A.-No. 2

No. 5. His Honor H. R. Richmond to the Hon. E. W. Stafford. (No. 127.) Superintendent's Office, Sib,— New Plymouth, 30th March, 1867. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Bth instant, intimating the disallowance of " The Waiwakaiho Loan Ordinance, 18(57," in consequence of no Act having been passed by the General Assembly sanctioning it, as required by the nineteenth section of " Tho Southland Provincial Debt Act, 1865." It is much to be regretted that a clause of such importance to the whole of tho Provinces of New Zealand should have been introduced into an Act, the title of which gives no indication of its existence, but leads to the conclusion that it deals only with the Southland debt. As the wreck of the Waiwakaiho Bridge now lies in the bed of the river, it is very desirable that it should be removed before the winter floods carry it away, the value of the material may be estimated at five hundred pounds: I would therefore ask if the Government would be inclined to introduce a Bill during the next session of tho Colonial Legislature to enable His Excellency to assent to an Ordinance for the purpose of erecting a bridge over the Waiwakaiho River. If the Government would do so, it would be possible to raise the money necessary to take the valuable material out of its precarious position and to go on with the erection of the bridge. I have &c., Thomas Kelly, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Deputy Superintendent.

No. 6. The Hon. E. W. Stafford to His Honor H. R. Richmond. (No. 111.) Colonial Secretary's Office, Sir,— Wellington, 6th April, 1867. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 127, of the 30th ultimo, and in reply to state that, in compliance with your request, the Government will propose during the next session of the General Assembly, a Bill to enable the Governor to assent to a Provincial Ordinance of Taranaki, for raising a loan not exceeding altogether three thousand pounds for the purpose of erecting a bridge over the Waiwakaiho River. I have, Ac, E. W. Stafford, His Honor the Superintendent, Taranaki. Colonial Secretary.

PROVINCE OF lIAWKE'S BAY. No. 1. His Honor Donald McLean to tie Hon. E. W. Staffobd. Superintendent's Office, Sib, — Napier, 12th August, 1867. I have the honor to transmit copies of the undermentioned Acts passed during the last sitting of the Provincial Council of Hawke's Bay, and trust that His Excellency will be pleased to assent to the same :— " The Cattle Trespass Act, 1867; " " The Sheep and Scab Amendment Act, 1867 ; " " The Appropriation Act, 1867 ; " " The Thistle Act, 1867." I have, Ac, Donald McLean, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, "Wellington. Superintendent.

No. 2. The Hon. E. W. Stafford to His Honor Donald McLean. (No. 250.) Colonial Secretary's Office, Sir,— Wellington, 24th September, 1867. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter of the 12th ultimo, transmitting four reserved Bills passed by the Provincial Council of Hawke's Bay. With respect to the Bill intituled " The Thistle Act, 1867," I would refer to my Circular of the 9th instant, generally on the subject of Provincial legislation with regard to civil and criminal jurisdiction. The provisions in sections four and five are open to the objections pointed out in that Circular. Section nine also provides that penalties are to be paid into the Provincial Treasury and to be appropriated by the Superintendent. By Act of the General Assembly, such penalties are Ordinary Revenue of the Colony, and, as such, must be paid into the Public Account of the Colony and be appropriated by the General Assembly. As this Bill is ultra vires and repugnant to the laws of the Colony the Governor cannot be advised to assent to it.

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DISALLOWANCE OP PROVINCIAL BILLS.