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10

Enclosure in No. 10. Sir,— Taupo, 10th March, 1886. In accordance with your request I have the honour to state that during the current half-year there has been a great deal of sickness in this district, I having attended between four and five hundred cases during the present quarter, but happily not of a very fatal nature. With the exception of whooping-cough, there have been no dangerous epidemics, and that is now nearly rooted out, the long continuance of genial weather being very favourable to convalescence. The most prevalent diseases in the district at present arc pulmonary and bronchial affections. Six cases terminated fatally, namely, phthisis, 1; pneumonia, 2; whooping-cough, 1; meningitis, 1; diarrhoea, 1. I have, &c, D. Scannell, Esq., R.M., A. J. Leslie, M.8., CM., Inspector of A.C. Force, in Charge of District. Medical Officer, Taupo District.

No. 11. Captain Preece, R.M., Napier, to the Under-Secretary, Native Department. Sir, — Resident Magistrate's Office, Napier, 31st May, 1886. In accordance with the instructions contained in your circular No. 17, of the 30th December last, I have the honour to forward herewith the census of the Maori and half-caste population residing within the Wairoa and the Napier and Waipukurau Resident Magistrates' Districts, together with a separate return showing the numbers in. the Counties of Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, Waipawa, and Patangata. I may state that I have adopted this mode of preparing the return in order that I may be better able to compare it with the census of 1881, which was taken according to the boundaries of the Resident Magistrates' districts. Wairoa District. The returns for this district show a decrease of 85 males under fifteen years, 86 males over fifteen years, 22 females under fifteen years, 39 females over fifteen years; total decrease, 232. I do not, however, think that the actual decrease is so much as would appear from the returns; allowance must be made for 115 Ureweras on the eastern side of Waikaremoana Bake, who were shown in my last census, and are now included in the return for the Opotiki District, Whakatane County, also for a number of Natives who were absent at Waikato, Poverty Bay, and other places. The children in this district have suffered severely from an epidemic of whooping-cough, which proved fatal in many cases. The Natives generally have been in good health, and fewer deaths have occurred amongst adults as compared with the Hawke's Bay District. The Natives have lately erected a flour-mill, and have cultivated wheat more extensively than for many years past. I estimate the yield will be about 23,000 bushels. Hawke's Bay and Napier and Waipukurau Districts. This shows an increase of 16 males under fifteen years, 124 males over fifteen years, a decrease of 36 females under fifteen years, and an increase of 17 females over fifteen years ; total increase, 121. Ido not think that there has been any actual increase. My report on the census of 1881 showed that a number of Natives were absent at Taupo and Wairarapa; this will account for the apparent increase in the numbers of males over fifteen years. I believe that there have been a considerable number of deaths amongst children, and there have been comparatively few births. In my last census I showed the number of Natives belonging to the district, including those who were absent, at 1,722; in the present return I have included 98 persons in Patea, who were formerly shown on the Whanganui return; deducting these from the total of 1,756 would leave 1,664, against 1,722 in 1881, showing a decrease of 58. Owing to the communistic habits of the Natives I found it quite impossible to give the individual owners of crops. In conclusion, I beg to state that the delay in sending in the return was caused partly by the difficulty in getting information in the southern part of the district, and partly through one of the Sub-enumerators being compelled to give up the work owing to sickness in his family, and a difficulty in getting a competent man to complete it. I have, &c, George A. Preece, The Under-Secretary, Native Department, Wellington. Resident Magistrate.

No. 12. Mr. E. S. Maunsell, Greytown, to the Under-Secretary, Native Department. Sir, — Greytown, Wairarapa, 9th April, 1886. I have the honour to forward you returns of the Maori census of the Wairarapa District, which give the numbers at 707 resident in the district. There are about 50 absent in other districts —Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay, and in the South Island—making in all about 757 men women and children, Wairarapa Natives. As compared with the census taken in 1881 there is an increase in numbers of about 13.