OE SCANDINAVIAN IMMIGRANTS.

D.—No. 3.

15

No. 15. Mr. Blackett to Mr. Stewart. Sir,— Public Works Office, Wellington, 13th February, 1871. I am directed to inform you that a number of Scandinavian immigrants have arrived iv AVellington, and that the Provincial Government propose to locate a portion of them (nineteen) in the Upper Manawatu district; also, that it is the intention of the General Government to employ them in preparing materials for and constructing a portion of the tramway from Palmerston to Ngawhakarau. You will receive this through Mr. A. F. Halcombe, who accompanies the immigrants, and who will confer with you as to the exact locality in which to place them ; each to have ten acres at first (with the addition of ten more hereafter). During the first week or two, they will be employed in housing themselves, and after that it is proposed that they should be employed in preparing materials for the tramway, say sleepers and rails, keys, &c. ; and when a stock of these is ready, some of them might be employed in preparing the formation of the tramroads, and laying sleepers and rails, ballasting, &c. I believe it is intended to pay them so much per week, say twenty-five shillings ; but I think it will be desirable as soon as possible to put them on contract work, whenever practicable. Mr. Halcombe suggests that after they are housed, their first work should be to lay down a length, say half a mile to one mile, of tramway into the bush where the timber is to be procured, for the purpose of facilitating the carriage of the material out of the bush ; this will be a good test of their ability, and this tramway might be laid down as a model of what will be required on the road (3 feet 6 inches) gauge. They are reported as able axemen, and as being used to this kind of work. All this work will be under your direction and control, and will be carried out as proposed during my visit to that district with you. ######### I have, &c, John Blackett, J. T. Stewart, Esq., District Engineer, Manawatu. Acting Engineer-in-Chief. No. 16. The Provincial Secretary, Wellington, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Provincial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 17th March, 1871. I have the honor to address you on the subject of the location of the Scandinavian immigrants on the Provincial lands in the Manawatu Block. It appears from letters received from them, and from gentlemen resident within the district on whose information I can thoroughly rely, that the late heavy rains flooded the land on which the Norwegian settlers are now located. They are greatly disheartened in consequence ; and I deem it essential to the final success of the scheme that they should be immediately moved to a more favourable site, and be thereby convinced that the Government is desirous of assisting them, or others of their countrymen who follow them, to the utmost of their power. I find, however, this difficulty: A cry h<is already been raised that the Government, by reserving land for these men, is stepping outside the limits of the Land Regulations, and giving undue advantages to these new comers over old residents in the Colony who would gladly avail themselves of similar arrangements. I also understand that applicants for land question and threaten to dispute the Commissioner's power to make the reserves. In order to remedy this difficulty,—for there is no doubt that the reservation by the Commissioner of this land from purchase is of questionable legality, —I have the honor to suggest that the General Government should either now arrange to purchase from the Province a block sufficient to locate these eighteen families, and also such other of the incoming immigrants as it may be decided shall be placed in the Manawatu district, or that they shall promise to do so if the Council do not agree to carry out on behalf of the Province the arrangement which has been made with these new settlers. The Crown Lands Commissioner would then have a substantial ground to justify a somewhat extreme use of the powers conferred on him by the Land Regulations. According to the arrangement I have made with the immigrants now at Manawatu, a reserve of forty acres is made for every family for two years, the condition of the reserve being that if the occupant of the section purchase the first twenty acres within the first year of his tenancy, the second twenty acres shall be reserved for him for another two years; but if he do not purchase the first twenty acres within the first twelve months, the second twenty will be thrown open for sale. It will thus be apparent that for the eighteen families and the interpreter a reserve of seven hundred and sixty acres will be required. I have, &c. The Colonial Secretary, AVellington. A. Follett Halcombe.

No. 17. Mr. Knowles to the Provincial Secretary, AVellington. Sir,— Public Works Office, AVellington, 17th April, 1871. I do myself the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th March, in which you deem it essential to the final success of the scheme for settling the Norwegian immigrants that tho General Government should purchase from the Province a block of land sufficient to locate them, and such others as it may be decided shall be placed in the Manawatu district. In reply, I am directed by Mr. Gisborne to state that the Government are not able to purchase