P.—2

3

11. All the vessels employed to be fitted with approved refrigerating machinery for the freezing of meat and dairy produce. 12. A fire- and vermin-proof locker for the safe custody of mails to be provided in each vessel; and, in all other respects each vessel to be subject to the same provisions in respect of the receipt, custody, and delivery of the mails as if subsidized for mail purposes. 13. The vessels employed to be exempt from the payment of light- and harbour-dues'at the New Zealand ports. 14. Penalties for not sailing to days fixed, and for not performing the voyage within the limited time. In addition to the above, the contract will, of course, contain such stipulations as are usually contained in such contracts, and are applicable especially in reference to the berthing, diet, &c, of immigrants. A memorandum by the Minister of Immigration, containing his views in reference to immigrants, is enclosed for your information and guidance. I have, &c, Thomas Dick, General Post Office, Wellington, 16th October, 1882. Postmaster-General.

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure in No. 3. Memorandum by the Hon. the Minister of Immigration. Op the new loan it is proposed to allocate a sum of £200,000 to immigration, principally of the nominated class. This sum will, roughly speaking, represent about 10,000 immigrants :of these, about 4,000 will be the result of this year's operations, prior to the time when the steam service will be instituted. The Government estimates that it will require passages for not less than 2,500 statute adult immigrants each year during the three years of the currency of the contract. But if this number should be exceeded in any one year it should be in the power of the Government to diminish it proportionately in the following year, and generally to modify its operations to suit the requirements of the colony. The general provisions of the previous contract with the New Zealand Shipping Company will form the basis, mutatis mutandis, of the steam contract in respect of all matters relating to the comfort, medical attendance, ventilation, conveniences, &c, of the immigrants, and also as to the payment of the passage-money. The length of notice as to the number of immigrants for whom passages will be required in any one ship will be best arranged by the Agent-General. The question of calling at Plymouth is one which will require special provision. I presume it will be competent to arrange for steamers to call there for the embarkation of passengers, it being pretty well established that it is inexpedient, for moral, sanitary, and other reasons, to have the immigrants detained in the docks in London. Under no circumstances should fall-paying private passengers be allowed to come out in the same compartments with the Government immigrants. The contractors should be required without extra cost to distribute the immigrants at the various ports in the colony, either by transhipment under the supervision of an officer of the Immigration Department, or by the ocean steamers proceeding to the several ports. The Agent-General will no doubt endeavour, as far as practicable, so to arrange that immigrants nominated for a particular district should be so grouped together as to sail by a ship going to the port of that district. But it should clearly be the interest of the shippers to send the ship to the port for which there are the most passengers. Under any circumstances the shippers must take all passengers for any port, by any ship, as may be required by the Agent-General; or, failing arrangement with the. contractors, the AgentGeneral can arrange for immigrants to come by sailing vessel without prejudice to the contract. The contractors will thus have the option of taking emigrants, but the Government can send them by direct sailing vessels if they do not agree to the arrangements. The contract with the New Zealand Shipping Company will be found in Parliamentary Papers, D.-5 of 1878. I would also direct attention to the correspondence which passed between Mr. Macandrew (as Minister of Immigration) and the Agent-General published in D.-1., 1878. W. Rolleston, Immigration Office, Wellington, 16th October, 1882. Minister of Immigration.

No. 4i. The Hon. the Postmaster-General to the Agent-General. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, New Zealand, 4th November, 1882. As promised by the Hon. Mr. Dick in the concluding paragraph of his letter of the 16th ultimo, I beg to enclose cypher code to be used when communicating by telegraph in the matter of the direct steam service. I forward, for your information, copy of an advertisement inserted in the principal newspapers in Australia and New Zealand re the direct steam service. Since its publication it has been represented to the Government that the time fixed for commencing the service is inconveniently early. It has been urged that Juno or Jubv_ should be substituted for April as the date of commencement from London, and that the time for "receiving tenders should not be less than two months and a half. These representations havje.been under the consideration of the Government, and the Hon. the Premier, who is at present in Auckland, will communicate with you by the outgoing mail on this and other matters affecting the direct service. I have, Ac, Sir E. D. Bell, K.C.M.G., Edward T. Conolly, Agent-General for New Zealand, London. (For the Postmaster-General.)