20 PROVINCE OF WESTLAND GAZETTE.

the more encouraged in expecting this from the very rapid strides which
have been made of late in the export of timber from this port, the number
of feet exported in 1874, being 5,360,900ft as against in 1873, 2,501,679ft.

For this year the Assembly has set aside a sum of £12,000 for the
survey and construction of Roads and other Public Works in the Settlement, and the system of giving partial employment to those who go down
to settle will I think greatly facilitate their permanent location. Already
revenue has accrued to the Province by the whole of the rivers in this
hitherto unknown locality, having been taken up for pastoral purposes,
and as soon as the township at the Bay is surveyed and lands in the
neighbourhood thrown open for sale, I anticipate a considerable addition
will be made to our Land Fund. Another direct benefit will be the opening
of an additional main line of communication with the East Coast through
the Haast Pass; by the co-operation of the Superintendents of Otago
and Canterbury a survey party has been fitted out in Otago, and is now
thoroughly exploring this route and cutting a track which will afford
easy access to the Southern part of Canterbury, and Northern part of
Otago.

The settlement of population in Jackson’s Bay will also tend to the
more thorough exploration and settlement of the country between it and
the more settled parts of the Province to the northward, and afford
miners an opportunity of prospecting a large extent of country, known
to be more or less auriferous, without incurring the risk and hardship
which have hitherto attended the several attempts previously made in
this direction. A personal inspection, made by travelling overland from
the Paringa River northwards, has most favourably impressed me with
what may be done in that part of the country, and I was much pleased
to see the progress that even now is being made towards permanent
settlement there. The construction of a passable track from the Mahitahi
to the Haast, as soon as funds can be procured for the purpose, is a work
the necessity for which is at once apparent to anyone who visits the
locality, and if this is done there would then be comparatively easy
communication by land throughout the Province as far as Jackson’s Bay.
At present the track lies over a series of high ranges, and is almost
impracticable, but old residents there have pointed out a nearly level
route which could be obtained.

Papers will be laid before you relative to the exploring expedition
fitted out under Fox by desire of the Council, and although no new discoveries of gold resulted from this, a considerable amount of information
has been afforded as to the interior of the country around Jackson’s Bay.

From the system of general immigration we have as yet received
practically no benefit, as, although we had two small shipments—one ex
“Douglas,” and one ex “Ocean Mail”—no regular supply has as yet
been afforded us. This I regret very much, and have made repeated
representations to the Honorable the Minister for Immigration as to
the necessity of accompanying the construction of Public Works by a
proportionate Immigration. This not having been done, has, I regret to
say interfered with our production of gold, the amount exported from
Westland in 1874 being 77,446 ounces, as against 98,235 ounces for 1873,
as the attraction of high wages on the road and other works has drawn
miners from their regular industry. I hope that in a short time this will