THE WAIKATO LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 684, 23 January 1866, Page 4

THE WAIKATO LANDS.

The following letter addressed by the Provm-' cial Secretary of this Province to tlie Editor of the I/ijUclion Times- appears in the issue of that journal of the Sth inst.: — THE WAIKATO LANDS. To the Ed'tor of the Lylieiion Times. Sir, —I observe in your journal a letter, addressed by Mr. "Weld to Mr. "Ward, containing the following statement, having reference to the confiscated lands in the "Waikftto :— " Had the late Ministry besn supported, £30,000 might have been paid to the colony for the residue of the land by the Province of Auckland. This £•50,000 has been tafcen out of the pockets of th-3 colony by Mr. Ward'Blate political allies." The assertion of a fact, real or supposed, by Mr. Weld, is proof sufficient that he believes in it. But Mr. "Weld has been very ill-informed about the W*ikato throughout, 33 any one who has read the correspondence, laid on the table 0" the House, between the late Superintendent of Auckland and himself, must know. He lias made the most painful mistakes which could oidy be excused on the supposition that he had not read the official papers, or, perhaps tfca very letters to which his signature is affixed. X think it was wrong, sir, that the people of tlw Southern Island should be led to believe, on such authority, that Auckland has profited £50.000 at the expense of the colony. At the present moment it is a moot point, not to be decided without reference to the Provincial Council, whether the province can venture to accept the confiscated lands on the terms agreed to by the house. Our own information is not yet fall enough for coming to to an immediate decision; but the impression is, among those qualified to form an opinion, that, after satisfying the liabilities to military settlers and to natives, there will be little, if any, land of value left. Out of this, or out of the tolum nihil as the case may be, the money liabilities imposed by the House have to be defrayed. I should, upon my present information, refuse tha confiscated lands upon the terms proposed without hesitation, were it not that it is an object to minimise tho cost of settling th em. For doubtlss that cost, no matter by whom incurred, will ultimately be made a charge against the province of Auckland. I &c.. j Hugh Gableios. ! Dec. 27,1865.