Maketu 17th. Oct. 1870. My dear Mr. McLean, The Telegraph Line will be finished in another month or six weeks, so Mr. Blake told me the other day. I fear that the Natives at Oraki Korako have given their consent to let the poles go up at that place. Mr. Hamlin R.M. is up there at the present time. Capt. G. Mair has got a month's sick leave. He has been very ill lately. Capt. Gascoigne A.C. has taken charge of the Dept at Kaitiriria. Mr. Jacobson is my authority for the following - Mr Tait Schoolmaster told Henare Te Pakuatua that the Natives were wrong - or would be wrong in selling Maketu to the Govt. that they the Natives should keep their land for their children, Mr. Jacobson tells me that he overheard Mr. Tait telling Henare in his Hotel. I hear that Col. Moule has sent a tender down to Wellington for packing stores from here to Kaitiriria - I hear that the price is 5 pr lb. and I have been packing through out the whole winter at 4 pr lb. and now the Summer months are setting in I shall be able to do it much cheaper - and when Natives pack for private people they charge 3 1/2 pr lb. to the Taheke, which is only 22 miles from here - and I have to pack 14 miles from here at the charge of 4d. pr lb, but now as the summer has set in I shall be able to do it, for much less. Mr. Blake has a lot of Govt. Horses here, and I was talking to him the other day, and asking him what he intended to do with the horses, and I told him, that I would write to you, and ask you if I should take any of them over. After he had finished the Telegraph work and I was thinking that if I took 6 horses over and had a horse dray and carted the stores up to the Taheke and then pack from there onto Kaitiriria I think that it could be done cheaper that way - though I do not think my present cost is out of the way. But at the same time, if you are thinking of letting the packing out by contract and that the tender that I hear that Col. Moule has sent to Wellington is at 5d. pr lb. allow me to suggest to you, that if Col. Moule had called for tenders simply for packing the stores to Kaitiriria that plenty of persons would have tendered - but when tenders were to be accepted up to the 25th. August last it was to supply rations and pack at the same time - Mr. C.C. Clarke was talking to me, the last time that he was here, about getting a cart, to take the stores up to the Taheke, and pack from there onto Kaitiriria. We have had lovely weather lately. The Natives are buying any amount of flour and stores and taking it inland - they have no potatoes. The Native Contingent is increased to 60 men at Kaitiriria. Dont be angry with me, for asking the following favour. You know the Rev. Mr. Spencer and Mrs. Spencer - well - they have a young lad here doing nothing - aged 16 years - their youngest son - and I told him the other day that her was older enough to go and work for himself now - and I asked him, if he would like to go into the Telegraph Department. He told me that he would like it very much. So I thought that it would he no harm in my asking you if he could be able to join that department, he is very sharp and quick at anything and I can strongly recommend him to you, for work. Trusting that you will not be angry with me for asking you for such a thing. The road from here to the Taheke is in beautiful order there is the bullock dray and horse dray going up and down every week, and if the Taheke was bridged, you could drive the whole way to Ohinemutu and with a little trouble, you could drive to Tarawera. I heard that the Native Contingent where going to make a road round the Kaitiriria Lake, it would be a first rate thing if it could only be done - and then widen the road (that was cut for the Prince) round to the Ngie, and then you would have a splendid road, for 45 miles, and then from Kaitiriria to Opepe, you have a ready made road, in fact there is very little work to do to make a really good road from Maketu to Opepe and as the Summer is coming on - and if Te Kooti remains quiet, I would set your Native Contingents to work and make this road good, and at any time if they were required for fighting, they could easily leave their work, and come back to it - as soon as any disturbance was over, and the whole of their work would be close to Kaitiriria. A orderly past down last Thursday from Opepe with a important despatch for Col. Moule. I go inland again this morning. Remaining Yours ever sincerely, Herbert F. Way.