not be estimated, in addition to the visitors of the Waipa district.

This constant and increasing influx of annual visitors is becoming a serious tax on the present residents; and I beg to suggest the desirability of licensing houses for the accommodation of travellers, at a distance of one day’s journey apart, on the river.

For further information I have enclosed my Report on Postal Arrangements, marked A; and my Census Returns marked B, 1 and 2.

Shewing a European Population of.. 294
Supposed Native .... 4000
Half-caste .... 150

Value.
£ s. d.
Horses, Native and European... 715 17,875 0 0
Cattle ,, ,, ... 1,415 16,980 0 0
Sheep ... 550 457 0 0
Goats ... 559 180 0 0
Pigs ... 980 980 0 0
Wheat (bushels) ... 203,120 101,560 0 0
Barley ... 25 15 0 0
Oats ... 1,515 530 0 0
Maize ... 600 3,600 0 0
Potatoes (tons) ... 4,278 0 0
Grass (artificial estimated value) ... 4,278 0 0
Garden or Orchard ... 327 0 0
Mills (native) ... 14 4,200 0 0

£151,274 0 0

I have, &c.,

JOHN ALEX. SMITH.

To His Honor
the Superintendent,
&c., &c.

Superintendent’s Office, Auckland,
27th April, 1865.

THE following Message to the Provincial Council is published for general information.

WM. BROWN,
Superintendent.

MESSAGE, No. 23.

The Superintendent of the Province of Auckland has received the Appropriation Bill transmitted for his assent by the Provincial Council. He observes that £100 per annum has been struck off the rate of salary which was voted only three months since for the Provincial Law Adviser. The Superintendent regrets the alteration, because liable, if taken in conjunction with the fact of a fresh appointment having been lately made, to being drawn into a dangerous precedent, and as leading to an impression that salaries are to be voted with reference personally to the officer rather than to the office. He believes that a prevalent impression of such a principle having been adopted, would be the cause of serious inconvenience to any Government affected by it, as generating a belief detrimental to the public service,—that the provision for public officers is of an unstable nature.

The Superintendent also observes that £50 per annum has been struck off the rate of salary which was voted three months since for the Chief Clerk of the Superintendent’s Office. He is informed by the hon. member representing the Executive in the Provincial Council, that reasons personal to the late holder of this office were assigned in support of the alteration. The Superintendent considers it his duty to place the Provincial Council in possession of the correspondence relating to the dismissal of the late chief clerk.

The Superintendent proceeds to observe upon what appear to him questions of greater moment. In virtue of the power conferred upon him by the 27th clause of the Constitution Act, he returns the Appropriation Bill to the Provincial Council, for their consideration of certain amendments which he deems it his duty to propose.

The Superintendent regrets that the Provincial Council should have so little confidence in his Government, as to have deemed it expedient to alter the term of nine months, for which he had asked the supplies for defraying the charges of the Provincial Government, to the term of three months only. He believes that this alteration, if maintained, would be productive of serious inconvenience to the public service, and therefore recommends that the Bill be amended, by restoring it to the form, so far as refers to the diminution of time, in which it was transmitted to the Provincial Council.

The Superintendent recommends that the words “City Council” in the second item, under the head “Miscellaneous” in Schedule C, be struck out. It will be remembered that the Superintendent, in his opening address, informed the Provincial Council, that on account of his not having been allowed time to prepare fresh Estimates, he was about to adopt the Estimates of Session 2: it was accordingly ordered that they should be reprinted, and sent down to the Provincial Council for consideration. After their being so sent down, it was perceived that through inadvertence the following item had been retained:—“City Council, for relief of sick and destitute, £50.” No City Council being then in existence, the Superintendent, through the hon. member who represents the Executive,