14 TARANAKI GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

I may here also state that aid will be given to the Road Commissioners, for roads passing through Native lands, so soon as my letter addressed to the Honourable the Native Minister, dated 12th February, 1874, is reported upon by the Civil Commissioner, Mr. Parris. A copy of this letter shall be laid before you.

Now, as regards the extent and character of the land which the General Government are about to place in our hands for administration, the official letter making this announcement, together with the tracing which accompanied it, shall be placed on the table; also my replies to the same, dated the 6th and 11th February, 1874, and the response since then received from the Government dated 6th March, 1874. In my letter of the 6th February, you will see what I have written respecting Mr. Commissioner Hamilton’s Award in the case of the Waitara land, and in my letter of the 11th February, what I have stated respecting the holders of Taranaki Militia and Volunteer Scrip. I will now, gentlemen, briefly remark upon these newly acquired blocks of land which the Government are about to hand over to us, the area of which is 48,470 acres. It is all bush land, and so far as I can learn the majority of it is of excellent quality. I did not fail to point out to the Honourable Mr. Vogel the impossibility of our administering this land to advantage through our want of funds, and I told him that I feared there would be difficulty in dealing with it in any other way than by raising money on it or by forming special settlements on deferred payments, in which latter case Mr. Vogel told me the Government would help us in the cost of making the necessary surveys and in utilising the forest; the money so advanced to be refunded to the Government as the land from time to time be paid for. Mr. Vogel would not consent to give any portion of the money about to be derived from the sale of confiscated land in our Province to aid in the surveying and laying out of this newly acquired bush land, as the money was all required for Colonial purposes. But, he told me that so soon as the open land on the coast be acquired, it shall be handed over to us for administration; and this I have reason to believe will shortly be done.

From what I have now stated, it will be for you, gentlemen, to consider what better can be done with this newly acquired forest land beyond that which I have named, viz., the peopling of it by means of borrowed money or by special settlements on deferred payments, and utilising the forest for a timber trade, which last proposition, if the be adopted, the Government will help us. At all events I may truly say that it is of vital importance that this land, the Moa Block and onwards through the forest to Hawera, should be occupied without delay. By referring to the map of the Province, and aided by your knowledge of the country, you will at once perceive that this “Moa Block” is the key and strategic land of Taranaki and should be settled upon forthwith. In my opinion it would be both politic and wise to encourage the rapid judicious clearing of this land and not to husband it for a timber trade, seeing that we have vast tracts of forest with equally good and more variety of timber advantageously located. Our present peculiar position and circumstances demand, in my opinion, what I have advanced and call upon us, or the General Government of the Colony if we have not the means, to open up the country between this and the Hawera district as speedily as possible. It is fallacious to think that a mere line of road will effect the object to which I allude.

Gentlemen, as regards our want of Immigrants in this Province I have written and personally stated all that I consider right and proper to induce the Government to give us a reasonable proportion, or at least some, of the people who arrived, but hitherto we have not received any, beyond a few who were nominated, why they are not sent here I cannot tell, neither could I find any valid reason given, but it was alleged that the Agent-General could not get a vessel to go direct to New Plymouth, yet in the early days of the Colony the immigrant ships came direct here, and will, I am satisfied, do so again if proper steps be taken, which I will endeavor to have done. Notwithstanding, we have not been favored with a supply of immigrants the same as other provinces, it is gratifying to know that we have increased since the last census was taken, 3 years ago, twenty-one per cent. I was also told that in regard to vessels coming direct from England to New Plymouth they will not do so until a light-house be erected at Cape Egmont; this the Government have determined shall be done immediately on the site being acquired from the natives. I was likewise informed that every effort shall be made to accomplish this work as soon as possible. Meanwhile it has been suggested to Ministers to erect a light on the high land at Opunake, this the Government decline to do as coasters and vessels would at all times be anxious to make the light and know their position, more particularly in thick and bad weather, which even then