44

to share with me in the responsibility of
directing and fostering the energies of our
young and rising community, I do so at a
time when the difficulties and impediments
in the way of an onward progress are rapid-
ly clearing away, and a bright and promising
prospect opening out for the future.

To place before you the means of obtaining
information on many points which are
important in considering the questions likely
to engage your attention, I have directed
a variety of statistical and comparative re-
turns to be prepared, and laid before you.
Some of those for past years are, I regret
to say, less perfect than I could have wished,
owing to the very imperfect records then
kept; and some difficulty has also been
experienced in collecting or comparing re-
turns from the more distant settlements,
owing to the infrequency and uncertainty of
communicating with them. Every exertion,
however, which circumstances would admit
of, has been made to render the returns as
complete and as useful as possible.

The usual financial returns will be laid
before you as soon as they can be completed,
and it will be my duty in bringing for-
ward the estimates for the year to make
such remarks in explanation of them as
each particular service may seem to call
for.

I am happy to inform you that the revenue
of the Province is steadily and progressively
improving; and although at present not
quite equal to the expenditure, I confidently
trust that it will be so another year. I rely
upon your assistance and co-operation in
administering the public resources as eco-
omically as is consistent with the efficiency
of the public service, but I would guard you
against the fallacy of supposing that there
is any true economy in reducing the strength
of public departments to a degree incompat-
able with the proper discharge of the duties
expected from them. I would remind
you, also, that in this Province many of the
departments have been but very recently
called into existence; and that, in first or-
ganizing the establishments necessary to
carry on the business of Government, a
much larger expenditure is unavoidably in-
curred in proportion to the revenue than is
the case when the various departments of
the public service have been in full operation for some years. It is probable, there-
fore, that the existing establishments of the
Province will, with some slight modifica-
tions and additions, suffice for conducting
the business of the Government when the
amount of revenue shall have become double what it is at present.

It ought to be a source of great thank-
fulness to us, Gentlemen, that, under the
Divine blessing, this Province continues to
enjoy peace and tranquillity; and that the

amicable relations existing between both
races of her Majesty’s subjects are daily be-
ing strengthened and cemented by a better
knowledge of each other, and by a growing
conviction that their dependence upon each
other is mutual, and their interests iden-
tical.

Of the many embarrassing questions
which at one time existed in reference to
land, and out of which in reality arose most
of the differences or disagreements between
the two races, but few now remain unad-
justed; and these few are, I trust, gradually
tending to a satisfactory issue. It affords
me much pleasure to announce to you, that
since this Council met here in December
last, two very important land questions have
been arranged—the first relates to a pur-
chase in the Middle Island, comprising the
whole country between the Wairau and
Otago blocks, and extending from one coast
to the other. For the acquisition of this
district negotiations were commenced and
terms entered into early in 1848; but it
has only been within the last few months,
when all the native reserves were deter-
mined and marked out upon the ground, that
the purchase could be considered complete, and
all sources of future difficulty or disagree-
ment removed.

The second land question is that of the
Rangitikei, a district lying between the
Rangitikei and the Wangaehu rivers, and
containing about 500,000 acres of land, “of
which” Mr. M’Lean (the Commissioner
employed on behalf of the Government in
negotiating the purchase) considers “a very
large portion to be of a most fertile and
valuable description, capable of maintaining a
numerous European population, and supe-
ior to any other part of the island for cat-
tle runs.” For the acquisition of this district
the arrangements are so far advanced
that the purchase money is named and a
surveyor engaged in marking out the native
reserves. I have every reason to believe,
therefore, that in a few days, at the utmost,
the purchase will be finally concluded, and
the first instalment of the purchase money
paid.

Two very fine and extensive tracts of
country will thus be secured for the pur-
poses of colonisation, and as both are suitable
for immediate occupation by stock, they will
probably become rapidly located, and a con-
siderable impetus be given to grazing pur-
suits—a branch of industry of the highest
importance in a colony adapted to such oc-
cupations, both for the purpose of securing
abundant and cheap food, and as a means of
creating a valuable and certain export.

In connection with this subject I would
briefly bring under your notice the rapid
progress which has recently been made on
the two great lines of road leading to the