19

D.—s

The Government, after the cutting down of suitable trees on a portion of the reserve, to offer sites to persons on which to erect saw-mills, on condition of their purchasing the logs supplied by the Government at an agreed price. The General Government to advance for roads, &c, not exceeding £ , to be refunded out of the proceeds of the sale of land and the receipts from the forest reserves. The cost of sending the immigrants to the settlement to be defrayed by the Immigration Department. The Provincial Government to guarantee refund in seven years, unless the land be taken under the Immigration and Public Works Act.

No. 49. The Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation to His Honor the Supebintendent, Wellington. (Circular.) Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 7th February, 1874. It is very desirable that some of the immigrants arriving in your Province should at once leave the town and its vicinity and proceed into the country districts, either to become settlers on their own account, or to accept employment from settlers. To enable this to be done, I shall be inclined not only to allow a moderate expenditure for the cost of transit, but also a proportion of the expense for renting suitable buildings, if any are available, as temporary depots for the immigrants, in the country towns or villages. The scarcity of house accommodation is such in many of the country districts, that immigrants, especially families, inclined to settle or seek employment in the country, may find themselves deterred from doing so on account of the want of adequate shelter. It has suggested itself to me that it would be very desirable to erect, at different points where employment was available, serviceable but cheap four-roomed cottages or huts, not exceeding in cost £100, for the purpose of letting to the immigrants. Where the Provincial Government have land to spare in thd vicinity of railway works, small areas of land might be included, with the cottages, in a lease. This, however, I leave to the consideration of the Provincial authorities. I am willing, as a means of thus settling immigrants, to place a certain amount of money at your Honor's disposal to build such cottages or huts, on the following conditions :— 1. That these be let to newly-arrived immigrants with families. 2. That the Provincial Government undertakes and guarantees to return to the General Government the amount expended, with interest at 5 per cent., in four instalments, on the lst January, 1875, 1876, 1877, and 1878. I leave you to make such arrangements for building the cottages, and to let them on such conditions other than those stipulated, as may seem to you desirable. If you approve of this proposal, I shall be glad to receive, any suggestions from your Honor on the subject, as also to learn the amount of money you think you would require during the current year. I have, <fee, His Honor the Superintendent, Wellington. Julius Vogel.

No. 50. His Honor the Supebintendent, Wellington, to the Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation. Sic, — Superintendent's Office, Wellington, 13th March, 1874. Referring to your letter of the 7th ultimo, I have the honor to transmit copy of a telegram respecting the erection of two small cottages at Featherston at a cost of £135, and I beg to recommend that the offer be accepted. It is my intention to erect similar cottages in the country districts throughout the Province, and as soon as tenders are received they shall be sent on to you for your acceptance. I have, &c, William Fitzheeeeet, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington. Superintendent. * # * The erection of these cottages for £150 was finally approved.

No. 51. His Honor the Supebintendent, Wellington, to the Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation. Sic,— Superintendent's Office, Wellington, 26th March, 1874. I think it right to call the attention of the General Government to the necessity of some provision being made, by which employment will be found for a considerable portion of the immigrants to be landed at this port in the course of the next few months. My own idea respecting immigration is, that to make the policy a success, a great deal must be done beyond what has hitherto been done, namely, merely landing a lot of people on our shores. Up to the present time the demand for labour has absorbed those hitherto landed, but harvest work and shearing is now over, and to land several thousand people during the winter months, without the Government making arrangements for their employment, will lead to disastrous results ; besides, the object the Colony had in view, as the results of the immigration policy, was not only the supplying the