Auckland Provincial Government Gazette.

either in the towns, or in the thickly settled districts bordering on the towns. You will admit, I am sure, that this is not a desirable state of affairs. This is not a new discovery of mine, for it has formed the burden of nearly all that has been written or spoken (in this Province at least) upon the subject of Immigration during the past three or four years. I wish you clearly to understand that I am not finding fault with the Colonial Government for sending so many Immigrants to this Province. On the contrary, the present shipments are being made at the request of the Provincial authorities. I only assert that the original intentions of the framers of the Public Works and Immigration scheme have been departed from. They contemplated an immigration both of labour and capital, while the operations of the Home Agency have resulted in supplying labour only. Indeed, I do not see how the work of inducing people of means to emigrate to this Colony could be thus satisfactorily carried out, and I believe that it is a matter which should have been left to the several Provinces. During the visits which I paid to the various country districts, prior to the last Superintendency election, I drew attention to this subject, and found everywhere an unanimous expression of opinion in favour of prompt and vigorous action being taken to remedy these evils. The announcement which, on nearly every occasion, I then made to the country settlers, of my intention to adopt special means in order to bring about the introduction of Immigrants possessed of capital, and prepared to take up land, was always received with the warmest approval. Again, after the short sitting of the Provincial Council in December last, I had a further opportunity of visiting a number of remote country districts within the Province, and I found that large tracts of country, either already owned or being acquired by the Government, were lying waste and idle, and that few of the settlers had seen any of the Immigrants who were coming by shiploads into the country. It did not require much consideration on my part to lead me to the conclusion that special steps ought to be taken to promote bona fide settlement. I determined to seek that object by means of a liberal land law, framed especially to encourage the immigration of people of the small farmer class, possessed of sufficient means for taking up land, and to facilitate the formation of special settlements, either of immigrants from other countries, or of persons already resident within the Province. I was encouraged to hope that by this means I should be enabled to withdraw from the town and suburban districts some of the surplus population, besides encouraging the grown-up sons of old colonists to settle down in their native place, instead of going (as they have been going) to the other colonies and to America. I invited the Provincial Council, upon its re-assembling in May last, to consider these important questions; and the Council readily responded, by the appointment of a Committee to consider the question of the sale and settlement of the Waste Lands of the Province, and by the adoption of the report of that Committee, embodying opinions almost identical with my own. This report was made the groundwork of a Bill, which was introduced by a member of the Provincial Executive into the General Assembly; and, although I could not but regret the action of Ministers in inserting in the Bill several amendments of a restrictive character, I felt, and still feel, grateful to the Colonial Government for the assistance which they afforded me in passing the Bill into law. Part V. of the Waste Lands Act relates exclusively to the encouragement of Immigration, and the formation of special settlements; and Clause 57 provides that "as it is expedient that the immigration to the Province of persons desirous to settle at once upon suitable land should be encouraged, it shall be lawful for the Superintendent to appoint duly qualified persons to act as agents on behalf of the Province in promoting such immigration, and in the formation of special settlement associations." The language of the Act was perhaps sufficient in itself to give notice of my intentions. But, during the session of Assembly, I informed members of the Colonial Government of my determination to visit Great Britain, in order there to select suitable Agents, and personally to inaugurate such a system of immigration of small farmers and capitalists, as would not be antagonistic to, but rather the necessary complement of, the Colonial system. From that time, until a few days ago—when I applied for the necessary permission to enable the Waste Lands Commissioner to accompany me, I had no reason whatever to believe that the Colonial Government regarded my intended action otherwise than favourably. Since my election as Superintendent, I have been in correspondence with many persons, both in the colony and at home; and I do feel confident, as I have always felt, that I should have been able to accomplish the object which I had in view, within the time at my disposal.

You state, in your telegram, that "the Government cannot recognise any necessity for my proceeding to Great Britain for the purpose of promoting Immigration, and the formation of Special Settlement Associations." But for the paragraph immediately following this statement, I should be inclined to think that the Colonial Government do not look favourably upon the formation of special settlements! I desire to place on record that, in the opinion of myself and of a large majority of the settlers of this Province, the system of "special settlements" is the only system calculated to produce satisfactory results, on a large scale, in the Province of Auckland. The experiments previously made have been eminently successful. The Special Settlements at Waipu, Okaihau, and Puhoi, have proved a complete success; and the Non-Conformist settlements of Central Kaipara, although for a long time in a languishing condition, are now beginning to revive and become permanently established. I may refer also to the Special Settlements of immigrants from the Cape of Good Hope and from other places, founded under the auspices of the Colonial Government, on the confiscated lands in the neighbourhood of Waiuku. These instances establish the fact that "Special Settlements" do succeed in this Province, and are eminently adapted to its particular requirements.

You say, further, "that Mr. Vogel, himself the representative of an Auckland constituency, will be soon in London, and will be prepared to receive and to act, if practicable, on any representations which I, in the interests of the Province of Auckland land, may think right to make with respect to immigration or the formation of Special Settlements." In reply to this, I would offer the following observations—

1st. I do not think it would be right to ask Mr. Vogel, nor could he, consistently with his duty to the whole Colony, consent, to accept the position of an Agent, for Immigration purposes, of any particular Province. Mr. Vogel, as I believe, entertains a much better appreciation of his position and duty in this respect, and, indeed, he took care to point out to his constituents of Auckland City East, on the occasion of his recent meeting, that, although he was their representative, he was also the Premier of the Colony, and, as such, bound to deal with all questions coming before him, in the latter