D.—No. 5

No. 26. THE HONORABLE THE COLONIAL SECRETARY TO MESSRS. GODEFFROY. Colonial Secretary's Office. Auckland, 3rd October. 1863. Gentlemen, — I have the houor to acknoAAledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd April last, and to state that I deferred answering it for some time, in the hope that the circumstances of Taranaki, as regards the NatiAO population, might have improved, so as to admit of the proposed colonization from Germany being proceeded Avith. I regret, however to say, that the present state of things is not such as to make it desirable to proceed Avith the scheme, eA"en if your objections to the proposed plan AA rere removed. I am sorry to observe the opinion AA'hich you have formed as to the want of liberality in the plan proposed. In fact, it was formed chiefly on your OAvn terms for the introduction of emigrants into Caffraria ; aud Avith all respect for your opinion, I must be alloAved to state that I believe the New Zealand terms Avere, on the whole, and Avhen all circumstances are taken into consideration, much the more liberal of the tAvo. You complain of it as a hardship, that the emigrants should have to repay the amount of passage money, also for rations supplied them, as well as to pay for the land they Avere to be located upon. You complain, further, that the amount of wages to be paid such emigrants for roadmaking was fixed beforehand, aud to be less than the ordinary Colonial rate of wages. Also, that they were to be required to sign an engagement to serve as Militia. I find from the printed terms (a copy of which I enclose) laid before the New Zealand Assembly, "on AA'hich German emigrants Avere introduced into Caffraria, and upon Avhich your offer is made to introduce them into NeAv Zealand," the folloAving : — " The emigrants to pay the passage money of themselves and families, and interest thereon, Ac. " Each emigrant to receive a one-acre village lot, and twenty acres of country land, and an additional acre of country land for every child. " £2 per acre to be paid for such land, Ac. "Provincial Government to find rations for one year, cost of Avhich is to be repaid." Thus the rations, the passage money and the land, had to be paid for in Caffraria, as in New Zealand. In Caffraria, under your terms, interest had to be paid, AA'hile none Avas chargeable in our scheme. Moreover, instead of 20 acres of land, Aye proposed to give 40 acres for each head of a family, and the land Avas not to be paid for at all by emigrants avlio had served as actual soldiers. It was proposed that there should be at least 200 out of the 500 men soldiers. So that in 200 out of 500 eases, Aye proposed to give aAvay the land, and to giA-e double the quantity that in the African agreements Avas to be sold. While to all emigrants, we gave the opportunity of buying, at long credit, double the quantity of land to be sold in Caffraria. As to the quality of the land, I believe there can be no doubt that the Taranaki land is very much more valuable than that in Caffraria. AVith respect to the Alilitary service, it is Avell knoAvn that the Caffrarian emigrants had to hold their lands on military tenure, as Avell as the NeAv Zealand emigrants might have had. At the time the proposals Avere sent home, the Government hoped and believed that no Avar would have broken out again in Taranaki. Aloreover, the Caffres are quite as bad enemies to deal with, to say the least of it, as the Maoris. But the condition of military service Avas openly required in our proposals, for the very reason that the emigrants might be made fully aAvare of all that Avould be demanded of them, and that by no possibility might they be deceived, or any advantage taken of them. The grievance with respect to the Avages to be paid for road making is A'cry easily explained. The road on Avhich it Avas expressly agreed that they Avere to Avork Avas the road from their OAvn settlement to the toAvn of NeAv Plymouth. This road, Avhen made, AA'ould probably have giAen these settlers almost a monopoly of the market for firewood and other produce, because they would thus have been enabled to undersell the English inhabitants of the other country districts of the Province. It is very probable that Government Avould have had greatcomplaints of favoritism from th other settlers on this very account. Their lands Avould have been Avorth several pounds an acre the moment the road Avas made. It Avas simply another mode of making them contribute labour for their oavu advantage, and that of their oaati community, as is often done by statute in several English Colonies, and known indeed familiarly by the term " Statute labour." It Avas really contributing out of public funds a portion of the cost of road making, on condition they should contribute also —a principle constantly adopted and clamored for by the English settlers of New Zealand, and which they often have a difficulty in getting favoured Avith from their Provincial Governments. I had not overlooked from the first the necessity of having a felloAv countryman placed over them, Avho knew their habits and tastes, and Avas also Avell acquainted Avith Taranaki. I had actually employed a settler —a Prussian and an officer —for some time in superintending the preparation of the settlement for these Germans. He Avas exceedingly zealous in the matter, and most considerate and anxious about the provision to be made for their reception and their future comfort. A bridle-road had been cleared, under my directions, to the proposed site of the settle-

23

INTRODUCTION OF GERMAN IMMIGRANTS.