C—3.

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to the Board, if they are at the time sitting, or to the Chairman, if the Board should not be at the time sitting, any act or default clone or made by any lessee or occupier in contravention thereof which might at any time come to his knowledge. He will be required to visit and inspect, at least once in every six months, every holding to which are attached by the lease or agreement under which it is held covenants by the lessee or occupier as to fencing, building, draining, or otherwise, or conditions and limitations as to cropping or otherwise; and also to make a special inspection of any particular reserve or reserves at any time that the Board may require him to do so, and to report to the Board the result of every such inspection. It will be his duty to collect rents as they become due, and to deliver to the Board at each monthly meeting a statement in detail of the sums received since the last monthly meeting, and a similar statement of rents in arrear. All rents and other moneys which he may receive are to be paid to the account of " The School Commissioners," at the Bank appointed for that purpose, on the day on which they are received, or, if received after Bank hours, then on the following day. Provided that if the sum received ou any one day be less than £10 he may, in his discretion, retain it until other receipts have accrued amounting together to that sum; and provided also that on the day of each monthly meeting all moneys then in his hands shall be paid into the Bank. Concurrently with each payment to the Bank, he must send a memorandum of particulars to the Treasurer, together with a receipt signed by the teller. The Steward will be required to give a guarantee of fidelity in some approved Insurance Company in the sum of £1,000, the premium upon which will be paid by the Board. He must incur no expense on account of the Board, or enter into or make any engagement or commitment on behalf of the Board, without authority previously obtained. He must keep and produce to the Board all letters and communications received, and copies of all letters written by him connected with the business of the Board.

WESTLAND. Sir,— Crown Lands Office, Hokitika, 21st July, 1879. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Circular No. 19, of the sth instant, asking for suggestions or recommendations as to the permanent management and disposal of the education reserves included in the schedule sent by me on the 28th April, 1879, in compliance with your circular of the 18th February, 1879. As nearly all the reserves included in my return were therein stated to be vested in the School Commissioners, I did not make any suggestions as to the mode in which they should be dealt with, nor have I now any particular suggestions to offer. These reserves must for the most part wait until from some cause or other there comes to be a demand for land in their vicinity, and when that happens it will be for the School Commissioners to make the most of them they can, which I am sure they will not lie backward to do, for they are much in want of funds. The only general remark which I can make is that, as already stated in my report (sth December, 1878,) on the Kumara Education Reserve, it seems fair that the School Commissioners should get the fees for miners' rights, &c, exercised over their reserves. They are now in the position of either losing all revenue derived from mining on such reserves, or of harassing the miners by making them pay additional fees. If legislation is contemplated for the Kumara Reserve, I would suggest the desirability of making such legislation applicable to all endowment reserves on gold fields. I have, &c, J. Giles, The Under Secretary for Crown Lands, Wellington. Commissioner of Crown Lands.

OTAGO. (Memorandum.) Crown Lands Office, Dunedin, 17th July, 1879. In reply to Circular No. 19, of date sth instant, requesting me to furnish the G-overmnent with any suggestions I may be prepared to make as to the method it would be most expedient to adopt for the permanent management and disposal of the education reserves, I have the honor to state that I am of opinion, taking into consideration the different interests involved, that " The Education Reserves Act, 1577," supplies machinery well adapted to insure the permanent management and disposal, in a satisfactory manner, of the education reserves. I have, &c, J. P. Maitland, The Under Secretary for Crown Lauds, Wellington. Commissioner of Crown Lands.

SOUTHLAND. S in> — Crown Lands Office, Invercargill, 2-lth June, 1879. "With regard to the permanent management and disposal of the reserves, I can only say that I believe the present system of vesting them in School Commissioners to be unobjectionable, and the practice of leasing by public auction, after due notice has been given by advertisement, has proved successful in obtaining good rentals and a desirable class of tenants. I have, &c, Walter H. Pearson, The Under Secretary for Crown Lands, Wellington. Commissioner of Crown Lands.