1875–1876 Pollen Ministry

[1] Julius Vogel, who had been Premier since 1873 and Colonial Treasurer for almost all of the time since 1869, went to London in July 1875 to negotiate a £4 million loan to be spent on public works and immigration, leaving Daniel Pollen in charge.[2] Harry Atkinson became Treasurer in the interim and his cautious policy was to cease announcing new railway projects and stop servicing interest payments out of loan money.[3] In 1875 Sir George Grey launched a campaign against the sale of the Piako Swamp to a syndicate led by Bank of New Zealand founder Thomas Russell.This low-value land had been confiscated from its Maori owners during the New Zealand Wars and should have been auctioned off - in fact it was sold directly to the syndicate for 5 shillings per acre on condition that they build a road through it.He led the provincialist faction in the House and forced the Government to compromise on their intention to abolish the provinces: implementation of the abolition would have to wait until after a general election.