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request that you will instruct your agents to endeavour to secure a considerable proportion of single women amongst the Scandinavians forwarded. In your letter of 14th May you state that copies of the agreement relative to Scandinavian emigration will be forwarded by the next mail. These have not yet reached me, and in consequence lam entirely without information of the details of the arrangements concluded. If the copies have not been sent, be good enough to forward them at once. I have, &c, Tho Agent-General for New Zealand, London. H. A. Atkinson.

No. 24. The Hon. H. A. Atkinson to the Agent-General. (No. 320.) Sir, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 27th October, 1874. Referring to previous correspondence relative to the form of charter-party under the contract with Messrs. P. Henderson and Co., I have the honor to transmit, for your information, copy of correspondence with his Honor the Superintendent of Otago upon the subject of a claim of £40 made by Messrs. Cargill, Gibbs, and Co. for demurrage of the ship " Mairi Bahn," which, under the circumstances, I have felt obliged to allow. It is quite clear that in all charter-parties of emigrant ships reasonable allowance for lay days should be made ; and I hope that by this time you have made arrangements for assimilating the form of charter-party from Glasgow with those of your London ships. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. H. A, Atkinson.

Enclosures in No. 24. Correspondence between the Minister for Immigration and the Superintendent, Otago. Sir, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 30th September, 1874. I have the honor to call your attention to a voucher sent in by Messrs. Cargill, Gibbs and Co. for £40, being two days' demurrage of the " Mairi Bahn," which has been certified to by Mr. Colin Allan and approved by your Honor. Not being in possession of any copy of the contract with Messrs P. Henderson and Co., I am unable to say how far this claim is consistent therewith; but I would point out that where there is not in the charter-party a distinct stipulation as to the number of lay days allowed, this is regulated by the usance of the port, which may, I presume, be taken with regard to emigrant ships at Port Chalmers, to be seven days. I shall be obliged, therefore, if your Honor will reconsider the matter, and I return the voucher for the purpose. I have, &c, Edward Richardson, (in the absence of Minister for Immigration). His Honor the Superintendent, Dunedin. Sir,— Duedin, 14th October, 1874. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the number and date quoted in the margin, on the subject of a claim preferred by Messrs. Cargill, Gibbs, and Co. for £40, being two days' demurrage of the " Mairi Bahn," and, in reply, to acquaint you that I have not a copy of the charter-party between the Provincial Government Agent and Messrs. P. Henderson and Co.; but I can state that, as a matter of usance in respect of the line since its commencement many years ago, there have not been any lay days allowed, a circumstance which, doubtless, has been taken into consideration in fixing the rate of passage money, which rate is lower than that paid by the AgentGeneral. I have, &c, J. Macandrew, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington. Superintendent.

No. 25. The Hon. H. A. Atkinson to the Agent-General. (No. 321.) Sir, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 29th October, 1874. Referring to previous correspondence upon the subject of the dietary scale of emigrant ships, the attention of the Government has been specially directed to the question by the very large mortality of children on board two ships recently arrived in Wellington—the " Cartvale " and the "Douglas," and also to certain reported cases of scurvy on board the latter ship. After most careful consideration of the circumstances immediately before them in the case of the ships referred to, and of the various reports of the Immigration Commissioners and Surgeon-Superintendents which are recorded in the department, the Government have come to the conclusion that, although many of the suggestions of my predecessor have been carried out, it is evident that a further change may with benefit be made in the ration issued to adults, and that it is absolutely necessary to make without delay a radical alteration in that supplied to children. I subjoin schedules marked respectively A, B, and C, which have been approved by the Government, and I desire you will cause them to be adopted immediately, considering the instructions in this respect positively imperative. In giving effect to these instructions, it will be necessary to modify, as far as the issue of rations is concerned, the present contracts ;