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No. 4. The Agent-General to the Premier. Sir, — 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., 14th September, 1892. Adverting to my letter of the 14th ultimo, in which I had informed you that I had placed myself in communication with the shipping companies for the purpose of endeavouring to make arrangements with them for a reduction of the amount of passage-money for persons with capital going out to the colony, as instructed in your letter delivered here on the 21st July, and also informed you that owing to the absence from London of many persons who had to be consulted, I was unable to make any definite arrangement: I beg to state that the matter is still in abeyance, for the reason given above, but I hope to be able to resume my negotiations in a few clays. I had such difficulty in inducing the shipping companies to agree to reduce their fares on the scale sketched in my letter of the 18th March last that I fear that, now that your Government decline to make any moneycontribution towards passage-money, I shall have still greater difficulty. I shall, of course, make strong point of the authority you have given me to advertise extensively, and of the increase of business which it is hoped will accrue to the shipping companies. With regard to the advertising, I have not thought it expedient to take any steps in this direction until I have concluded some arrangement with the shipping companies. I have, however, availed myself of an offer made to me by Mr. J. E. Eanderson, of Christchurch, New Zealand, who is now on a visit to this country, to distribute information regarding the colony in the provincial districts where the persons most suitable for colonial settlers are to be found. Mr. Sanderson's private business necessitated his visiting a large number of farming centres in England and Ireland, and I have paid him the sum of £25 for the manuscript of three lectures he has written on New Zealand (six copies of which have been forwarded to you in the mail-box shipped by the s.s. " Euapehu," sailing this week); and at a cost of a further sum of £25 I have had 5,000 copies printed. These are forwarded in parcels of 250 to Mr. Eanderson as he travels through the country, and he sees to their distribution. I understand that Mr. Eanderson delivers lectures on the colony, and exhibits lime-light views of New Zealand ; and that he proposes to expend the whole of the money I have paid for his manuscript in expenses connected with these lectures. I have, however, refused to identify myself, or connect the Government of the colony in any way, with these lectures, as I have not a sufficient knowledge of his abilities or prudence to warrant such a course. I shall, however, watch with no little interest the result of his lectures. I am pleased to state that the demands for information regarding the colony made by apparently desirable persons has considerably increased since the opening of the information bureau. No efforts are being spared in giving full and accurate information, and a large amount of printed matter is freely circulated. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier. W. B. Perceval.

No. 5. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Premier. (No. 1458.) Sir,— 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., 13th October, 1892. Since my letter of the 14th ultimo, on the question of endeavouring to arrange for reduced fares for persons with some capital and a knowdedge of farming, I have had interviews with representatives of the shipping companies, and, following upon the interviews, correspondence has taken place between myself and the manager of each shipping company. I send herewith a copy of the correspondence, from which it will be seen that the shipping companies are not inclined to fall in with my views. I regret this very much, as lam satisfied that the proposed arrangement, if carried out, would have been the means of sending out to the colony a very desirable class of settlers. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. B. Perceval.

Enclosure 1 in No. 5. The Agent-General to the Managers, New Zealand Shipping Company and Shaw-Savill and Albion Company. Dear Sir, — 13, Victoria Street, 13th September, 1892. Eeferring to the correspondence which passed between us 'some time back, relative to a proposal for reducing the passage-rates of small capitalists proceeding to New Zealand, which was contained in your letter of 22nd February, and afterwards embodied in a despatch which I forwarded to the colony, dated the 18th March last, the contents of which, so far as relate to the subjectmatter, have already been communicated to you : I have to inform you that I have received from my Government a reply to my despatch of 18th March. The Premier speaks favourably of my proposals for inducing small farmers with capital to emigrate to New Zealand, and has endorsed the suggestions made by me for advertising. The Government, however, decline to provide funds for reducing the passage-money. This being the case, the offer made by your company for co-operating with the Government of New Zealand, in the direction of reduced passage-money, falls through. This I very much regret. The question which I now desire to submit for your consideration is whether any arrangement can be made for a reduction of the cost of passage-money in special cases, (such eases being those where the passenger produces evidence of his being possessed of capital, and has the intention of embarking in industrial pursuits in the colony), on the basis of the inauguration by me of an extensive system of advertising, as my Government seem in this matter to give me absolute discretion. It is suggested that this advertising would bring the colony into prominence, and induce a number of persons to emigrate, thus causing an increased business to your company. The reduc-