D.-7
1875. NEW ZEALAND.
IMMIGRATION TO NEW ZEALAND. (CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE INTRODUCTION OF IMMIGRANTS UNDER THE CONTRACT WITH THE EMIGRANT AND COLONIST'S AID CORPORATION.) In continuation of Papers presented 1874.— D. S.
Presented, to loth Houses of the General Assembly by Command of Sis Excellency,
No. 1. Mr. A. F. Halcombe to the Hon. the Colonial Teeasueeb. Sie, — Wellington, 4th September, 1874. I venture again to address you as to the release of the guarantee given by the Emigrant and Colonist's Aid Corporation, and retained by the Government. You are aware that my efforts to obtain from the House of Eepresentatives an affirmation that the release should be made have been ineffectual. As, however, the report of the Public Petitions Committee, and the withdrawal of the motion in my favour before the House, were both based, not upon the merits of the case, but upon the position assumed by the two Governments, Provincial and General, as regards the securities held by my Corporation, I am therefore practically relegated to the original position. I therefore again venture to appeal to you, as the principal party to the contract with the Corporation, to reconsider the question, and if you accept the position, which cannot, I think, be disputed— first, that the land grants for £7,500 were to be retained only as a material guarantee of a bond fide intention to take up and carry out our contract; and secondly, that our bona fides has already been amply proved —I trust that you will not allow the security to be longer retained. I would desire to point out that from my principal's point of view it is an unnecessary addition to our already large expenditure, and a great discouragement, that the sum deposited should remain unreproductive, being retained, so far as they are informed, for no default of theirs, but for reasons quite outside those for which the security was deposited. I have, Ac,. A. Follett Halcombe, The Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, Wellington. Agent E. and C. Aid Corporation.
No. 2. The Hon. the Ministee for Immigeation to Mr. A. F. Halcombe. (No. 890.) Sie, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 10th September, 1874. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 4th September, applying on behalf of the Emigrant and Colonist's Aid Corporation for the release of £7,500, which the Government hold as security. 2. I have already stated to you that, if the Wellington Provincial Government were willing that the security should be released, or land Crown-granted on account of it, the General Government would not interpose any objection. 3. It seems, however, that the Provincial Government are not willing to recommend that the security be given up, unless the colony will release the province from all liability in respect to the whole of the "debt for which the Feilding Settlement is collateral security. 4. Were the General Government to agree to Crown-grant land for the £7,500, the Provincial Government might conclude that they were entitled to found thereon a claim. In the absence of the Provincial Government's consent, I cannot adopt this course, or, indeed, do anything in the way of directly dealing with the money deposited. But the Government, recognizing the useful work you are performing iu the interests of immigration, will agree to make you a distinct advance of £5,000, bearing interest at the rate of 5 per cent., and repayable before you have any claim to the release of the deposit now held by the Treasury. This advance will be made to you upon your conveying to the Government the assurance that, to the best of your belief, if such advance is made, the Corporation will be able to proceed with its work, and will not have to suspend its operations on account of any future want of funds. 5. I ask for this personal assurance, because I recognize how faithfully you have discharged your I.—D. 7.