D.—4

21

Christchurch newspapers on the 24th November, to the effect that the Agent-General had suggested that the New Zealand Shipping and Shaw-Savill-Albion Companies should continue the existing division of trade to the colony until the next session of Parliament, and requesting an explanation of the communication. In reply I am to state that the Government are unable to afford any explanation of the paragraph in question. I have, &c, r b H. J H. Eliott, Isaac Gibbs, Esq., Secretary, N.Z. Shipping Company, Under-Secretary. (Limited), Christchurch.

____■■—■■—■■-1 hii in iw i mil" imi him urii r ti"l No. 25 The Hon. the Minister of Immigration to the Agent-General. Sir, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 6th December, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist October (No. 279), transmitting-a report by the Secretary to the Agent-General's Department upon a paragraph which appeared in a colonial newspaper commenting on the course taken by the officers of that department with respect to affording information to intending passengers about the vessels of the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Shaw-Savill-Albion Company and requesting that the report may be published in the same journals in which the paragraph appeared. In reply I. have to state that, in compliance with your request, Mr Kennaway's statement will be furnished to the newspapers, I have, &c., W Eolleston, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Minister of Immigration.

No 26. The Hon. the Minister of Immigration to the Agent-General. Sir, — Immigration Office, Wellington, 7th December, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th September (No. 275), in which you state that you would defer submitting the views which had been gradually forming in your mind with reference to immigration questions generally until you receive my despatches by the " Catalonia." In reply I have to state that I hope, on receipt of my letter of the 6th October, you will have forwarded the report, which, I understand from your letter of the 26th July, was all but completed at that date. This report will, I have no doubt, be of material assistance in determining the course which will best give effect to the wishes of Parliament. I have, &c, W Eolleston, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Minister of Immigration,

No. 27 The Agent-General to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration Sir, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 14th December, 1883. Since I wrote to you on the sth instant (No. 364), informing you that the two shipping companies had respectively informed-me of their desire to continue, until the next meeting of Parliament, the arrangements now in existence for the conveyance of Government immigrants and freight, an event has occurred which may materially affect the questions which the Assembly will have to consider During the interval which elapsed after the companies had received my minute of 6th November, several attempts had been made to come to some agreement for the division of the Government business, but in the end the differences between them appear to have been too great to be reconciled. Hardly had they communicated to me their final intentions when the Shaw-Savill-Albion Company took a forward step which greatly changed the relations of the two companies to each other It seems that the steamers "Doric" and ' lonic," which had been for some time under charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company, were to become free from that charter early in 1884, and the Shaw-Savill-Albion Company entered into an agreement with the owner of those vessels to transfer them and their sister ship the " Coptic " to the Albion line. The outcome, therefore, of the differences between the companies is that a fortnightly line of powerful steamers of 4,500 to 5,000 tons will soon be definitely established. The following steamers are now either running or being built, viz. : (1.) The New Zealand Shipping Company's line—l. "Tongariro," 4,300 tons , 2. " Aorangi," 4,600 tons 3. " Euapehu, 4,700 tons ,4. Unnamed (building) 4,500 tons ,5. Unnamed (building) 4,500 tons 6. British King," 3,559 tons, 7 "British Queen," 3,558 tons, 8. " Fenstanton," 2,465 tons. (2.) Shaw-Savill-Albion line—9. "Tainui" (building) 5,250 tons, 10. " Arawa " (building), 5,250 tons 11. "Doric," 4,744 tons, 12. "lonic," 4,753 tons, 13. "Coptic," 4,367 tons, 14. Bombay, 3,133 tons, 15. "Florida," 3,138 tons 16. 'Tenasserin," 2,693 tons ;17 " Victory " 2,848 tons being, in all, seventeen steamers, aggregating together 67,828 tons. I assume that it will not be the intention of the companies to retain permanently in the trade several of the smaller steamers enumerated in this list, but, whether this is the case or not, it is certain that at least ten first-class powerful steamers will be running to New Zealand before the expiration of another year