A.— So. 3

No. 1. His Honor T. B. Gillies to the Hon. W. Gisboene. Sie, — Superintendent's Office, Auckland, 4th February, 1871. Herewith I have the honor to transmit duplicates of the afternamed Acts of the Provincial Council of this Province, to which I have assented on behalf of His Excellency the Governor, viz.:— " The Eoad Act, 1870, No. 1." " The Eoad Act, 1870, No. 2." " The Eoad Act, 1870-71, No. 3." " The City Boards Loan Acts Eepeal Act, 1870." " The Kaipara Railway Act, 1871." " The Auctioneers Licensing Act 1863 Amendment Act, 1871." " The Highways Act, 1871." " The Licensing Act, 1871." " The Grahainstown Fire Bate Act, 1871." " The Registration of Brands Act, 1871." " The Sheep Act 1863 Amendment Act, 1871." " The Education Eeserves Management Act, 1871." " The Appropriation Act, 1871." With the Act last named, I forward also estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the Province for the current year, and certified copies of the resolutions passed by an absolute majority of the Provincial Council, recommending the appropriation of the sums of £725 15s. and £1,092 10s. 7d. respectively, being the amount of unauthorized expenditure upon special orders during the year 1870. It will be observed that the expenditure proposed for the current year exceeds the estimated revenue by £12,878 14s. 6d. I should point out, however, that a considerable amount of the proposed expenditure is of a character either wholly or in part contingent, e.g., " Development of New Gold Fields, £2,000 ;" " Subsidy for Steam Services, £1.250 ;" Water Supply, Grahamstown and Shortland, £2,500;" and Tramways Extension, Goldfields, £2,000." There are also large votes in aid of education, and of roads and works north and south of Auckland, the whole of which may probably not be required for the actual expenditure of the year. I may add that a sum of £550, voted for interest in relation to the Custom House and Post Office building will not be required; and that, at the end of the year 1870, the Province was found to be in a better position financially than had been estimated beforehand by a sum of fully £3,500. Tou will thus perceive that the expenditure proposed is actually but little in excess of the estimated revenue, while many of the votes are so far contingent as to render it easy to make the two balance. "The Highways Act, 1871," is the result of very careful inquiry as to the working of the former Act of 1867 in the country districts ; and the changes introduced in it are such as have been recommended by a large majority of the existing Highway Boards, to whose consideration the original draft of the Act was submitted previous to the last Session of Council. The only important feature of novelty in "The Licensing Act, 1871," will be found to be the insertion of clauses to give effect to the permissive principle as applied to licensed public-houses; a measure petitioned for by a very large and most influential portion of the population of this Province. "The Grahamstown Fire Eate Act, 1871," is purely a local measure for the prevention of fires in our most populous Gold Field town; while the Eegistration of Brands Act and the Sheep Act Amendment Act arc only amendments of no great extent in the existing state of the local Ordinances on those subjects. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Thomas B. Gillies, Wellington. Superintendent.

No. 2. The Hon. W. Fox to His Honor T. B. Gillies. Sie, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 27th February, 1871. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 674, of the 4th inst., transmitting duplicates of thirteen Acts recently passed by the Provincial Council of the Province of Auckland, to which your Honor had assented on behalf of His Excellency the Governor. The Government are advised that there is no legal objection to the following Acts : — " The Auctioneers Licensing Act 1863 Amendment Act, 1871." " The Sheep Act 1563 Amendment Act, 1871." " The Appropriation Act, 1871." " The Eoad Act, 1870, No. 1." " The Road Act, 1870, No. 2." " The Eoad Act, 1870-71, No, 3." '• The City Board Loan Acts Eepeal Act, 1870,"

DISALLOWANCE OF PROVINCIAL BILLS.