B.—No. 3.

No. G. THE COLONIAL SECRETARY TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, MARYBOROUGH.. Colonial Secretary's Office. Auckland, Bth December, 1863. Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the date quoted in the margin, on the sub}eot of raising a Loan of Fifty Thousand Pounds (£50,000), and, in reply, to inform your Honor that a Bill is before the House of Representatives proposing to fix certan principles on which alone Provincial Loans should be granted, and when the House has disposed of that Bill your Honor will be again commuuicated with. I have, &c, William Fox. His Honor the Superintendent, JMarlborough. No. 7. THE HONORABLE MB. GILLIES TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, MARLBOROUGH. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 22ud December, 1863. Sir,— With reference to my Letter, No. 413, of the Bth instant, I have to inform your Honor that the present Government have determined not to advise His Excellency to assent to any Provincial Loans except on the terms intended to be imposed by a Bill which was brought before the General Assembly last session, by the Government, entitled " The Railway Loan Bill" (copy enclosed), the principal of which was agreed to by the General Assembly, and though from want of time the Bill itself has not become law, it was understood that the Government would act on it. These terms are a security in land to be given by the Province for the Loan to be raised, and the General Government to be satisfied that the proposed work can be constructed for the amount of such land. This course has been followed by the present Government in other cases, and will be acted on in the present one. I have, &c, Thomas B. Gilliks. For the Colonial Secretary. J1 is Honor the Superintendent, Marlborough. .No. 8. THK SI'I'EKINTKNDISNT, MARLBOROUGH, TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Picton, 11th March, 1864. gj X Referring to your communication of date quoted in the margin, wherein you informed me that for the future the Ministry had determined not to advise His Excellency to give his assent to any Loan Bill without a sufficient security was given to clear the General Government of any responsibility in guaranteeing such loan. . The amount of loan we now ask is Sixty Thousand Pounds, and the security we offer for tne repayment thereof comprises the whole of the Crown Land which lies between the Wairau River and the northern boundary of this Province. I have the honor to forward you herewith a tracing from the plan of this Province, shewing the land which has been alienated, with a view to enable you the bettor to judge of the extent, position, and value of the proposed security. On referring to the tracing you will perceive that the abovementioned block of land comprises nearly one fourth pait of the entire Province. A considerable portion of this land may be described as rough broken country, though it may be safely estimated to contain 250,000 acres of Crown Land available for profitable occupation. It has been my endeavour to obtain accurate information as to the value of the said land thus offered as security,'and from the information I have received I may state for your guidance, that this block contains about 20,000 acres of level land, the lowest upset price of which would be 20s. per acre. 40,000 acres valued at 10s. per acre, and the remaining portion of the 250,000 acres at ss. per acre.

(No. 413.)

28th November, 1863.

(No. 444.)

22nd December. 1863.

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