D.—2

28

I propose to send by the Albion Shipping Company's ship, sailing early in May, a similar small body of emigrants to those sent in the " Westlaud," and this month about thirty nominated emigrants will ship from London for Auckland. I shall continue, so far as possible, to provide passages in short ships for those nominated persons who desire to proceed as early as possible to their friends in the colony. Having arranged with the Rev. Mr. Berry to give lectures for six months, under his arrangement with the Government, that gentleman has proceeded to Lincolnshire, where he is now holding meetings, &c, and where he believes he can induce a number of suitable tenant-farmers, as well as many farm labourers, to emigrate to New Zealand. Mr. Berry has been furnished by this department with such posters, hand-bills, and papers as he considered would facilitate his operations. lam told his lectures are very satisfactory, and he seems exceedingly anxious to serve the colony. Mr. Holloway, having completed his work in Kent and Sussex, I propose sending him to Wales, to report on the suitability of a number of quarrymen and other labourers, stated to be willing to emigrate, and whose Union Society are, I understand, prepared to pay part of their passage-money to ]STew Zealand. If suitable, I shall consider whether it may not be desirable to offer them some assistance, such as travelling expenses to the port of embarkation, or cost of maintenance at the depot. Twenty-nine of the emigrants from the " Piako " arrived from Pernambuco at Southampton, in the "Mondego," and lat once made arrangements for their proceeding to their friends. Only one family still wished to go on to New Zealand ; but, in their case, I considered it expedient not to offer them another passage. I am entertaining applications for passages in the first ships of the emigration season of this year, and believe that this course will greatly facilitate the filling up of the ships sailing during this year with suitable emigrants. I have carefully revised the printed conditions, and, by the adoption of a preliminary form, in which the intending emigrant has to describe his occupation before seeing the conditions, misrepresentation will be rendered more difficult. The " Stad Haarlem" takes about 600 tons of steel rails for Wellington, and the "Angerona," and other vessels, will, during the present month, take the remainder of the steel rails, the shipment of which has for some time past been delayed, owing to ships not haying been provided by the Shipping Company. I have, &c., Julius Voget,, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington. Agent-General.

No. 42. The Agent-Genekal to the Hon. the Minister for Immigration. Sib, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, 10th February, 1879. I have the honor to direct your attention to the subject of the remuneration given to the Surgeon-superintendents of the New Zealand Government emigrant ships. The present system provides that these officers shall receive £50, and 10s. per statute adult on all emigrants landed in the colony, and a further sum of £50 on their return to this country, provided they are recommended for re-employment, and are prepared to accept another appointment. This mode of payment applies to all doctors, whether they have served before or whether they are new to the service. The result of this is that, in some cases, some of those who have gained experience in the New Zealand service, and have proved themselves to be able and trustworthy, are tempted to exchange into the service of those Australian Governments who are carrying on emigration, and who pay their surgeons by a graduated scale according to the length of their services. I have reason to believe that when surgeons of experience in our service are not to be had, that other medical men can be obtained at a less rate of payment than is at present given to all, whether new to the service or not. Again, the surgeons in the New Zealand service feel themselves at a disadvantage to those employed by the Australian Governments, inasmuch as when they return to England, under the present system of confining emigration to only a few months in the year, they have to wait some considerable time before they obtain another appointment. And I would further mention, as a point affecting the question, that, as a rule, in the latter part of the emigration season when the ships take the fullest complements of emigrants, I am compelled to appoint new men, as the older officers have already taken appointments in the earlier, but, for them, the less profitable ships. The importance of providing thoroughly reliable and, if possible, tried officers in this service, prompts me, therefore, to suggest to the Government to authorize a revision of the scale of payment, in order that the New Zealand service may be put on an equal footing to that of the Australian Governments. I may mention as a special case in connection with this matter, that when the " Stad Haarlem " was engaged to take emigrants to New Zealand, the only experienced medical man then in England was Dr. Gibson, who had been out to New Zealand with emigrants on four previous occasions, and the reports as to whose conduct as Surgeon-superintendent had always been of an exceptionally favourable character. After taking out his last ship to New Zealand he arrived in England in February, 1878, but as emigration had ceased for the time, I was not prepared to give him another appointment, and he engaged himself to the New South Wales Government in a similar capacity.