5

D.—lo

I cannot admit that the matter had been some time before the Government, because, as pointed out to you personally, the proposals telegraphed did not accord with what it was understood from you was intended. The Government understood that His Honor the Superintendent desired to arrange that the Immigration Officer should claim from the Provincial Government the nomination fee payable under the present regulations instead of the payment being made by the nominator. This would have relieved the nominator of all responsibility, and, to put an extreme case, it would have been open to any one person to have nominated 1,000 or 5,000 bricklayers or tailors. Mr. O'Borke invited you, if it was your meaning not alone to supply the funds for nomination, but to suggest the substitution of some other hold upon the nominator than that which the present system of deposit supplies, to state your views. You will, I am sure, agree with me, that when proposals of the kind the Province of Canterbury has made are submitted to the General Government, the latter have the right to expect an explicit statement of intentions, and not be content with such a bare outline as the one telegraphed. I have, &c, Julius Vogel. P.S.—Tour letter dated 3rd instant will be answered as early as possible next week.

No. 18. His Honor W. Bolleston to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Christchurch, 6th July, 1872. I have seen the members of my Executive since their return from Wellington, and have to thank the General Government for the courteous reception accorded to them. With regard to the immigration, I hope to get definite reply, especially as to nominated, by to-morrow at latest, as Provincial Government are anxious, in view of next harvest, that no further delay should occur in any action they may decide upon taking. Will you forward decision of General Government by telegram ? The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, AVellington. W. Bolleston.

No. 19. His Honor W. Bolleston to tho Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Christchurch, 26th June, 1872. Provincial Government are prepared to supplement assistance given to nominated immigrants by General Government, so as to make their passages free. Will you authorize Mr. March to make such arrangements as will most readily carry this proposal into effect; or would you prefer that Provincial Government should directly deal with persons wishing to nominate friends, to provide them with funds to meet cash payments required by General Government for assisted passages ? Could you reply to-day ? The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Wm. Bolleston.

No. 20. The Hon. D. Pollen to Messrs. Kennaway and Beswick. Gentlemen, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 10th July, 1873. I have the honor .to convey to you the decision of the Government upon the important questions in relation to immigration raised by the resolutions of the Provincial Council, by the telegrams of His Honor the Superintendent, by your personal interview with the Premier and the Minister for Immigration, and by your letter of the 3rd July addressed to the Colonial Secretary. 1. Upon the question raised by resolutions, the Government had no difficulty in coming to the conclusion already telegraphed to His Honor tho Superintendent, viz.,' —If tho Province appoints and pays for an agent to select immigrants at home, the Agent-General will be instructed to give to the immigrants selected, subject to his approving the selection, passages on the ordinary terms. Further than this the Government do not see their way to go, without involving the contingency of making the charge of immigration a Provincial instead of a General Government responsibility. The cost of immigration being now a Colonial charge, the General Government have to endeavour to apportion the immigrants to the various parts of the Colony in the manner which appears to be at once beneficial to the Colony as a whole, and fair and equitable to the different portions of the Colony, the contributions from which make up the Colonial revenue. Until the question was raised by the Province of Canterbury, the necessity for deciding between the claims of various portions of the Colony had afforded no practical difficulty, for the funds at the disposal of the Government and the number of immigrants they desired to introduce were such as to have induced them to invite from the Superintendents of the various Provinces statements of the largest number of immigrants the introduction of whom they were prepared to recommend ; and in all cases the recommendations were accepted, in addition to liberal provisions being made for nominated immigrants. The Province of Canterbury evinces a laudable desire to spend some of its very large means upon immigration, and in a very becoming spirit it invites the concurrence of the General Government in that expenditure. In dealing with the question thus raised, the Government have to consider how Canterbury may without injustice to the rest of the Colony expend the funds its desires to devote to immigration. 2—D. 10.