23

D.—l

£ s. d. £ s. d. Brought forward ... ~.. ... ... ... 586 13 9 Re Emigrants per " Hurunui: " — Shipped 190 adults, 66 children (one moiety paid in England), say 1,539 9 11 Landed 130 adults, 36 children (one moiety to be paid in colony) — Adults ... ... ... ... @ £6 15 9 882 7 6 Children ... ... ... ... @ 315 6 135 18 0 Per " Loch Dee," 12 adults (to be paid in colony) @ 13 11 6 162 18 0 4 children „ „ @ 711 0 30 4 0 Fitting up, aud cabin fare for surgeon ... ... ... ... 46 11 10 Per " Carnatic," 20 adults (to be paid in colony) @ 13 11 6 27110 0 9 children „ „ @ 711 0 67 19 0 Fitting up for surgeon ... ... ... ... ... 38 11 0 1,635 19 4 Re " Hurunui," first voyage: Emigrants for Taranaki: — This vessel was bound and went to New Plymouth, but owing to boisterous weather could not land the passengers there, and so brought all on to Wellington, to which port the Government had negotiated with the Company for their conveyance, and the Company had consented to bring them on if only Taranaki prices were paid. The actual head money if they had been so lauded would have given the £ s. d. Company ... ... ... ... ... ... 187 7 6 But the Government asked the Company to convey only 107^ adults to New Plymouth, and this service cost the Company actually the amount claimed ... ... ... ... ... ... 241 17 6 Re Demurrage deducted: — The Company seeks to recover the following deduction made by Agent-General: — £ s. d. "Waitara" ... ... 5 Sept. to 8 Sept.—4 days @ £25 ... 100 0 0 " Jessie Osborne" ...12 „ to 14 „ —3 „ @ £25 ... 75 0 0 !'Hurunui" ... ...19 „ to 22 „ —3 „ @ £25 ... 75 0 0 " Cardigan Castle" ...26 „ to 28 „ —3 „ @ £25 ... 75 0 0 "Leicester" ... ... 17 Oct. to 19 Oct.—3 „ @ £25 ... 75 0 0 "Waipa" ... ... 24 „ to 26 „ —3 „ @ £25 ... 75 0 0 "Wiltshire" ... ... 8 Nov. to 10 Nov.—3 „ @ £25 ... 75 0 0 550 0 0 £3,014 10 7 Christchurch, 28th May, 1877. H. Selwyn Smith, General Manager.

Enclosure 2 in No. 38. The Hon. the Minister for Immigration to Mr. H. S. Smith. Si E) — Immigration Office, Wellington, 12th June, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st May, referring to certain unsettled claims of your Company for conveyance of emigrants, &c, and enclosing a statement of account amounting to £3,014 10s. 7d., and urging " that the early payment of the items due to the Company is equitable, without any reference back to England of the matters which have, in pursuance of the agreement, been referred to the Government by the Agent-General." In reply, I have to inform you that the Government has given full consideration to the claim of the Company in respect to the matters in dispute, and, in order to avoid the delay that would be caused by referring the matter again to England, has agreed to pay to the Company here the items which are found to be actually due to it. 1. Extra stores: In reference to this item, I have to state that the Government cannot agree to pay for the extra stores shipped, but seeing that contract tickets had been issued before the Ist of May to a large number of emigrants under the provision scale then in force, and that 2,647 souls were conveyed in your ships under the new contract who were supplied with provisions on the scale previously in force, the Government, considering the equity of the case, have agreed to waive its rights under a strict interpretation of clause 2 of the contract, and to allow the difference on the dietary scale which was supplied as stated in your claim —£586 13s. 9d. 2. Emigrants, " Hurunui: " The Government agree to pay the sums which have been held over iv this account, amounting to £1,635 19s. 4d., less amount of sustenance money payable in England on account of emigrants landed at Weymouth and Plymouth by order of the Board of Trade, and which sum, amounting to £115 19s. 9d., as per statement herewith, is due by the Company. 3. The item conveyance of passengers to Taranaki is agreed to —£241 17s. 6d. In regard to your request that the Government should agree to remit the demurrage charges, I have to inform you that, after full consideration of the arguments so ably urged by you, the Government see no reason to interfere with the decision of the Agent-General. H. S. Smith, Esq., General Manager, I have, &c, New Zealand Shipping Company, Christchurch. D. Eeid. P.S.—On receipt of your account for the items above stated as admitted, it will be at once passed for payment.