7

E.—7a.

No. 20. His Honor the Superintendent of Otago to the Hon. Mr. Richardson. Sir, — Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 17th April, 1873. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this day's date, in which you agree to waive the condition as to the free carriage of Her Majesty's mails on the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway, and suggest that a sum of not exceeding £300 a year should be fixed as a fair equivalent for the service. In reply, I have to state that the Provincial Government agrees to carry the mail along the railway for the sum named, and will at once assume the control and management of the railway. I have, &c, The Hon. E. Richardson, J. Macandrew, (for the Colonial Secretary.) Superintendent of Otago.

No. 21. Mr. Calcutt to the Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Sir,— Public Works Office, Dunedin, 19th April, 1873. Beferring to your statement to me, intimating that I had been appointed, jointly by yourself and Messrs. Proudfoot, Oliver, and Ulph, to assess the amount sufficient to settle outstanding land claims on the above line, and in conformity with your instructions requesting me to confer with those gentlemen thereon, I have the honor to state that the under-mentioned names comprise, as I am informed by Mr. Proudfoot, the whole claims not completely settled, namely:— Mr. Wickens, absent from the Colony. Mr. Smith. Mr. Macredie, ditto. Mr. Peters, ditto. The Misses Carter, ditto. Mrs. Ritchie. Miss Carter, ditto. Mr. Pollock, ditto. Municipal Section. In company with Mr. Proudfoot, and with plans of the pieces of lands required, I inspected the different properties, and, after taking the whole matter into careful consideration, have arrived at the conclusion (excepting for the moment the municipal section) that the sum £273 10s. will be a sufficient amount to enable the Government to settle with the claimants themselves. To this amount must be added a sum of £70 at least, chargeable by the Crown Solicitor in the preparation, execution, and registration of the various deeds and other legal documents necessary to properly transferring the properties, together with fees chargeable by the claimants' solicitors for costs of perusal, &c., and a further sum of £5 for the time necessary for some one to give in discharge of many duties which inevitably arise in such matters. I therefore name the sum of £348 10s. as the total amount I think is just and fair for Messrs. Proudfoot, Oliver, and Ulph to pay for a complete clearance in the cases above set forth. At the same time I beg to explain that I have no certain means of ascertaining whether every other individual land case on the line is actually settled and the deeds signed. Mr. Haggitt informs me that he did not prepare the whole of the deeds, therefore he is not in a position to assist me; and the only gentlemen who really have the information are the late proprietors of the line, one of whom (Mr. Proudfoot) informs mc these are the only cases. If, therefore, any cases should arise hereafter, I trust to be held blameless. With respect to that portion of the municipal section required for the railway, and as now fenced off, all that is necessary is for the lessees (Messrs. Proudfoot, Oliver, and Ulph) to assign their lease over that portion free from any annual rental or compensation. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister for Public Works, Wellington. Thomas Calcutt.

No. 22. Mr. Calcutt to the Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Sir,— Dunedin, 19th April, 1873. I have the honor to inform you that I have seen several of the proprietors of the various sections in Port Chalmers pointed out to me recently, and have in every instance obtained full permission for the removal, by your direction, of any earth or stones therefrom required for public purposes. I will see the owners of the remaining sections at the first opportunity. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Thomas Calcutt.