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selection to be made subject to veto under section 29. My predecessor, the Hon. Mr. Fergus, by letter dated 29th August, 1890, notified Mr. Wilson accordingly. That this decision did not please Mr. Wilson your readers on the West Coast goldfields will readily understand, for section 29 is the main safeguard for preventing individuals securing through the company auriferous lands, providing, as it does, that no selection shall be valid until a period of two months shall have elapsed after such selection has been made and notified to the Minister for Public Works by the company. Now, Mr. Editor, at this time there was not one single acre of land reserved for mining purposes, and, no matter how careful the Commissioner of Lands may have been, and although the company would not intentionally wish to secure valuable auriferous lands, or lands required for mining purposes, yet other knowing persons, seeing free-trade was the order of the day, would have applied for and have secured such lands to the detriment of the mining industry. Now, the power of selection under section 33 of the contract only applies to lands available for selection under clause 16 of the contract, and the said section exempts from selection all lands which from time to time, in the opinion of the Governor, are or may be required for bond fide mining purposes and the several privileges connected therewith, or incidental or conducive thereto, and power was given to reserve for these purposes 750,000 acres in blocks not exceeding 10,000 acres. Now, Mr. Wilson, orally and by letter, strenuously opposed the making of these reserves. Ultimately, on the 29th August, 1890, by Memorandum 90/821, the company were notified that lands for mining purposes would be set apart by Proclamation. The company, by letter dated the 6th October, 1890, asked to be supplied with plans of the reserves. By letter dated the 23rd October, 1890, my predecessor agreed to furnish these plans. About the end of December, the regulations again came up, for in Mr. Wilson's letter of the 30th December, 1890, the following passage occurs : " They are drawn on the basis of all applications for land under clause 33 being advertised. If considerable mining reserves are about to be made, this advertising is both unnecessary and objectionable from the company's point of view. If, however, mining reserves are not to be made at present the company would be prepared, as you have been already informed, to agree to the system of advertising. I must await your reply on this point before returning the regulations." So here ends, Mr. Editor, 1890. No applications made to Minister for Public Works to assess separate and distinct applications under clause 33, and subject to clause 29. The question, regulation or no regulation, still under consideration. In the year 1891 Mr. Wilson set the ball rolling by sending to the Under-Secretary for Works the following telegram on the 22nd January: " Land Eegulations : When shall I have reply to letter of 30 th December, 1890? " In the meantime my predecessor had directed that his successor should deal with Mr. Wilson's letter of the 30th December. On the 27th January, 1891, I received from Mr. Wilson the following telegram : " Hope can count on your assistance get regulations settled for dealing with lands in Westland. Waiting reply to letter 30th December to Minister Public Works." Being a Ministerial youth, inexperience was counted on. On the 7th February I replied that the question of the reservation of land for mining purposes had not yet been decided by Goverment, but under any circumstances it would be necessary for all applications affecting lands under clause 33 to be duly advertised. On the 10th February, 1891, the company forwarded its proposed regulations, with a long explanatory letter. The power under these regulations was vested in the Commissioner of Lands instead of in the Minister, and the advertising was to be at the direction of the Commissioner in all cases, and although the company had been notified and the Government advised to the contrary. The following passage was contained in the letter accompanying the regulations: "Although these proposed regulations are drawn on the assumption that the Minister is entitled to direct notification of any section applied for, it must be understood that the company does not agree that such reference is necessary under the contract in respect of lands dealt with under clause. 33." On the 24th February, by Memorandum 91/271, I acknowledged receipt of draft regulations, and informed the company the same were drawn upon the assumption that the Government did not intend to make large reserves for mining purposes; and I further said I would be glad if the company would submit alternative proposals for dealing with these lands on the assumption that reserves for mining purposes would be made. Mr. Wilson replied to this on the 2nd March. The first part of the letter pointed out the expense and delay in advertising applications ; the concluding paragraphs being as follows : " No doubt the Government has no wish to cause unnecessary delay in dealing with lands, and the Minister (through the Commissioner of Crown Lands) would determine at once in nearly all cases the reply required as to any particular pieces of land if referred under clause 29 of the Midland Eailway contract. These being the only alterations which would be required in the proposed regulations in the event of the mining reserves being made, it seems unnecessary to submit an alternative draft as suggested in your letter under reply." To this I replied the matter would be brought under the notice of the Minister of Lands on his arrival in Wellington. Other letters from Mr. Wilson followed, the tenor of same being alleged delay in the matter of opening land for settlement, and urging agreement to regulations. On the 22nd July the following extracts from Memorandum 91/1291 put the views of the Government on the matter: "In reply, lam to state that the Government is not in any way responsible for any delays in this matter, as all the lands which have so far been earned by the company have been duly granted to it, and if the company has seen fit to make almost the whole of its selections on the east side of the ranges instead of on the West Coast the Government cannot be blamed therefor. No impediment has been placed in the way of your company selecting lands within the railway area on the west coast of the Middle Island. It would, moreover, appear that the company desires to avoid publicity being given to proposed selections of land in localities where gold-mining operations are being carried on. This has already been, and is likely to be, an obstacle 19—1. 11.