G—No. 4

Unto the Honourable the House of Representatives of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled ; the Petition of the Settlers on the East Bank of the Waiua River, North of the Province of Southland, and on the Western Bank of the Waiau River, Humbly Sheweth— That your Petitioners find, with regret, that their district is excluded from forming a part of the Province of Southland. That the district North of the Province of Southland, on the Eastern and Western banks of the Waiau River, is geographically, politically, and commercially connected with the Province of Southland. That the communication with Dunedin is excessively tedious, inconvenient, and, during the winter months, peculiarly dangerous. That the distance to Dunedin from the said district is upwards of two hundred and thirty miles, while the distance to Invercargill is not more than one hundred and ten miles, the roads leading to the latter place being at all times available, while the road to Dunedin, at all times inconvenient, independently of the additional distance, is, at the present moment, absolutely impassable. Tliat the Ordinances of Otago in many cases militate greatly against this district: e.g., the Scab Inspector having to travel the above great distance, while the same Officer for the Province of Southland is most centrally situated as regards all the districts, and has but fifty miles to travel; that, seeing that all produce—pastoral or agricultural—must necessarily converge to Invercargill, and that in all matters, whether political, commercial, or physical, this district has a perfect identity with, and community in, the interests of the Province of Southland, while there are no ties connecting it in any way with Otago. Your Petitioners respectfully beg that this district, as indicated by the boundaries given aa underneath, may be annexed to the Province of Southland. Boundaries of district as petitioned for:— Commencing at the junction of the Allen with Mataura; thence by a right line to the Southwest end of the Wakatipu Lake; thence following the edge of the lake to the North-western extremity of the lake as it actually exists; thence by a right line to the head of the Waiau Kiver; thence by a right line to Titiroa Peak; thence by a right line to the mouth of the small stream running into Muscle Beach; thence by the Sea beach line to the mouth of the Waiau Kiver. And Your Petitioners will ever pray — John Howell, Waiau West, White, Brothers, Upper Oreti, Frederick Hamilton, Maroroa Lakes, Yon Tunzelmann, South Wakatipu, Haukinson, Brothers, Te Anau, Richard Clayton, Norwood, South Wakatipu.

PETITION OF WAIAU SETTLERS.