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desire to cultivate land in New Zealand, to whom, then, am I warranted in refusing my certificate ? I may know that a young woman of eighteen years of age, or an old man (not to say woman) of fiftynine, cannot properly be considered an agricultural settler ; but in their wisdom the Government and Legislature have decided the conditions and limits of the Act. My duty is to give effect to them in their strict and common sense. The Act gives the immigrant a right. If he or she be of suitable age, have paid the passage, have expressed to me the desire to settle and cultivate, he or she is said to be " entitled to a free grant of a piece of land." The Act imposes on me a duty. lam to certify that the person is a "suitable emigrant," and I am to deduce what a suitable emigrant may be from the Act, from your advertisement, ami from your despatch. 8. In your despatch, now under reply, I am, however, informed that I should for the future bear in mind two leading principles in administering the Act. (1.) That land was to be given as a real inducement to those who otherwise might not be disposed to emigrate to New Zealand. (2.) That land was to be given only to those whom I considered suitable emigrants, and who are likely to become permanent settlers. I am further instructed that I should not, unless in very rare cases, give any certificates to persons who have already paid their passages. I shall of course in future strictly adhere to the first and second of these instructions. But in regard by your third instruction, lam placed in a dilemma as to whether I should observe the regulations issued by you in last May, in connection with the administration of the Act, or the direction contained in your despatch now under reply. Tour despatch directs me not to give any certificates to persons who have already paid their passages. The form of certificate (Form A) which is appended to your regulations, obliges me to certify that the immigrant has produced to me his or her contract ticket for a passage to New Zealand by the ship . As the Act purports to be an Act to enable persons immigrating to New Zealand to acquire land free of cost, in proportion to their expenditure on immigration, it seems to me that the production of the contract ticket is the obvious and indeed the only evidence I can have of the applicant's actual outlay in money, and consequent title to bo recouped by a corresponding free grant of land. 9. I reserve for the present a detailed reply on the cases referred to in the precis of papers appended to your despatch. I have, &c, I. E. Featiierston, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington, N.Z. Agent-General.

No. 90. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Minister for Immigration. (No. 1958.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir,— . 15th December, 1874. I have the honor to advise you of the following alteration in my shipping arrangements, which has been rendered necessary in consequence of the difficulty which I am now experiencing in securing full complements for the vessels for which I have guaranteed specific numbers. At the close of last mail, the " Eangitikei" was fixed to sail for Otago on the 12th December, the guaranteed number being 250 adults. The " Dallam Tower " was also engaged to proceed for Wellington on the 10th December, the guaranteed number for this vessel being also 250 adults. It was impossible to fill both ships by the dates stated, and I asked the Manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company to withdraw one of the vessels. Mr. Strickland, whose disposition to oblige the Government in this matter I desire to acknowledge, consented to withdraw the " Eangitikei," and proposed that the " Dallam Tower" should take both complements, and should sail on the 18th December. I agreed to this proposal, and I am glad to inform you that I have been able to make up the guaranteed number, 250 adults. The emigrants for Otago, who proceed in the ship, will therefore be entitled to be forwarded to their destination at the expense of the Government. I have no doubt that, under the circumstances detailed herein, the Government will approve of the action which I have thought it right to take with the object of avoiding a heavy fine on account of short shipments. I have, &c, I. E. Featherston, The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington, N.Z. Agent-General.

No. 91. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Ministeb for Immigration. (No. 1959.) 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir,— 15th December, 1874. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 275, of 25th September, 1874, transmitting copy of a telegram which was despatched to me upon the 10th September, respecting the number of emigrants required to be forwarded to the colony during the six months beginning October and ending March; and also copy of the correspondence with the Superintendents of the various provinces upon which this order was based. I beg to assure you that every effort possible shall be made to give effect to the wishes of the Government as indicated in the telegram, letter, and enclosures. I desire, however, to remark (1) that this new order arrived at a time when emigration was showing a tendency to slacken; (2) that the Agricultural Unions have since that date almost entirely suspended their emigration operations, and do not hold out any hope of an increase in the number of applications until the beginning of next