Further Papers Relative to Native Affairs

No. 5

No. 5.

Assistant Native Secretary to Mr. Strode.

Native Secretary's Office,
Auckland, July 13th, 1861.

Sir,—

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th November last, reporting that the Natives residing on the Reserve at the heads of Otago Harbour and those at Aparima on Jacob's river had consented to a subdivision of their land, and were anxious to have it laid out in allotments by a surveyor.

I much regret the delay that has taken place in replying to your communication, and hope that it may not affect the carrying out the proposed arrangement. It was the intention of Mr Richmond to confer with you personally on the matter when he last visited Otago; your letter was taken by him to the South for the purpose, and appears to have been mislaid.

I have now the honor to convey to you the authority of His Excellency the Governor to employ a surveyor to subdivide these reserves in accordance with the wishes of the Native proprietors who should each be furnished with a plan of his own allotment. For this purpose you are authorised to incur an expense not exceeding £250, to which amount advances will be made to yon by the Sub- Treasurer at Dunedin on your requisition; such advances to be accounted for in the usual manner.

It has been considered expedient to carry out this arrangement as a preliminary one, and that one year should then be allowed to elapse before anything further is done in order to avoid present suspicion or misunderstanding in the minds of the Natives or inconvenience hereafter, which might be the result of now requiring a cession to the Crown, and granting conveyances to individuals before time is given for the apportionment to become well understood and fully established in the minds of the Natives.

I have, &c,

T. H. Smith,
Assistant Native Secretary.

A. C. Strode, Esq.,
Assistant Native Secretary, Otago.