B.—No. 3.

No. 85. THE SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTHLAND, TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Southland, Ist October, 1864. gjp I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, No. 261, 27th August, and in reply to inform you that the latter part of the above communication on the subject of the financial condition of this Province has been referred to in another letter of this day's date, No. 175, which is also despatched by this mail. I have, &c, J. A. E. Menzies, Superintendent. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

No. 86. THE SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTHLAND, TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Southland, Ist October, 1864. Sir,— I fully relied on receiving from you before this time some definite reply on the subject of the proper provision to be made for permanently arranging the liabilities of this Province. I have received no reply to the enquiry whether you would agree to recommend that a loan bill passed with this view should receive the assent of His Excellency. In my letter of the 20th August, some considerations were pointed out which I conceived should, on being brought prominently forward, lead to your taking some immediate steps with this view. The present arrangement does not work satisfactorily and it is only provisional. The Provincial Government is unwilling to continue it. Some considerable Land sales will enable it shortly to repay most, if not all of the advances already made, and if you can agree to no way of assisting this Province thereafter other than by direct loan to it: the manner of its application should be decided by the Provincial authorities. The liabilites which have not been met by the advances from you cannot be ignoied, and it will be most discreditable for the Provincial Government to'enter into further arrangements, which would enable it to provide for a portion only of its liabilities, while it disregarded the claims of others of its creditors, which in some cases may be even more urgent. I have to draw your attention once more to my letter of 20th August referred to, and request that you will favour me with a reply. I have, &c, J. A. R. Menzies, Superintendent. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

No. 87. THE SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTHLAND, TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. Superintendent's Office, Southland, 11th October, 1864. Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter as per margin, informing me that the Sub-Treasurer at Invercargill had been instructed to pay to the Manager of the Bank of New Zealand the sum of Eight hundred and Fifty-five pounds I have, &c, J. A, R. Menzies, Superintendent. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

No. 175.

No. 269. September 26th, 1864.

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