5

D.—2a

23. Christian McAusland. (Report dated 16th December, 1872.) "We have no hesitation in saying that the ship was in every respect well found, and no complaints were made by any of the immigrants as to the quantity and quality of the provisions, or against any of the officers who were appointed to carry out the provisions of the Act." 24. Pleiades. (Report dated 30th December, 1872.) " The immigrants arrived in good health. They expressed themselves gratified with tho care and attention of the captain, surgeon, and officers of the ship. Two births occurred during the voyage— no deaths—nor had any disease prevailed during the passage. The provisions were good, sufficient, and regularly served. The preserved meat bearing the Canterbury brand was reported of most favourably." 25. Chile. (Report dated 2nd January, 1873.) " Tho appearance of the immigrants, as regards cleanliness, &c, was such as requires no further comment than for the Commissioners to express their entire approval of the evident care taken by the captain and Dr. Macan, in the supervision of the immigrants, both as to health and comfort; and in support of which uo better evidence can be adduced than tho testimonials presented to the captain and officers of the ship, copies of which the Commissioners beg to transmit." 26. Jessie Readman. (Report dated 17th December, 1872.) "We have much pleasure iv stating that we found the immigrants looking remarkably healthy, particularly the children. All appeared in excellent spirits. They had no complaints whatever to make, and expressed themselves perfectly satisfied with the ship, and the treatment they had received on the voyage, and spoke in very eulogistic terms of the kind attention shown to them by the captain, and also by the surgeon-superintendent. AYe found all the compartments scrupulously clean, aud showing evident signs of having been kept so during the voyage. The provisions appear to have been served out with regularity, aud also to have been of good quality." 27. Zealandia — second trip. (Commissioners' Report dated 4th February, 1873.) " From inquiry the Commissioners learned that the health of the immigrants during the voyage had been very good. That the provisions were good, and had been served out in the married people's, single men, and single women's compartments, in accordance with the dietary scale, and to the entire satisfaction of the surgeon-superintendent. That the supply of water was ample, the distilling apparatus having worked well. That tho conduct of the immigrants during the voyage was in the married and single women's compartments very good ; that of the single men being generally good. . . . That there were uo complaints." 28. Crusader. (Report dated 18th January, 1873.) " The provisions had been good in quality, well cooked, and regularly served out. The supply of water ample and good. The immigrants in all compartments expressed themselves as well satisfied, and spoke highly of the kindness of the captain, surgeon-superintendent, and officers of the vessel." 111. —Complaints by Local Immigration Commissioners. With regard to the various suggestions made by the local Immigration Commissioners in New Zealand, I have simply to observe that all the emigrant ships employed by me have been inspected and passed, and all their arrangements approved, by the officers of Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners, and, with all deference to the New Zealand Commissioners, I submit that the question simply resolves itself into this —Whether I am to be guided by the advice of the local Immigration Commissioners in New Zealand or by tho officers of Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners here, who are acknowledged to be the highest authorities on the subject. All the arrangements mado by me have been in accordance with the practice of Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners ; and I beg to enclose extracts from their reports (Enclosure 2) in respect of the charges preferred against the Department in the case of the "England" and the " Bebington," from which you will perceive that all the arrangements on board these vessels, as regards internal fittings, ventilation, hospitals, water-closets, inspection of emigrants, &c, had been approved by the inspecting officers of Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners, and were in accordance with all the requirements of the Passenger Act. The complaints made by the New Zealand local Immigration Commissioners relate to ill ventilation, defective cooking apparatus, placing of hospital, &c. But in almost every case they bear testimony to the cleanliness of the vessels, the suitability of the fittings, and the quality and quantity of the provisions. In the case of tho " City of Auckland," complaints, which I admit were well grounded, were mado of the inferior quality of the bedding; but this was a matter in which, by the terms of the contract, the Government had the remedy in their own hands. Not a single complaint has been made against any surgeon-superintendent, except in the case of the " England," and to which charge a full answer has been given both by myself and by Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners in this country. I would beg to remind you that you are entitled, under the provisions of the charter-party, in case of any breach of the contract, to levy a penalty of £1,000 as against the owners; and further, that under my agreements you were entitled to withhold certain gratuities specified to the captain and officers of the ship, as well as to the surgeon-superintendent, and to the matron and other officers ; and that, so far as I am aware, no penalty has ever been enforced, or (with the exception of the single instance of the " England ") any of the gratuities withheld from the officers. I have therefore a right to assume that the shipowners had fulfilled the conditions of their charter-party, and that both the