correspondents to the New Zealand Times, and also to a leading article in that paper, based on the information so received, I feel that, although it is contrary to usual practice to take official cognisance of newspaper reports, and more especially anonymous letters, the grave charges of maladministration made with reference to the management of the Jackson Bay settlement require that I should place the Government in full possession of the real circumstances, so that they may, if they think proper, contradict the statements which have been circulated, or cause a searching inquiry to be instituted, so that the interests of the rising settlement alluded to may not be injuriously affected by such reports, or the administration of the Government traduced without sufficient cause.

I propose to deal first of all with the statements regarding particular rases at the settlement. These resolve themselves into the following : 1. It is stated that a German died there, after lying twelve weeks without any medical aid or comforts whatever, leaving his wife and family totally helpless. The name of this settler was Louis Eggeling. He arrived in the colony at Napier, with his wife, four sons (the youngest eleven years old), and two grown up daughters. The daughters were nominated by their friends here, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Robinson, and at their request Government consented to forward the family from Napier to the settlement, Mr. and Mrs. Kobinson had been resident for some months. The deceased was ill when he left Hokitika ; but his family were anxious he should accompany them, and he did so. On the 18th November, 1875, the Resident Agent wrote as follows: —" lam under the pecessity of sending up by this boat one of the German settlers, Louis Eggeling ; he had been confined to his bed for some time, and as I find we can do nothing for him here, he being threatened with partial paralysis, and otherwise indisposed, I have sent him up to the I hospital, a 3, without proper treatment, the case might result fatally. His wife accompanies him to look to him on the passage up, as he is confined to his bed and unable to help himself much."

On the 13th January, 1576, the Resident Agent wrote as follows —" I am sorry to have to report the death of one of the settlers, Louis Eggeling, one of the German immigrants. This i 3 the party referred to in my report of the 18th November, and whom I intended sending up to the hospital so that he might obtain medical advice and attendance. He had been confined to bed for some time, one side being partially paralysed ; he had never recovered from the effects of the voyage out, and died on the 16th December, 1875, aged fifty-seven years." The fact of the poor widow being with her own relatives, the Robinsons, who sent for them, and the family ranging from eleven years (the youngest) up to adult age, I think shows the strained nature of the communication.

On the subject of medical aid, I addressed you on the 7th April, 1875, forwarding a resolution of the Provincial Council urging the appointment of a duly-qualified medical officer for the settlement ; and at the same time I had a completely fitted medicine chest prepared, and sent down, with full advices, from the Provincial Surgeon, for the treatment of ordinary cases. To my letter you replied on the 4th May, 1875, " that the expense of such an appointment, or of similar requirements of the Bettlers, ought to be borne by the settlers themselves, and that the colony cannot properly be called on to bear such expenditure." In July last, after receipt of your letter, an opportunity offered for obtaining medical aid such as is "not often obtained in similarly remote localities. Mr. H. A. Branson, not n. qualified medical man, but possessing a diploma from the Pharmaceutical Society of England, several certificates, and twenty-three years experience, applied for appointment as attendant on the settlers. . I offered Mm a free passage, if he felt inclined to settle under the ordinary conditions of settlement, which Mr. Branson accepted, and the settlers were therefore not left without such medical advice as was, under the circumstanceß, available. That the advice was of practical benefit, not only to the settlers but others located near the settlement, was fully proved in the case of a miner at the , Haast, who became lunatic and attempted suicide by inflicting an ugly wound

on h!s throat with an old razor. In the official report on the matter it is stated • that " Mr. Marks (storekeeper at the Haast) sent up to the Bay for medical aid and assistance, which was rendered as soon as possible. Mr. Branson, being despatched with the necessaryappliances, on arrival sewed up and dressed the wound." Subsequently, the man was, with great difficulty, removed to the Bay, placed itt a cottage, and attended by two men until the arrival of the steamer, when he wa3 sent to Hokitika, and is now alive and being taken care of in the Hokitika Lunatic Asylum. I have no doubt that many other cases, showing the great benefit darived from Mr. Branson's presence can be obtained by reference to the settlement, but in the case just referred to I am able to quote from the official correspondence already in this office. 2. Complaint is made that the first potatoes planted had all decayed owing to the damp soil and continued wet weather, and a second planting was made impossible through the lotg interval of communication. ' It is further stated that there will be either want or the settlement will have to be abandoned unless better supervision and communication are provided.

On this point I would state that, on my return from visiting the settlement before proceeding to Wellington last session, I procured and sent down eleven tons of seed potatoes for the settlers ; but, owing to the unusually wet season which prevailed throughout the oolony, and to which Jackson Bay was no exception, the Resident Agent reported, by letter dated 10th November, 1875, " In consequence of the bad weather, some of the potatoes that were put in early have rotted, and will requre to be replanted. In other cases the crops are looking well, and promise a good crop." Again, on the 13£h December, he reports that " during the month we have had a continuance of the same wet and stormy weather that prevailed during the month of October, interfering with all outdoor operations, but more especially with the planting of potatoes. Some of the potatoes planted at the beginning of this wet spell have rotted in the ground, whilst others planted at the same time, but in dry sandy soil, are looking remarkably well. The first of these letters did not reach me till the 18th of December, 1875, having miscarried through being sent up in a box along with some camples of coal, which was not opened until my return from Wellington. The latter letter reached me on the 31st December, 1875 ; and on the 6th January, 1876, the steamer went down, taking with her all the seed potatoes that could be procured in this market. On the 3rd January, 1876, four days before the arrival of the steamer, Mr. Macfarlane wrote, regretting the delay in sending a further supply of potatoes, "as a good deal of land has been prepared in anticipation of seed being obtainable ; but, as the season is now so far advanced for potato-planting, and as it would be unwise to let the land be idle until next year, I am obtaining a large quantity of Swedish turnip plants from Mr. Maries, at the Haast, who hag kindly offered me as many as I want for the use of the settlers. This crop may not be quite as profitable as potatoes would have been to the settlers, but nevertheless it is better than letting land lie fallow. lam glad to report an improvement in the weather, the last two weeks having been very fine." The above extracts show that only a portion of the first crop of potatoes was destroyed, and that, although the bad weather was unfortunate, there was neither probability of want occurring nor absence of careful supervision. 3. A further statement, purporting to : be made from Jackson Bay, dated 10th January, 1876, is said to conclude, " Come down soon to see us, or you will only see our graves." At this date the Government Geologist, Mr. Cox, the Provincial Chief Surveyor, Mr. Mueller, Mr. Clapcott, a Justice of the Peace, and other gentlemen were down at the settlement, and the steamer taking them down re« mained from the 7th inst. to the afternoon of the 10th, so as to bring back the returns of the general election. None of these gentlemen saw or heard, anything of this distress, or they would certainly have reported it to me. No application was sent to me either by word of mouth or letter ; and- had any such state of things existed as the above remarks point to, there was plenty of opportunity to make it known. It is unnecessary for me to dwell further on what is so transparently mendacious.

4. I next take the statement of an individual settler, who complains of being refused additional pay to that promised by the regulations under which the settlement is established, viz., Bs. per diem, and also being refused provisions and work until he had taken up land" and complied with the regulations which were passed to insure bona fide settlement. I will quote the letters of the Resident Agent on both these points, and leave them to speak for themselves:— On the 10th January he writes, "It is quite probable you may have complaints lodged with you in connection with this case, as the men who were assisting to watch the lunatic seem to think they should be paid extra wages ; they refused to sign the vouchers for their regular wages, and I send it up without, the money due to them being credited to their store account. I have had some trouble with some of these men ; they have done nothing to their land in the way of clearing, and they do not seem inclined to do anything. Consequently I have refused to give them work unless they comply with the conditions of settlement." I may say that, in writing to the Resident Agent in reply, I said that I entirely approved of the action he had taken, as I regarded the carrying out of the conditions of settlement as essential to the prosperity of the settlement.

Having, I think, satisfactorily disposed of the particular cases referred to at the settlement, I now propose.to refer to the statement made as to the propriety of selecting Jackson Bay as a site for the settlement, as it is stated that this was " not dictated either by prudential or economic considerations, and that there were two other intermediate special settlement blocks, the one four miles from the township of Ross, and 1 the other in the neighborhood of Okarito, either of which might have been selected with every hope of success; and that the only apparent good of the Jackson Bay settlement was to find employment for a steamer, the Waipara, owned, we believe, by Mr. Bonar, the sailing of which to- Jackson Bay appears to b« usually fixed twenty-four or thirty hours before the departure of the Maori, subsidised by the Government for the convenience of the West Coast settlements."

Id connection with this, I must draw your attention to the fact that the selection of this site for a special settlement was no new idea suddenly arrived at, but the result of experience and careful inquiry of those best qualified to give an opinion on such a question, and fully considered by the Government before approving of the settlement. By reference to the proceedings of the County Council, it will be seen that on the 27th January, 1871, a select committee, consisting of Messrs. Reid, Robinson, Barff, Lahmann, and myself, was appointed to report on suitable blocks of land for forming special settlements under part 3 of the Westland Waste Lands Act, 1870. On the 14th February, 1871, the committee brought up their report, stating that, after carefully considering this important matter, and taking evidence of the Chief Surveyor, Harbormaster, Captain Bascand, Mr. Howard, and Mr. Mathies, all of whom had considerable knowledge and experience on the coast, they arrived at the following conclusions, namely—1. That it is desirable to establish only one special settlement under the Waste Lands Act as a trial scheme. 2. That the site for such settlement should be a block of land comprising 50,000 acres, extending from the Haast river to a point two miles south of the Arawata river (the block now occupied by the settlement). 3. That the most suitable site for a town would be that laid out at the time of the Haast rush, on the north bank of the Okuru river. The committee in conclusion thought it advisable to state that the principal reasons which induced them to select the block above referred to were that it contains a large quantity of good agricultural land, lightly timbered, has an abundant supply of excellent

timber, and has a considerable extent of flax •countrv. There are also fonr navigable: rivers within its boundary-^—the Haast, Arawata, Wniototo, and Okuru. On the beaches gold workings exist, so that there is an additional opportunity for miners to combine the cu'tiyation of the soil with the pursuit of their ordinary avocations. On the 16th of February, 1871, this report was adopted. In August, 1871, Mr. Hoos asked in Council what steps had been taken with regard to carrying out the resolution of the 17th Febnviry having reference to special settlements. The Chairman replied that " no applications had been received for any land in the settlement, and consequently no survey hai been made." Finding that no applications had beeu made for the first block, being the block recommended as most suitable for a settlement, the Council, on the motion of Mr. Hoos, set apart two additional reserves on 16th August, 1871 (the blocks referred to in the article). Up to the date of the announcement of the intention of the Government to establish the »pecial settlement at Jackson Bay under the Immigration and Public Works Act, none of these settlements were taken advantage of, although thrown open by the County Council. If further proof was wanted of the mind of the County Council as regards the importance of opening up the sounthern part of the county, I need only refer you to the report of the Departmental Committee made to the Council in March, 1873, and adopted on the 6th March, 1873.

The report recommended that the sum of £IOO,OOO should be borrowed on the security of 200,000 acres of laud, to be selected with a special view of encouraging the utilization of the extensive and valuable forests in the southern part of the county. The amount so raised was to be applied—1. To the paying of outstanding liabilities. 2. To the opening up communication with the southern portion of the county. Actin" 1 on the previous resolutions of the County Council, preliminary arrangements were entered into by me with the Hon. the Premier early in 1874, when I was elected Superintendent ; and, when the Provincial Council met in February of that year, the particulars of the draft plan were submitted by me to the Council, and they (,the Council) voted money for placing ferries on all the southern rivers down to Jackson Bay, so as tn enable communication by land to be established. Again, in May of the same year, in my opening address to the Council, further progress was reported ; and again in February, 1875, at their next session, when detailed particulars were laid before the Council. In July, 1874, after the appointment of the Executive Council, the details of the scheme were decided by the Executive, and the settlement found general favor throughout the whole district ; so much so that when it was notified that applications would be received from a limited number of persons on the coast desirous of settling there, the great difficulty was to select who should go, from the large number of applicants I may further state that of the number then sent down, not more than six have left; and from personal experience by visiting the settlement myself, and from the reports regularly received from "the Resident Agent and others who from time to time have visited the settlement, the whole of the settlers, with one or two exceptions, seemed to be well satisfied and contented. No complaints have reached me, nor have I received any petitions, except the one praying that a steamer should be subsidised to run regularly, and this I did not feel myself justified in consenting to, as I considered the funds which would be expended on such service, would be far better applied to the opening up of the settlement itself. To prove how little necessity there is for this, I append a statement (enclosure in No. 1) showing that during the year 1875 the settlement has been visited by steamers on nineteen different occasions.

The special advantages offered by Jackson Bay as a site for settlement have been so fully set forth in the elaborate published reports (copies of 'which were laid before Parliament, and fully circulated, both at Home and in the colony) that to any one at all acquainted with or interested in the matter, there is no difficulty in gaining information. I may, however, state, in addition to the report of the committee just quoted, the prominent features in favor of the settlement—the existence of the only harbor on the coast where large vessels can lie ; its proximity to the lowest known pass across the Southern Alps, the Haast Pas 3 being only 1760 feet above the sea level, and the facility with which communication can be established which will connect the settlement with Otago and the Bouthern part of Canterbury. In fact, the track is now completed into Westland from the Otago province at a Co3t of about £I6OO, and it will, in the course of about three months, be extended down to the northern end of the settlement, so that when this track is open persons resident at the settlement will be within three days' travelling to Otago and the southern portion of Canterbury. In addition also to the forests of good timber wliich are found in the special settlement, there is an unlimited quantity of limestone, good indications of coal and other minerals, and for the last ten years gold has been obtained by paitie3 in the neighborhood, and parties are now at work at the Haast. Previous to the establishment of the settlement two rushes to the Haast have already taken place, but miners would not remain on account of the difficulty and cost of getting provisions. Further than this, the settlement is within fifteen hours'»sail of the settled districts of Hokitika and Greymonth. There is an overland track available for foot passengers right up to Hokitika, and ferries on all the rivers. The only part of the track not fit for horse traffic is between the Paungu river and Bullock creek, eleven miles north of the Haast, a distance of thirteen miles, and this. I hope to 3ee soon opened up. Of the results ■which have already followed the establishment of this settlement I may enumerate tha following : Since the settlement has been started an official return received from the Waste Lands Board shows that 205,000 acres in that neighborhood outside the settlement have been taken up for pastoral purposes, bringing an annual revenue of £551 3s. 4d. to the province, and cattle are now on their way from Otago, following up the track as it is constructed. 9300 acres of land have been applied for to purchase in the district under the pre-emptive right at £1 per acre, and in gome cases a large advance is now being demanded by holders of the pastoral leases for a share in such leases. In addition to this, the land already sold in the town-hip of Arawata at the settlement is 11 acres 2 roods and 22 perches, which realized the sum of £ 1108 125., equal to £94 13s. 4d. per acre. Within the settlement itself, I learn from a memorandum from the Chief Surveyor's Office, that up to the 31st of December, 1875, sixtyfive of the ten-acre suburban sections have been taken up by the settlers themselves; and, although unable, without reference to the settlement, to give an exact return of the cottages erected, land drained, cleared, and fenced in, he estimates, from observations taken when passing through it in January last, that the clearing done will average two acres to each Bection occupied, and on most of these cottages of two or three rooms are erected. The survey of the fifty-acre rural sections being only recently completed, applications for these are not yet to hand. The annual rental of the 650 acre.s of suburban land already settled upon is £195; and of the original applicants, only one has forfeited his ground. In making a summary of these returns you will see that there has already accrued, from the formation of this settlement in its present position, an annual rental of £551 outside of the settlement, and £195 within the settlement, making altogether £746 per annum, and when the purchases of the pre-emptive rights are completed, £9300, which will, with the township land sold (£1108), make a total of £10,408. The total amount expended on the formation of the settlement is £10,262, of which £2374 will be recouped in the settlement for stores sold and on hand, so that the expenditure up to the present time only amounts to £7BBB, as against £10,408, and a yearly rental of £746. The quantity of fish about the settlement has Already led to the starting of a fishing

company, and I hope before long to arrange terms for the establishment of a large sawmill. Ry nearly every steamer settlers are getting down cattle, and many are only waiting the opening of the track fromOtagoto purchase stock. These are facts which, at this early period of the history of the settlement, should be a sufficient answer to any one desirous of learning whether the settlement is a failure or not, and whether the only apparent good of the settlement has been to benefit a private steamer or not.

None of the other settlements indicated would possess many of the most important advantages that Jackson Bay , does. The one at the Waitaha, in the neighborhood of Ross, is now being taken up by the population already in that neighborhood, but only slowly, as the market of Ross does not at present offer sufficient outlet for their produce; and at Okurito it is only a few days siuce I received a memorial from the residents to proclaim an additional block of land open for the advantage of the inhabitants there. Had I been desirous of specially benefiting the steamer Waipara, to have made the special settlement at Okarito would have thrown the trade exclusively into her hands, as she is the only steamer that visits that port, and it is only a handy vessel such as she is that can work that intricate bar, and then only on spring tides. To any one acquainted in the least degree with these localities, these facts are so well known that only a prejudiced or ignorant person could write as has been done.

I now desire to draw your attention to the direct charge made, that I have acted in the matter of this settlement for the benefit of myself as formerly a part owner of the steamer Waipara ; and, before going further, permit me to say, in the most emphatic terms, that so far from having made use of my position, in having the control of the expenditure upon the settlement, for the benefit of this vessel, I have on the contrary exerted the influence I possessed by part ownership of the steamer to regulate her movements, not only for the benefit of the settlement in which I feel such a deep interest, but also in fostering the progress of settlement and the development of the other resources of the southern parts of this province. I have not only done this, but I have twice refused good offers to purchase her, besides refusing profitable employment elsewhere. I should have thought that my personal character and eleven 3 ears of honorable public position would have induced any editor of a leading paper to hesitate to impugn it, without, at all eveuts, a careful inquiry into the truth of the allegations, instead of accepting the representations of one whose knowledge of the settlement is evidently of the most superficial character, and whose opinions may not be uninfluenced by political bias, A reference to the proceedings of the County Council during its twelve sessions from 1868. composed of different members, and from time to time presided over by different county chairmen, will show you that the representatives of the people (among whom was. Mr. Hoos for a part of the time) fully recognised the importance of opening up the southern part of the then county, and session after session set apart, out of the limited rovenue at their disposal, sums of money in order to subsidise a steamer to visit the different parts of the coast line, so as to endeavor to induce settlement and mining operations along this large extent of country, which was lying almost entirely unoccupied ; and further reference will show that tenders were called over and over again for the performance of such a dangerous service, involving as it does the great risk of crossing with a steamer, uninsured, bars to which in most cases there was no pilot or signalman attached. In the solitary case referred to, not only wa3 the subsidy demanded in excess of the tender of the Waipara, but the rates proposed to be charged for conveyance of passengers and cargo were considerably higher; and a further examination of the records of the Council, will show you that when the Council was in straits for money, but struggling to give facilities for the settlement of the southern portion of the then county, the owners of the Waipara did not confine themselves to the strict conditions of their contract, but, being anxious to supplement the efforts of the Council, made two trips for every one they were bound to do, without demanding any extra payment. The subsidy which the Council paid ranged from £125 to £l6O per trip, exclusive of whatever freight she might earn, and the rate 3 authorised by the Council for freight and passage money to the southern ports and Jackson Bay were—- £ s. d. For saloon passengers .. .. ..400 For steerage passengers 3 0 0 Cargo, per ton, if taken from alongside 3 10 0 Cargo, per ton, if landed i 10 0 These were the rates chargeable in addition to the subsidy of, say, £125 per trip. I would beg you to compare these with what has been charged since I had the honor of being entrusted with the expenditure in connection with Jackson Bay. Reference to the vouchers in your office will show you that the charges have been—for steerage passengers, 505., and, in all cases, the cabin has been given up to the female passengers without further charge ; and for cargo, 60s. for general cargo, and 40s. for timber, and the ship's boats and men assisting in landing the cargo and timber. From these rate 3, a further allowance is made to the Government of 10 per cent., which still further reduces the sum charged ; and in no case has any subsidy been asked whatever in connection with the settlement.

From the return I attach herewith of the sums paid to the Waipara from the funds of the settlement for freightand passage money, you will see that the average is only £llß per trip. These facts and figures, I think, require no further comment. Reference has also been made to the subsidised steamer Maori ; and I am happy to have this opportunity of acknowledging the readiness with which Captain Malcolm and-the owners complied with my request to visit the settlement on each trip, although it is no part of their contract to do so, and I have thus been enabled on many occasions to avail myself of her services both in the conveyance of cargo and passengers. It is, however, impossible for a steamer of the Maori's draft of water to enter the rivers or to be utilised for the places of call such as Gillespie's Beach or Bru«e Bay, where goods can only be landed in exceptionally fine weather. And as no other steamer is trading on the coast which would enter these small rivers without much larger inducement than we could offer, it was necessary I should employ the only vessel really available for such service. A reference to the statement A. which I append, to the dates on which the various steamers visited Jackson Bay will show you that, out of the nine trips made by the Waipara to Jackson Bay during 1875, only one trip was made to Jackson Bay alone. On every other trip she entered all or some of the dangerous bar harbors of the Paringa, Okuru, Haast, and Okarito rivers, and on two occasions left supplies for the discoverers of the lithographic limestone at the Abbey Rocks. At each of these places settlement is going on; and, but for the periodical visits of the Waipara, they would be deserted. I regret having been forced into what may appear to be such an egotistical statement; but I think you will perceive that it is only bv relating the whole facts as they really are, that I can properly clear myself from the gross charges imputed to me. The statement that the Waipara usually sailed twenty-four or thirty hours before the Maori is simply untrue, as you will see from the statement A attached. The only other matter on which I feel it necessary to touch is as to the price charged at the settlement for, and mode of supplying, stores. As to the prices, until I hear from the Resident Agent, I can only say that my instructions to him (which I believe have been carried out) are to charge the lowest price at which he can recoup cost price, with freight added, and any loss which may arise from damage or decay. No representations have been made to me regarding prices from the settlement; but on the return of the Provincial Secretary, who has been at the settlement for the last fortnight, I shall learn fully all the circumstances, and, if I find prices can be lowered, I will direct it to be done.

As to the supplying goods to the settlement, I have always carefully avoided, as "far. as. practicable, all interference in the purchase of. stores, knowing the natural jealousies of traders in a small community. The first goods were purchased by the Resident Agent, who went round to the different merchants, and, having got their prices and examined the goods, selected indifferently those that were cheapest and best suited to his requirements. Subsequently, for a time, he sent up his orders, which were handed to an auctioneer and agent of thoroughly trustworthy character, Mr. Todd, who purchased and shipped all that was required. Since then, in order to remove all jealousies, tenders are called for, and this, I think, is perhaps the be<it course to pursue, although somewhat inconvenient for thetrifling nature of many of the goods required; I trust, however, we may soon be abln to withdraw altogether from the supply of stores, as it is very unsatisfactory having such a responsibility. I have been in correspondence for, some time with the Eesident Agent regarding this, but it is difficult to get private people to come forward to take the matter up at the small margin for contingencies the ftovsrnment have been allowing. I feel it is almost unnecessary for me to say that I have no personal or business interest in the supply of stores, beyond the occasional purchase made from my place of business (as with other merchants) when the agent .employed found that he could, with advantage, do so. A considerable portion of the goods have been supplied by James Chesney and C?., the present Provincial Government contractors, who, on every subsequent occasion that tenders were called for, were the successful tenderers. In conclusion, I must ask your pardon for the extreme length at which I have written ; but I feel most strongly that nothing can do the settlement more harm than imputations of dishonesty in its management, and carrying on business in this place has, perhaps, made me more than ordinarily sensitive. I should still be g'ad if the Government would send some independent person to the settlement to report fully on it, and to cause a thorough and searching inquiry to be made into the grossly unfair charges levelled against myself. Of the future of the settlement I feel quite confident, and I am certain that the bulk of the settlers resident there are of the same opinion. That there are many difficulties to be overcome, and possibly some hardships to he gone through, is inevitable in a bush country ; but for all this those who have gone down were fully prepared, and I believe that the complaints, such as they are, which have come up, are only forwarded from some idle discontented men, of whom acme will always be found in every place. . The resident agent, Mr. Macfarlane, by his energy and ability has contributed -in no small degree to the success which I am sure will be found to have attended the progress of the settlement when the inquiry I ask at your hands is carried out.—l have, &c, James A. Bonab, Superintendent. The Hon. the Minister for Immigration.