Mr. A. Mackay, Nelson, to the Under Secretary, Native Department.

Sir,—

In compliance with the terms of your minute of the 13th September, attached to a letter from the Hon. the Speaker of the Legislative Council to His Excellency the Governor, covering a resolution by that body, together with a copy of a report therein referred to, I have the honor to state for your information that, owing to the number of claims of the kind requiring attention at the hands of the Government, it will be quite impossible to get the matter arranged without incurring expense, although the expense may be very much lightened by deferring the settlement of these claims for a while longer —that is to say until the Native Land Court goes down to Southland to hear and determine the claims to Native reserves there.

Judging from the last intelligence received from the Chief Judge on the subject, dated 1st August, 1868, the Court may probably hold a sitting at Southland during the ensuing autumn, and as I shall probably have to visit that portion of the Island whenever the Court goes there, I could then undertake the settlement of these promises at the same time; perhaps it would be as well therefore that the settlement of these claims should be postponed till the Court goes down, provided the probable date should not be too distant.

With respect to the probable cost of the work, it is rather difficult to form an estimate, as it depends very much whether suitable blocks of land of any extent can be obtained contiguous to existing surveys for the location of these families, or whether it would be necessary to select individual sections in detached localities for the purpose. The expense also would be much lighter if the Survey Department in the Province in which the land may be selected would provide an Officer to undertake the necessary work.

Provided large sized blocks of land could be obtained, the land should be subdivided into individual sections, with a view to locate each family on separate allotments. This would be the most satisfactory page 64mode of settling these people on the land, as it would prevent quarrelling amongst them in time to come.

There is very little doubt but that the General Government will have to bear the cost of the survey; it would be as well, however, that the work should be done under the supervision of the Provincial Government, as a guarantee for its satisfactory performance; and if it were possible to confine the selection of land for the purpose to one or two blocks, the probable cost of survey, I should imagine, would not exceed £200.

As there are a number of half-caste families living near the Bluff, in Southland, and also at Stewart's Island, I would beg to recommend that land should be selected contiguous to some of the Native reserves on the main land.

From inquiries I made when in Southland last year, I am inclined to think that a block of suitable land could be obtained in the neighborhood of the Native reserve at Oraka, on which the majority of the claimants residing in that Province might be located. This would be the means of disposing of the largest number of cases, leaving only a few isolated ones to be dealt with in other places.

Annexed I beg to hand you a copy of a letter addressed by me to the Native Department, dated 3rd June, 1868, on the subject of the proposed sitting of the Native Land Court at Southland, and recommending that the claims of the halt-caste families to have land provided for them should be dealt with at the same time, in which I also suggest that a block of 1,000 acres should be selected near Oraka to make provision for this purpose.

I also attach a list of the half-castes alluded to therein, by which it will he perceived that there are a greater number of cases to be dealt with than was perhaps anticipated.

Whoever is required to undertake the settlement of these claims should be provided with full authority to deal with the matter in case obstacles might be thrown in the way of doing so by the Provincial authorities.