A.—7

10

No. 6. The Chief Inspectoe of Distilleries to the Collector of Customs, Dunedin. Wellington, 3rd January, 1873. In reply to telegram respecting alterations in distillery, I am directed to state that there is no objection to work being commenced; but you are to inform Distillery Company that any expenditure of capital in extending works will not be available as a plea against addition to duty, should the Government think fit to propose any addition for sanction of Parliament. Collector of Customs, Dunedin. W. Seed.

No. 7. The Collector of Customs, Dunedin, to the Chief Inspectoe of Distilleeies. Dunedin, 28th January, 1873. Ik addition to alterations now going on, New Zealand Distillery wish to enlarge the tun-room to erect one fermenting back 3,000 gallons. There not being room for two, they request permission to pump half that back of wash and half low wines of same, as low wines' receiver hold only low wines of 1,500 gallons wash. TnoMAs Hill.

No. 8. The Chief Inspector of Distilleries to the Collector of Customs, Dunedin. Wellington, 28th January, 1873. Inform Distillery Company no objection to tun-room enlargement, as proposed, on the understanding conveyed to you in my telegram of 3rd January. William Seed.

No. 9. The Chief Inspector of Distilleeies to Managing Director of New Zealand Distillery Company. (No. 295.) Customs Department (Distilleries Branch), Sib, — Wellington, 31st July, 1573. I have the honor, by direction of the Commissioner of Customs, to forward herewith, for your information, a copy of a letter this day addressed to Mr. W. J. Cawkwell, licensed distiller, Auckland, in reply to a communication received from him, in which ho expressed a desire to elicit from the Government an intimation of the course they intend to pursue with regard to the rate of duty on New Zealand distilled spirits. I have, &c, William Seed, , Chief Inspector of Distilleries. The Managing Director of the New Zealand Distillery Company, Dunedin. [For copy of letter referred to, see Mr. Cawkwell's correspondence, No. 10, page 5.]

No. 10. The Directors of the New Zealand Distillery Compact to the Chief Inspectoe of Distilleries. Sic, — New Zealand Distillery Company, Dunedin, sth August, 1878. ¥c have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, enclosing copy of a letter addressed by you to Mr. W. J. Cawkwell, of Auckland, distiller. We beg most respectfully to remark, with regard to the last-mentioned letter, that no such warning as that stated in the last paragraph to have been given to Mr. Cawkwell on applying for his license, was given to us on our making a similar application. It was indeed notified to us that in the event of the then import duty on spirits being reduced, we were not to reckon on the reduction of the excise duty allowed by the Act being reduced in the same proportion; but we understood this to mean, as indeed the words of your letter to us of the 24th November, 18G8, convey, that in the event of the import duty on spirits being reduced, the same proportion of duty between imported spirits and New Zealand distilled spirits might not be maintained, but that, so long as the duty on imported spirits remained unaltered, or if it was increased, the same rate of reduction as allowed by the Act would be continued. "We trust, therefore, that the Government may see fit to allow the matter to remain on thia understanding, as any alteration in the duty for a considerable time to come would inevitably ruin a business in which we have invested over £55,000 sterling. We have, &c, C. R. Hoween, 7 -p.. , W. Seed, Esq., Chief Inspector of Distilleries, K. M. Bobertson, ) • L>lrectorsWellington.