Inspector of Factories and Workrooms appointed.

Bureau of Industries,
Wellington, 28th December, 1892.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint the under-mentioned person to be Inspector of Factories and Workrooms under "The Factories Act, 1891," and to assign to him the districts set opposite his name:—

Name. District.
JAMES MACKAY . . { Palmerston North, New Plymouth,
Masterton, Oamaru, Gisborne, Invercargill, Timaru, Greymouth, Hokitika, Westport, and Blenheim.

W. P. REEVES.

Despatches respecting Issue of Labour License to Mr. John Arundel for the Schooner "Ivanhoe."

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 29th December, 1892.

THE following despatches, respecting the issue of licenses under "The Pacific Islanders Protection Act, 1872" (Imperial), are published for general information.

P. A. BUCKLEY.

(No. 18.)
Government House,
Wellington, 16th May, 1892.

My LORD,—I have the honour to lay before you a copy of a letter addressed to me by Mr. John Arundel relative to the declining by Ministers here to advise me as to the grant of a license under the Imperial Acts entitled the Pacific Islanders Protection Acts, 1872 and 1875, for Mr. Arundel's vessel. Attached to Mr. Arundel's letter is a copy of the letter referred to by him.

2. I also enclose a copy of a memorandum by Mr. Ballance (the Prime Minister) on the same subject, and copies of the "minutes" referred to by Mr. Ballance.

3. As I was of opinion that the matter was not one of purely local concern, and that Mr. Arundel would have, from the fact of want of sufficient notice of the views of Ministers here, a good ground of complaint if a license were refused to him for that reason, I exercised the powers conferred on me by the Acts referred to, though I was without the advice of Ministers.

4. There is also enclosed a copy of the license granted, which was prepared by the officers of Customs here, and is, I am informed by the chief officer of Customs, in the usual form.

5. So long as Ministers here permit the Customs officers to make the necessary inquiries and to perform the duties in relation to the granting of such licenses, I see no inconvenience likely to arise from the absence of Ministerial responsibility in the matter.

I have, &c.,

J. PRENDERGAST.

The Right Hon. the Lord Knutsford, G.C.M.G., &c., the Colonial Office, London, S.W.

Empire Hotel, Wellington, 29th April, 1892.

SIR,—As promised verbally this morning, I beg to put before your Excellency the grounds on which, I submit, you would be justified in issuing the labour license of the schooner "Ivanhoe," which are as follows:—

The license has been applied for in the usual manner through the Collector of Customs, Auckland; the bonds signed by the captain, and also by one of the oldest, wealthiest, and most respected citizens of Auckland; and everything required by "The Pacific Islanders Protection Act, 1872," has been complied with: and under previous Administrations no objection would have been offered, as I have continually obtained licenses from Sir William Jervois and Lord Onslow under similar circumstances.

The Premier (Mr. Ballance), however, informs me that the New Zealand Government declines to advise the issue of any labour licenses whatever on account of their opposition to the labour traffic in general, and in consequence the license has not been placed before your Excellency for signature.

This places me in the following unpleasant position: The "Ivanhoe" is now on her way to Tahiti to meet me, and I leave by the "Takapuna" at 5 p.m. to join the s.s. "Richmond," leaving Auckland on Tuesday afternoon for Tahiti also. On my arrival there the schooner will be employed in changing the natives employed on the various islands of which we hold leases from the Imperial Government, one of which I signed in your Excellency's presence only last week. The penalty for a vessel carrying natives without a license is, I believe, very heavy, but as the "Ivanhoe" is chartered at heavy expense (£152 per month), and my time is also very valuable, she must carry out the intention for which she was chartered.

Should any unpleasant results follow I must throw all the responsibility on your Excellency and your Advisers, as I respectfully submit that I have done all that can be done and all that I am required to do by Act of Parliament, and the difficulty only arises from the peculiar views held by Mr. Ballance and his Cabinet on the labour question—a question with which I submit he has nothing whatever to do in the present case, the Pacific Ocean not being within his jurisdiction, and the advice of a Governor's Responsible Advisers on a question of principle not being required by the Act.

I trust, however, on giving the matter the careful consideration that you kindly promised me this morning, that your Excellency will sign the license without the recommendation of your Advisers, the matter being purely an Imperial question, and seeing that the recommendation is withheld on general principles and not on personal grounds; and, if it is forwarded to the Collector of Customs, Auckland, by the mail leaving here by the "Te Anau" to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon, it is just possible it may reach me before I leave by the "Richmond."

I propose to bring the whole matter before Lord Knutsford and the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, in order that the point now for the first time raised by the Executive Government of New Zealand shall be decided; and, should the license not arrive in Auckland before I leave in the "Richmond" on Tuesday afternoon, shall for my own protection, in case of eventualities arising, also cable to Lord Knutsford that I am free from all responsibility for the vessel sailing without the said authority, the requirements of the Act not having been complied with on the part of the Governor of New Zealand, while they have been fully carried out on mine.

I beg to hand you at foot copy of a letter from Lord Knutsford, dated the 10th October, 1890, by which you will see that the Imperial Government does not want any needless difficulties thrown in the way of the carrying-out of the Act.

Apologizing for trespassing on your time with so long a letter,

I have, &c.,

JOHN T. ARUNDEL.

To His Excellency Sir James Prendergast, K.C.M.G., Acting Governor of New Zealand.

[Copy of Letter from Lord Knutsford to John T. Arundel.]

Downing Street, 10th October, 1890.

SIR,—I am directed by Lord Knutsford to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 29th May last, written from Auckland, respecting the difficulties attendant on the procuring of licenses under "The Pacific Islanders Protection Act, 1872."

His Lordship has communicated your letter to the Governors of the colonies specially concerned in the matter (New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, and Fiji), and has no doubt that your representations as to the inconvenience caused by delays in issuing licenses will receive all due attention.

I am to observe that the Act of 1872 requires any British vessel carrying native labourers to take out a license, and it appears to be immaterial whether they are being carried from or to their native island.

The license required by the Act can only be issued by a Governor or a consular officer, and a Deputy Commissioner could not be authorised to take upon himself this function.

I am, &c.,

J. T. Arundel, Esq.

R. H. MEADE.

MEMORANDUM for His Excellency the ADMINISTRATOR of the GOVERNMENT.

I HAVE the honour to forward to your Excellency an application from Mr. J. T. Arundel for a license to be granted to his schooner "Ivanhoe" to carry natives in the South Sea islands.

Your Excellency has power to grant this license, if you should think fit, on being satisfied that bond has been given by the master and one surety (see the Pacific Islanders Protection Acts, 1872 and 1875 (Imperial): New Zealand Gazette, 1875, page 801).

I would, however, draw your Excellency's attention to an interchange of minutes, in 1887, between Sir Julius Vogel, then Commissioner of Customs, and Sir W. Jervois (these minutes will be found on Customs Record C. 1887/180 here-with), relating to an application similar to that now made.

Your Excellency will observe that Sir W. Jervois laid down the principle that the Government should advise whether or not a license should be granted in any particular case.

It being thus my duty to deal with the present application, I have the honour to state that I cannot advise your Excellency to grant a license for Mr. Arundel's vessel. My inability to do so does not arise from any personal considerations as far as that gentleman is concerned, or from any defect in the vessel or her master, but solely on grounds of policy, my Government being opposed to the labour traffic in the South Seas.