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REPORT. The Select Committee of the House of Representatives, appointed May 1, 1856, to whom was referred the Petition of the Tidewaiters of Wellington, report as follows The Committee to whom the Petition of the late Tidewaiters at Wellington was referred, after havin" taken it, together with the correspondence relating thereto, into their consideration, have agreed to the following Report and recommendation, viz. That although the removal of these officers from the Customs service at Wellington appears to have been made with a view to an alteration in the arrangements for conducting the business of the department at that Port; yet, that such removal appears to have been effected in an unnecessarily harsh and sudden manner." And further, that a reasonable notice of their intended removal should have been given to the Petitioners. Wherefore, the Committee are of opinion that one month's pay ought to be granted to each of the Petitioners by way of compensation. WILLIAM FITZHERBERT, Chairman. Committee Room, House of Representatives, May 22, 1856.

APPENDIX TO THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE PETITION OF THE TIDEYVAITERS OF WELLINGTON. (Copy.) Custom House, Wellington, 17th September, 1855. Sib, We, the undersigned, Tidewaiters in the employ of her Majesty's Customs at this Port, beg to call your attention to our present position in that capacity. Under the existing arrangements, we receive an annual salary of £80, with an additional 2s. 6d. per day when hoarded on vessels. It is almost unnecessary to inform you that we are required to act us boatmen to the Tide Surveyor, no other boat's crew beiug allowed to that officer. We are given to understand that at other ports (at Auckland, there is no doubt,) the Tide Surveyor has a boat's crew exclusively at his service, and that the tidewaiters are not required to act as boatmen. Instances have occui-red here where masters of English vessels have expressed surprise at having boatmen boarded on them as tidewaiters. Again, on the tidewaiters devolve the landing and shipping of the post-office mails, and in many instances these mails are not ready for shipment till after the close of the Customs Department. This circumstance entails on us an extra duty ; and in reference to this matter we arc in doubt ourselves (we submit it with deference) whether the conveyance of the post-office mails comes under the head of the duties required to be performed by us. Taking into consideration that for the last twelve months provisions of every description have been continually increasing in price, with no prospect of becoming cheaper; that house rent and labour of every description have increased in proportion ; in fact, that every necessary of life is at the present time in Wellington most exorbitantly dear, we venture to hope that, under such circumstances, you will be of opinion that sufficient grounds exist for an increase in our yearly salary; and