IV EW ZEALAND. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

REPORT OF THE STEAM NAVIGATION COMMITTEE. ORDERED TO BE PRINTED JULY 21st, 1854.

The Select Committee of the House of Representatives, appointed on the l(sth ultimo, to report as to the best means of establishing Steam Communication between the different Provinces •t iNew Zealand, have given to the subject their best attention, and, having taken such very limiled evidence as is procurable here, have agreed to the following report. r ° l ? r Committee find that the subject of intercolonial Steam Navigation has occupied public attention in this co ony, m England, and Australia, for some considerable time pastand even while its members are still sitting, reports are current of large and powerful steam vessels being advertised to visit New Zealand during the present month. 6 C °T ittee ' ha l e not - howev f r > considered this probability sufficient to induce them to stop sending in their report, or in arresting the progress of their enquiry. Previous to the meeting of the General Assembly, several public meetings had been held in the Southern Provinces and committees appointed to get information on the subject of ij,ter-colon al wTds t~ect ' m Ule S6Veral Pl ' oVillcial Councils ' considerab/e sums were S While the subject was thus exciting public attention in New Zealand, it appears that persons in England, interested in the welfare of the colony, had been making arrangements to 'end a screw-propelled steam vessel to it, and within these few months, a new usefuf iron-constructed vessel of that descnption, 285 tons register, including engine room, and of 50 horsepower, with extensive and comfortable accommodation for passengers, arrived at Nelson,-and since by arrangements made between the agents of the vessel and the Superintendent of Nelson, £1 The Nelson" has been engaged for twelve months from the Ist of May last, to keep up he conTmuii cation Provln f B ™ frequently as practicable, for which service, a sum of ±6000 is so be paid—a copy of which agreement is hereunto annexed. ™ fl Vanta f S undertaking, your committee cannot too strongly record their unanimous opinion, and whilst desirous of avoiding the political -part of the question to wliich Sr attention has not been directed by the house, they cannot avoid stating' that in the existinoWe™^rdif?^nt S pr ° ?ny ' establishment of efficient and rapid Steam Communication between the different Piovinces, is absolutely required for the proper conduct of the General and Provincial Legislatu res-no w that the principle of responsibility lias been admitted noS"s 7 f h ,11 1 P osslb . le dela 7 and uncertainty should exist in the transmission of documents between the general and executive officers, and the local LetLkture-and f, rtW if m "'f' t? 7- D the different members of the two branches of the toT of hrnuthf -fv 0f mteK<J u K e should be so arranged that the most distant of them should be brought within communication of one another, at least once a month. of rapid and regular communication, lias always a tendency to an equalization of prices, which is of course beneficial to the consumers, and, consequently, to the colony genePnTtm^w 11 a, littCOi^ 1 1 lCrO des |. rous of drawing attention to the following.return furnished by the fand on r Wg the nUmbtr , £ of etteK and newspapers received at the post-office in Auckland, on each separate voyage of '-the Nelson" steamer from the Southern Provinces.

A return showing the number of letters and newspapers forwarded by the post-office in Auckland to the Southern Settlements or Provinces on each separate voyage of the same steamer.

First Voyage. Second Voyage. Third Voyage. "T Number of dumber N ter Letters. newspapers. Letters . of newspapers. Letters . of newspapers. 79 54 835 958 €25 1166

First Voyage. Second voyage. Third voyage. Number Number Number 'Number Number Number Letters. of newspapers. Letters. of newspapers. Lette nevv8 P a P ers * 124 65 242 10C3 2406 I