D.—s

20

Schedule B. Woek done on the Settlement from 19th January to 31st May, 1875. Bush-clearing ... ... ... ... ... 84 square chains. Excavating ... ... ... ... ... 935 cubic yards. Blasting hard rocks ... ... ... ... 317 cubic yards. Blasting soft rocks ... ... ... ... ... 62 cubic yards. Ditching... ... ... ... ... ... 71 cubic yards. Forming on level ground ... ... ... ... 6 chains. Forming on sidelings ... ... ... ... 50 chains.

OTAGO. No. 26. His Honor the Supeeintendent, Otago, to the Hon. the Colonial Secbetaby. (No. 14848-14.) Sib, — Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 13th March, 1875. Referring to " The Immigrants Land Act, 1873," I desire to bring under your notice a difficulty in giving effect to its provisions in this province, with a view to steps being taken to enable those who have orders to make suitable selections under " The Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872." The minimum sale of rural land is fifty acres, and hence the land is surveyed into allotments of from 50 to 300 acres. It appears that those who wish to select in virtue of their orders object to the expense of getting a resurvey. Moreover, it appears to be considered essential that those immigrants should be settled in suitable localities, contiguous to population, and where they are likely to obtain employment. In order to secure these objects, I would suggest that suitable blocks of land be selected and surveyed into 20-acre allotments, aod as soon as the land has been surveyed that it should be purchased by the General Government for the purpose of satisfying immigrants' land orders. Should the General Government agree to this proposal, blocks might be surveyed with as little delay as possible, in order that all cause of complaint as to difficulty of procuring suitable allotments may be removed. I have, &c, J. Macandeew, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Superintendent.

No. 27. The Hon. the Ministeb for Immigbation to His Honor the Supeeintendent, Otago. Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 13th May, 1875. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 14848-14, of 13th March ultimo, relative to the difficulty experienced in Otago in giving effect to the provisions of the Immigrants Land Act, and making certain suggestions with a view to enable those persons who have orders to make suitable selections under " The Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872." The Government have given very careful consideration to the views of your Honor upon the subject, and entirely agree with their scope and spirit in carrying out the details of the scheme. However, I desire to propose certain modifications, which would enable it without delay to be adopted, and which probably will commend themselves to your Honor's judgment. As the immigrants registered for land orders are generally married men with families, it is the exception rather than the rule that the minimum of £20 worth of land is applied for, and I therefore think that the sections surveyed should vary in size, so as to suit the requirements of families of various numbers, e.g. say twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, and a hundred acres ; and instead of the General Government purchasing at once, which might involve technical difficulties, I propose that the land be purchased as occupied ; and I further would suggest to your Honor that it might upon the whole be more convenient that the blocks proposed to be set apart should be taken under the Public Works and Immigration Act, and the land, dealt with thereunder by special regulations adapted to meet the circumstances of the case, to be agreed between your Honor and myself. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Otago. H. A. Atkinson. By Authority i Geobgb Didseubt, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB7s. [Price Is.]