6

abstracted from our land revenue for a period
of about thirty years, for the purpose of
liquidating the claim of the New Zealand
Company, with the cost of surveys,
and the administration of the department,
cannot, I consider, be estimated at less than
£6,000 annually.

5. Should it appear to you that in the ap-
   portionment of the liabilities of the colony to
   the New Zealand Company, a larger portion of
   the debt is imposed upon this province than is
   required either by the justice or the circum-
   stances of the case, I shall cordially unite with
   you in any effort to obtain a more equitable
   share of the burden.

6. An act, entitled the "Local Posts Act,"
   will require your immediate attention, as no
   means exist at present for carrying out its pro-
   visions. It will therefore be necessary to fix
   the rates of postage to be charged, and to make
   provision for defraying any deficiency that may
   occur in the revenue in carrying the act into
   operation.

7. The want of available funds for the pur-
   poses of immigration has induced me to cause
   instructions to be forwarded to the Emigration
   Agent in England, acquainting him that
   his services will not be required after the ex-
   piration of the shortest notice stipulated for by
   his engagement. I am nevertheless deeply
   impressed with the importance of keeping up
   a moderate and properly-regulated supply of
   labour; but the limited means which for some
   time are likely to be at the disposal of the
   Government, require that some less expensive
   system should be resorted to for that purpose.
   A considerable number of applications are re-
   corded by the Immigration Commissioners
   from persons resident within the province who
   are desirous of having their friends brought
   hither by means of assisted passages. To aid
   in promoting this object is the earnest desire
   of the Government.

8. In accordance with an engagement en-
   tered into by Mr. Commissioner Maclean on
   behalf of the General Government, when com-
   pleting the purchase of certain lands from the
   natives of this province, I have given in-
   structions to survey such reserves as were sti-
   pulated for by them; the immediate comple-
   tion of the purchase, and any further delay might
   possibly interrupt that friendship which has
   happily for so long a period existed between
   the European and native population.

9. Deeming the prompt administration of
   justice to be of the first importance to all civil-
   ized communities, I have felt it to be my duty
   to solicit the attention of his Excellency the
   Governor to the delay which has taken place
   in its dispensation within this province, con-
   sequent on the continued illness of his Honor
   the Judge, and expressing my hope that his
   Excellency may be able to provide a remedy
   for so serious an evil.

10. The extensive opposition which has
    been unexpectedly offered in some districts to
    the operation of the "Education Act," passed
    in your last session, renders it desirable that
    that important subject should again receive
    your attentive consideration. In accordance
    with the 21st clause of the act, the first Half-
    Yearly Report of the Central Board will be
    laid before you: it can hardly fail to be of
    great assistance to you in pointing out where
    the present Act is capable of being made more
    useful or more generally acceptable, and any
    effort on your part to accomplish so desirable
    an object will have my concurrence.

11. The estimated income for the current
    year will be found by you to be inadequate to
    the performance of those public works required
    by the growing wants of the province; I,
    therefore, deem it desirable that the "Country
    Roads Act" passed in your last session, and
    which has failed to accomplish the purpose
    for which it was designed, should be amended,
    for which purpose I shall submit for your con-
    sideration such alterations as I trust will make
    it more consonant with the expressed wishes of
    the people.

12. The "Waste Lands Regulations" re-
    quire, in my opinion, some modifications to
    adapt them to the altered circumstances of the
    province, one of the most important of which
    will be to afford facilities to those of our popu-
    lation who may be unable to procure profitable
    employment by working for hire, or who may
    be desirous of attaching themselves perma-
    nently to the interests of the province, to acquire
    small allotments of land, and permitting pay-
    ment to be made by instalments over a series
    of years. Portions of our extensive pastoral
    districts might be made available for such pur-
    pose, and thus add considerably to the wealth
    of the province, not only by the stimulus that
    would be given to increased production, but by
    counteracting to a considerable extent the in-
    jurious annual drain of cash in the purchase
    and rental of land, at high prices, from ab-
    sentee proprietors and speculators, occasioned
    by the inducement of credit being given by
    them, and the present land regulations requir-
    ing that immediate payment should be made
    for all lands purchased from the Government.
    The heavy debt imposed upon our land fund
    suggests, in my opinion, the necessity of a re-
    consideration of that portion of the regulations
    making free grants of land to naval and mili-
    tary settlers, with a view to their repeal. I,
    however, shall be prepared to concur with you
    in making those provisions to apply to such
    persons who may have served in any part of
    the colony of New Zealand—a class of persons