investigation and report. With this view "His Excellency has directed me to request that you will, by acting as such Committee, give your assistance towards the object in question.
Your principal task will be to report on the landed tenure generally, where individual cases come to your notice in which the amount of rental paid, &c., are worthy of special consideration, you will represent these, stating the reduction which would be made on each lot.
1. I propose that you make such representations to His Excellency, who will willingly give his best attention, and where his own opinion shall coincide with yours, will have pleasure in recommending to the Home Government that your suggestions be received and adopted.
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4. It appears to His Excellency that where the original purchasers of land have, within the period of, say, the last six years, transferred, whether immediately or indirectly, their property to the present owners, such cases are not entitled to so much consideration for reduction of rental, as those where the original purchasers or early transferees are the holders of the land at the present time.
5. It will be necessary that you bear in mind amongst other points that the inhabitants of this Colony (perhaps I should say in strictness, the European portion of them) have not been called upon to pay any tax beyond that of the Police Rate; the amount derived from which is not sufficient to meet more than a third of the expenses of the Police Establishment; that the conditions of all sales of land prior to the 7 years were subject to the approval of Her Majesty's Government in 1844.