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No. 5. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to Mr. R. J. Cheiguton. Sic, — Colonial Secretary's Office, "Wellington, 14th December, 1872. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th inst., relative to the terms and conditions on which a bonus will be paid on cured fish exported from tho Colony, and asking the Government to alter the time fixed within which a certain amount of fish had to be cured and exported before a bonus would be granted. In reply, I have to inform you that the resolution of the House of Representatives, upon which the bonus for encouragement of native industries was offered, having been passed only on the 22nd October ult., the Government would not be justified in giving it a retrospective effect not contemplated by the Legislature. "With reference to the other point raised, viz., that the first condition be omitted, Mr. Waterhouse will discuss the matter with the Hon. tho Colonial Secretary upon his return to "Wellington, with a view to seeing how far its modification is desirable. I have, &c, G. S. Cooper, R. J. Creighton, Esq., M.G.A., Auckland. (for the Colonial Secretary).

No. 6. Mr. R. J. Creighton to Mr. G. S. Cooper. Sir,— Auckland, 20th December, 1872. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th instant, in reply to a letter from me of the 6th, relative to the proposed bounty on fish. In reply, I have to thank the Hon. the Premier for the attention he has given to this subject; but I beg respectfully to remind him that my request " that the Government should alter the time fixed within which a certain amount of fish had to be cured and exported before a bonus would be granted," is not inconsistent with the resolution or intention of the Legislature. The fact is, that the resolution passed on 22nd October, 1872, was identical with one passed in the previous Session, but on which the Government failed to take action. The Local Industries Committee, having had evidence before it in 1872, that, in consequence of the resolution of the previous Session, a fish-curing industry had been established by Messrs. Perston and McLeod, re-affirmed its resolution of 1871 for the purpose of enabling that firm to apply for the bounty; and the clear intention of the House of Representatives, as I understood it when the resolution was carried, was that it should enable persons to claim under it as if the Government had " gazetted " conditions in 1871. Moreover, I think I am justified in saying that this opinion is held by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, from tho terms of his telegram to me, in reply to which I wrote my letter of the 6th December instant. I hope the Government will not deem me troublesome in this matter; the simple fact being, that I have taken great personal interest from tho first in endeavouring to have a fish-curing industry established, and that on public grounds I am most anxious that it should be a complete success. I am aware that Perston and McLeod have already expended over £2,000 in this business, and as they must be a considerable time before they can hope for returns, it is desirable that they should not be debarred, on technical grounds, from enjoying so much of the bounty of Parliament as they are fairly entitled to. I have, &c., G. S. Cooper, Esq., Under Secretary, "Wellington. Robert J. Creighton.

No. 7. The Hon. J. Hall to Mr. R. J. Cretgiiton. Sic, — Colonial Secretary's Office, "Wellington, 21st January, 1873. . In reply to your letter of the 20th ultimo, with respect to the bonus offered for the export of cured fish, under the resolution of the House of Representatives of 1872, I beg to state that the Government admit that it was intended, in acting upon that resolution, to include any operations which had been commenced under the resolution of 1871. The notice on the subject will accordingly be altered to Ist August, 1872. "With regard to your second suggestion respecting the first of the conditions given in the notice, there appears to the Government to be considerable difficulty. It is certain that the Government must have a guarantee that the cured fish exported is a fair marketable article, and the most satisfactory guarantee would obviously be tho sale of the article at a fair market price. At the same time there is much force in the argument you use, that a market may have to be made for this New Zealand produce. I have therefore to state that if Messrs. Perston and McLeod can in any other way satisfy the Government that the fish exported by them is a fair marketable article, they will consider any application which may be made by them for the bonus. I have, &c, R. J. Creighton, Esq., M.H.E., Auckland. Jons Hall.