13

D.—2.

with a salary of £400 a year (in addition to his half-pay as Eesident Magistrate), and commissioned him to collect information on various branches of Colonial Industry, and report through my office. As the Government is aware, the term of Mr. Buller's engagement ceased on the 31st December last, although he has obtained an extension of his leave of absence for the express purpose of enabling him to complete his work on Ornithology. With regard to the remuneration given to Messrs. Birch and Seaton, I have the honor to state that it was only in consequence of their distinct and repeated assurances that they had been promised by the Government a salary of at least £350 a year, and a travelling allowance of 20s. per diem for every day in the year, that I very reluctantly agreed to pay them the salary named above, and travelling allowance of £350 a year in addition. Mr. Farnall having been sent home under the same instructions, I had no alternative but to concede to him the same termß as regard salary and allowances. It will be seen from the above Schedules and remarks that the total amount of expenses of the Agent-General's Department, as enumerated in Schedules A and B, is £6,300, and that of this amount a sum of £3,700 has been incurred by the General Government without any reference to myself by the creation of offices in which I had no voice, and which in my judgment were, in the majority of cases, wholly unnecessary. But after receiving the reports of some of these officers which have already been forwarded to the Colony, the Government will be in a position to decide whether the expenditure under this head should be continued. The Key. Mr. Barclay, whose appointment (on the recommendation of the Hon. Mr. Ormond) I fully approved of, has rendered me very essential aid by writing a pamphlet (Notes on New Zealand) containing the most recent information about the Colony in a readable form, for the use of intending emigrants. This pamphlet has already been translated into Gaelic, and is now being translated into German, for extensive distribution on the occasion of the forthcoming Vienna Exhibition. Considering the present extent of the ordinary financial business of the Department (amounting to little short of half a million per annum), and its probable increase in the future, I have found it necessary to appoint an Accountant (Mr. McKellar), at a salary of £400 a year, to take special charge of that work. In compliance with the instructions of the Government, I have appointed a Shipping Agent, Mr. Smith, at a salary of £300 per annum. I may mention that Mr. Smith has been some nineteen years in the service of Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners, and brings the highest possible credentials from them. I beg now to submit for the information of the Government — Schedule C—Showing the number of Officers required for the proper conduct of my Department, with their respective Salaries. Agent-General's Office and Public Works Department. £ s. d. Private and Confidential Secretary ... ... ... ... ... 400 0 O Accountant ... ... ' ... ... ... ... ... 400 0 0 „,„,.. (200 0 0 Two Clerks [150 0 0 Emigration Department. Mr. Ottywell ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 400 0 0 Mr. Carter ... ... ... ... ... ... ... *300 0 0 Mr. Smith, Shipping Agent ... ... ... ... ... *300 0 0 Mr. Johnston ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 200 0 0 Mr. Shortt ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 150 0 0 Mr. Johnson ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 80 0 O Mr. Lison ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 0 0 Messenger ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 0 0 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... 2,680 0 0 I have only to add, that if the business in the Political, Public Works, and Emigration branches of my Department continues to increase as it has done ever since my arrival in England, the staff now recommended, will be in a short time wholly inadequate to the efficient discharge of my duties. I have, Ac, I. E. Featheeston, Agent-General.

No. 20. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretaby. (No. 149.) 7, "Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.~W. Sib,— 19th March, 1873. Eeferring to the Hon. Mr. "Waterhouse's Memorandum No. 19, of 23rd November last, in which he reminds me " that no return has yet been received of the names, locality, and status of the 120 local agents mentioned in my letter of the 4th April, 1872," I have the honor to express my regret at the delay in supplying the information required. You will find that in a return furnished to you on the 4th October, 1872, the names and localities of the 120 local agents were given ; and I now have the honor to forward to you a return * And 20s. per diem when travelling.