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Province shall bear the whole of any debt in-
curred for its exclusive advantage.

13. In exercising the power of the Crown
    until prospective legislation shall take effect, and
    Ministerial Responsibility shall be esta-
    blished, I shall always have in view the infusion
    of activity and vigour into the working of all
    the departments. These are principally the Post
    Office, the administration of Customs, and the
    disposal of Waste Lands.

14. With regard to the Post Office, I desire
    the utmost improvement of arrangements (and
    without delay) for ensuring promptitude, order,
    safety, and punctuality. The means must be
    thoroughly efficient officers, and a new code of
    regulations, which shall strictly specify their
    duties, and provide for their constant responsi-
    bility in the performance of them. I am of
    opinion that all the Post Offices should be placed
    under a really efficient Postmaster-General, to
    whom should also be entrusted the management
    of Steam Communication, as far as that may be
    dependent on the General Government.

15. In the Administration of the Customs,
    such as determining Ports of Entry, sites of Cus-
    tom Houses, and the appointment and removal
    of officers, I intend to be advised by the Provin-
    cial Governments, until the General Assembly
    shall have full authority to empower the Provin-
    cial Governments to manage the Customs admin-
    istration.

16. On the all-important subject of Waste
    Lands, it is necessary for me to enter into fuller
    explanations. Until the receipt of authority for
    the Assembly to transfer to the Provincial Legis-
    latures the powers in it vested by the Constitu-
    tion Act, I am disposed to exercise in the same
    manner, and with the same effect, the powers
    which remain vested in the Governor until the
    General Assembly shall otherwise direct. I in-
    tend that the Provincial Superintendents and
    Councils shall be virtually enabled to frame and
    regulations for the disposal of Waste Lands
    by sale, lease, or depasturing licenses. But, inas-
    much as the present Superintendents and Coun-
    cils were elected when the people had no con-
    ception that such powers, with regard to the
    most important of all colonial subjects, would be
    conferred upon those authorities, I deem it just
    and right, that the people, in all cases where they
    shall desire it, should be enabled to exercise
    afresh their rights of choosing a Superintendent,
    and the members of the Provincial Council.
    By this means, which the Constitution specifically
    authorizes the Governor to employ, when he
    shall see fit, the intended transfer of powers to
    the Provinces would be made, not to the actual
    Superintendents and Councils, who are not, strictly
    speaking, the Provinces, but to the people them-
    selves, being those who are most deeply concern-
    ed and interested in this new Provincial legis-
    lation. It is proposed to adopt the most effectual
    means, in each Province, of ascertaining whether
    or not a majority of the Electors desire such re-
    election of the Provincial Authorities. In any
    case where a majority of the electors shall decide
    that question in the negative, the transfer of
    powers will be made to the existing Superinten-
    dent and Council.

In the meanwhile, regulations will be issued,
as soon as possible, for the purpose of setting
apart, in every district of each Province, a con-
siderable proportion, but not less than one third,
of the Waste Lands, in such manner as to afford
the greatest encouragement and facilities to bona
fide occupying settlers, whether now resident in
the Colony, or who may come to it from any
other place; and in particular it is intended,

first, that the cost of passage incurred by any
such persons, whether possessing some capital, or
settling in New Zealand as labourers for hire,
shall count as purchase money of land, at the
current rate of steerage passage from the Mother
Country to the Colony; secondly, that such per-
sons shall obtain credit for a term of years for the
payment of the purchase money; and thirdly,
in order to prevent mere land speculation by set-
tlers of this class, that they shall not obtain a full
or transferable title until after actual occupation
of the land for a reasonable time. It is also in-
tended that, such Regulations shall be adminis-
tered, in each Province, by a Board of Commis-
sioners, to be appointed by the Governor, and to
be bound by stringent Instructions for securing
impartiality and an entire openness and publicity
in all their proceedings.

17. In the Provinces of Nelson, Wellington,
    and New Plymouth, there remain unsatisfied
    claims for compensation in land for losses and
    sufferings occasioned by the New Zealand Com-
    pany. That body awarded very ample compen-
    sation to the class of resident and absentee pur-
    chasers of land from them, but entirely over-
    looked the working classes, whose peculiar losses
    and sufferings were made the principal ground-
    work of those claims to compensation which have
    already been so fully satisfied. The justice of
    the claim of the uncompensated in these Provinces
    has been more or less recognized by the Imperial
    Government and the Governor of New Zealand;
    and the Provincial Government of Wellington,
    as represented in the Council, engaged that,
    whenever the Waste Lands of the Province should
    be at their disposal, a Commission should be ap-
    pointed to investigate such claims, and award
    compensation in respect thereof. As it appears
    hard upon these claimants that compensation to
    them should be postponed any longer, whilst land
    in the most valuable situations is being otherwise
    disposed of. I intend to issue,
    Commissions or Commissions which will make the
    requisite inquiries, and award a just compensation
    accordingly in the Provinces where such unsatis-
    fied claims exist.

18. As general principles, by which I deem it
    expedient and desirable that the Legislature and
    Executive should be constantly guided, the fol-
    lowing appear to me peculiarly important. First,
    that the conferring of Legislative power on the
    Executive should be carefully avoided, as being
    unconstitutional and contrary to the spirit and
    genius of free government. Secondly, That each
    Province shall, as far as possible, be left to govern
    itself in respect of all matters affecting its in-
    terests singly, and subject generally to the mini-
    mum of restriction consistent with the general
    superintendence of the General Government;
    nothing being more objectionable for New Zealand
    than a General Government interfering or meddling
    with the Provincial authorities in matters of
    local concern. As a practical instance, I shall be
    prepared at once to assent to any Law which may
    be passed by any Provincial Legislature for
    altering the Electoral Districts for the Provincial
    elections, and increasing the number of members
    in the Provincial Council. Thirdly, That no
    privilege or advantage shall be given to any Pro-
    vince exclusively, but that absolute justice shall,
    as far as possible, be done to all without distinc-
    tion, though justice itself may sometimes
    demand special legislation for a Province, in
    order to meet its peculiar circumstances.

19. In conclusion, let me express my earnest
    hope and trust that the line of policy, which I
    have indicated to you, may prove as satisfactory
    to you as I cannot doubt that it will to those whose