D.-l.

14

Enclosure in No. 22. Secretaey, Rangitikei Highway Board, to tho Hon. the Ministee for Education. Sic, — Rangitikei Highway Board Office, Marton, 7th January, 1879. I have again the honor, by direction, to bring before your notice the great scarcity of labour existing in this district, and to request you to consider tho wants of the settlers in this respect previous to the harvest setting in, otherwise severe loss may be occasioned to the farmers throughout the district for want of the necessary assistance to secure the crops. I would, therefore, urge upon you the necessity that exists for some steps being taken by the Government to introduce into the district, say, 500 immigrants, w-ithout unnecessary delay. I have, &c., Robt. L. Haeeis, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington. Secretary.

No. 23. The Hon. Colonel Whitmore to the Agent-General. Sic,— Immigration Office, Wellington, N.Z., 29th January, 1879. Application having been made by the General Manager of the AVestport Colliery Company for immigrants, selected by their agents in Great Britain, to be allowed free passages to the colony, I have the honor to request you to be good enough to grant passages to such coal miners and others as may be selected by the Company, upon the same terms as free passages are allowed to persons eligible as ordinary immigrants to this colony. The immigrants intended for the Colliery Company should be forwarded in ships to the ports of Nelson or AVellington, as you find most convenient. I have, &c., G. S. AVhitmoee, The Agent-General for New Zealand, Loudon. (for the Minister for Immigration.)

Enclosure in No. 23. The Geneeal Manages, AVestport Colliery Company, to the Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation. Sir, — Westport, 17th January, 1879. Our Company, very shortly, will require a number of coal miners for the working of our coalfields here. It is desirable to import these miners from the old country from time to time as required. I have, therefore, to request that you will be pleased to grant free passages to such people as our British agents may select, from either the Clyde or Loudon to AVestport, upon the same terms aud conditions as granted to agricultural labourers and others ; we agreeing to engage these people for twelve months after landing at AVestport. I have, &c, A. J. Burns, General Manager, AVestport Colliery Company. The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington.

No. 24. _The Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation to tho Agent-Geneeal. Sic, — Immigration Office, Wellington, N.Z., 4th February, 1879. I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 29th November, in reply to mine of the 3rd October, 1878.* lam glad to be informed that you will observe, to the best of your ability, the directions conveyed in my letter relative to emigration. You state that " it does not seem clear to you what will be the advantage of lecturers at a time whon you have no authority to send emigrants, except such as are nominated by their friends in the colony." I presume that you have written thus regarding the appointment of the Rev. Mr. Berry as lecturer, in anticipation of the advices which you will have subsequently received as to the appointment of Mr. G. M. Reid, part of whose duties it will be to lecture on New Zealand. I am disposed to think that you are mistaken, and that the effect of lectures by Mr. Berry and Mr. Reid will be to influence the emigration to New Zealand of those who will pay their own passages —" small farmers," who you say, " would go readily enough were they assured they would obtain land." It will be for the lecturer to point out to such the conditions on which land can bo obtained. You say that " the Government, in reply to more than one letter of yours on the subject, do not appear to think it desirable to authorize you to give any information on the subject of land, and that you are inclined to think that this is right, as, since the great demand for land iv the colony has set in, emigrants might be misled by the information you should be able to give them." I confess I am altogether at a loss to understand upon what grounds you have arrived at such a position. I am not aware of any communication to you, either from the present or the late Government, which debars you from giving every information on the subject of land, or which would discourage the emigration of farmers, both large and small. On the contrary, my predecessor in office, Mr. Macandrew, seems not to have missed an opportunity of pointing out to you the fact, that New Zealand now offers greater inducements than ever to the practical farmer from the mother-country; and, so far as regards the land laws, they are embodied in two Acts. * D.-la., 1878.