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No. 3. His Honor the Supeeintendent, Taranaki, to the Hon. the Ministeb for Immioeation. Sib, — Superintendent's Office, New Plymouth, 2nd December, 1874. It is my intention to call the Provincial Council together shortly for the despatch of business ; and as the Appropriation Act expires at the end of the month, it will be necessary to make provision for the service of the ensuing year. It is not the intention of the Government to make provision for more than one year for the Special Emigration Agent, Mr. Burton, as it is probable that a sufficient supply of immigrants can now be secured through the ordinary agencies. I therefore beg leave to place the services of Mr. Burton at the disposal of the Immigration Department, and recommend that he be employed, as I have no doubt he will be found to be a valuable agent. The province has paid Mr. Burton £500, being £400 salary for one year from 21st September last, and £100 for passage. I would suggest that, if the Government take over Mr. Burton, £200 of this be refunded to the province, to be available for public works in connection with the location of immigrants. I also beg to suggest that the sum of £600 per annum be allowed to the Provincial Government out of the £20,000 agreed to be advanced for work in connection with the location of immigrants, as a contribution to the cost of administration, and fairly chargeable on that money: this allowance to date from 30th June last. That, of this sum, £300 be placed at my disposal to operate on, and that the remaining £300 be paid into the Provincial Treasury, to be appropriated by the Provincial Council; and that for the future the Council be allowed to appropriate the special allowance in the ordinary way. I have, &c, E. A. Caeeington, The Hon. H. A. Atkinson, Wellington. Superintendent.

No. 4. The Hon. the Ministeb of Immioeation to His Honor the Supeeintendent, Taranaki. Sib, — Immigration Office, Wellington, sth February, 1875. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 100, of the 2nd December ultimo, in which you refer to Mr. Burton, the Provincial Immigration Agent in England, and suggest that his services be made available by the General Government, and also request that, out of the £20,000 to be advanced to the province for work in connection with the location of immigrants, the sum of £600 per annum be allowed as a contribution to the cost of administration. In reply, I have to inform your Honor that all arrangements with regard to the conduct of immigration from the United Kingdom are in the hands of the Hon. Mr. Vogel, who, as you are aware, is now in London, and that therefore I am not in a position to enter into the question of the employment of Mr. Burton by this department; but lam quite sure that he will receive every consideration at the hands of the Premier. With regard to the second portion of your letter, the Government agree to allow your Honor the sum of £500 per annum, out of the £20,000 to be advanced, as a contribution to the cost of administration, such amount to be payable from the Ist July, 1874. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Taranaki. H. A. Atkinson.

HAWKE'S BAT. No. 5. His Honor the Supeeintendent. Hawke's Bay, to the Hon. the Ministeb for Immigbation. Sic, — Superintendent's Office, Napier, 18th September, 1874. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 220, of the 10th instant, and beg to thank you for so promptly instructing the Agent-General to despatch a ship for Napier with about 300 immigrants in each of the months of November and December, in addition to previous orders. So far as I can judge, these immigrants will be much required and readily absorbed. With reference to previous orders, I regret to notice, in the telegraphic information of ships despatched for the colony in August, that no vessel has been sent to Napier during that month. We shall thus lose the arrival of one of the shipments ordered, at the time of year they are most urgently needed. I would ask you to again press the Agent-General, by telegraph, to comply with the instructions sent in respect to immigrants for this province, for unless we receive the full number ordered, and about the time ordered, it will entail great loss upon the district. I observe from your letter that the Agent-General has been further instructed not to include Scandinavian immigrants in the number ordered in the last telegram ; and that you inquire whether I wish any of the 6,000 or 7,000 emigrants of this description sent to this province in addition to those specially ordered from England. In reply, I beg to state that I think one ship-load could be absorbed with advantage, and I would propose that the General Government take, under the Public Works and Immigration Act, sufficient land in the neighbourhood of the Norsewood Settlement, in the Seventy-Mile Bush, upon which to locate them. There is and will be a considerable amount of work for some time to come in that district in connection with railway extension, which will provide employment for people settled there. Judging also from the success of the existing settlements in the Seventy-Mile Bush, the Scandinavians are very suitable for location upon bush land.