HIS PROVINCIAL CAREER.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11504, 10 February 1903, Page 5

HIS PROVINCIAL CAREER.

With the early -history of the Province of Canterbury, and particularly that connected with provincial politics, the name of William Rolleston was most intimately connected, and will long be remembered. On April 7th, 1868, a message was received by the Provincial Council from Mr William Sefton Moorhouee, then Superintendent of the Province, stating his intention to resign the office on account of the pressure of urgent private affairs. On May 22nd Mr Rolleeton was elected as Superintendent unopposed. He <wae proposed , by Mr (now tfbe Hon.) Wm. Montgomery, M.P.C., and seconded by Mr (now the Son.) E. C- J. Stevens, M.H.R. The nomination in those days was by open meeting, and it was from the balcony of the quaint wooden building iknown cc ti* Old Town Hall, which stood about where Strange and Co.'s now is, that the speeches were mode. Mr RoUeston took office a strong advocate of the retention of the system- of Provincial Governments, the encouragement of immigration, and tHu development of the waste lands of the country. Considerable dissatisfaction existed in the southern part of the Province about this , time, and the questions of separation of the district soutb of the Rangitota and creation of a separate Province were agitated. A committee appointed by the Provincial Council to consider the matter brought up a report on May 29tfc, recommending that the Province be divided into two porta ; the detriot south of tie Rangitata. to be crested into an independent county governAd by a board of fifteen representing the road board district* and the municipality of

Thnaru. In response to a request from the Select Committee, Mr RoHeston forwarded a memorandum etrongly opposing the dismemberment of the Provinoee. "It would rather," he said, " be by extending the present ill-determined boundaries of the Southern Provinces than by erecting new bodies , with narrow nolitical views, tended to- m gether by paitry selfish interests, that the ultimate harmony and unity of government which are so essential to our future greatness as a nation are to be promoted." Mr Rolleston, it may be noted, about this time was coked to come forward as * candidate for a vacant seat for Chrietehuroh in order practically to carry out hu idea, that tthe Superintendent should be in tie Council to enunciate bis policy. Hβ accepted the nomination, but afterwarde withdrew his candidature. At the sitting of the Council on June lsfc, tie Provincial Executive not being in harmony with the views of the Superintendent on flic question of the apportionment of revenue, resigned, and Mr Rolketon intimated that on hia return from Wellington he would carry on. the work of Government hiineelf assisted by the per- j manenfc clerks. Ultimately a Ministry was formed, with Mr Knight at its head, but it had only a short life, the Superintendenb insisting that the control of the railways fihoufa be in tihe 'hands of a permanent officer -unalteotied by political changes, and that it waa inadvisable that a member of the Executive should act as adviser to the Superintendent and manager of the traffic of the railway. • This not being in ac-cord-once with the views of the Executive, they resigned. Mr Rolleston informed the Council that it appeared to iiim impossible to carry on responsible Government as matters were then, and that, pending legislation which would allow of the simplification of the whole machinery of Government, it would be well to let drop such portions of the machinery as complicated and encumbered its working- On the Council meeting on June sth Mr Jollie announced the formation of an Executive, with himself as head, to ho!d office until the return of the Superintendent from Wellington when Mr Rolleston proposed to carry on the business of the Government himself. The Council having considered the memorandum of the Sirperintend«iit re reduction, of members, etc., forwarded a reply to the effect that the business of the Council and country sliould be carried on as heretofore until toe Council had; agreed, upon teome modified form of Government. Dealing- with tihe question of the proposed separation of the southern part of Canterbury, Mr Rolleeton on October Ist, 1869, addressed a memo to the Chairman of tfheTimaruand Gladstone Board of Works stating that the Provincial Government intended to propose'to the Council that the district south of the Rangitata should receive its total revenue less certain charges. The Superintendent, in opening the Council on October Bth, referred to these proposals, and also stated that the Government proposed -to allocate £45,000 for publio works, viz., £15,000 each for the northern and Bouthem railway; £5000 for a tramway from Selwyn through Leetton to Southbridge, und £10,000 for immigration. At I a meeting of the Council on October 26th : fha scheme of apportionment of revenue to South Canterbury, aa sketched in Mr Rolleston's memo, was agreed -to. At the special eesaion of the Council on March 11th, 1870, called to consider the route of the northern railway, Mr Rolleeton in has opening address urged the carrying out or increased immigration and toe extension of the (wharfage accommodation in Lyttelton. Hβ proposed that £30,000 should be borrowed from the General Government to be ex pendad solely in immmgratlkm extending over three years.

The term of office of Superintendent having expired, the nomination of candidates took place on April 11th. Mr RoUeston was nominated for re-election, and much to the surprise of every one, Mr Moorhouse was again a candidate. The election resulted in the return of Mr RoHeston, the total figures being: Rolleston, 1800 j Moorhouse, 897. Ti» voting in the principal centres woe as follows: —Chriebdhurch: Rolleston, 702; Moortrouae, 315. Lytteiton: Rolleston, 100; Moorhouee, 87. Kaiapoi: Rolleston, 96 j MooiSjiouee, 40. Tinmnu Rolleston, 118; Moorhouee, 60. The Council having been dissolved, and a general election held;, Mr Rdlleston met his new Council on September 30th. In hh address the Superintendent urged the construction of large wharfage works, etc., in connection with tihe i'brfc of Lyttelton, a subject which Mr Kolkston had been calling attention to on more than'one occasion previously. On September 31st the Museum, in the obtaining of which for the public Mr Rolleston had alwaye evinced ttfe ■greatest interest, was opened by him without any formality. On the 24th October occurred the great fire at Lyttelton, and /Mr Roileeton, as Superintendent, took prompt action by sending a special message to the Provincial Council, expressing the heartiest sympathy of the people of Canterbury with the people of Lyttelton in the calamity Which bad befallen them, and asking authority to'expend -whatever money might be necessary temporarily to relieve the wonts of their fellow colonists who had lost their all by the fire. This authority wae cheerfully given by the Council. A special session of the Provincial Council was summoned on July 14th, the session of the General Assembly having been postponed, -ur Rolleston, who had always been a strong advocate for making liberal, provision for education, announced in hie opening speech the introduction of a new Education Bill, and urged *ue necessity of setting aside further reserves of hind for educational purposes, vesting them in trustees. The Bill, which was introduced by the Provincial Executive, and which, therefore, must be taken to express the views of Mr RoUeston as Superintendent, provided, other things, that the Board j>f Education should consist of seven members, three nominated by the Superintendent and four elected. There was to'be an education rate of 20a annpally, and 5s per head per year for each child up to 20s. Scripture reading was to take place in the school, and the teacher might also, by the unanimous vote of the Committee, give religious instruction.' Religious instruction might be given by ministers on one Whole day or two 'half days per week; no child to attend this if tlte parents or guardians objected. The Bill passed the Council on Aujfust 7th practically ac introduced. On the occasion of the opening of the North line to Kaiapoi in 1872, Mr Rolleston took occasion to refer to the question of changes in the Constitution. In bis opinion, whatever people might say, it was impossible at that tame to abolish the provinces, and he believed that such a result would not be advantageous to the colony as a whole. At this time the relations between Mr Rolketon and the Provincial Executive, headed by Mr Kennaway, were the reverse of amicable, and at a public meeting of citizens a petition wae.adopted for presentation to the Provincial Council, praying that steps should be taken to obtain the sanction of the Governor to the resolution of the Council. Nothing definite, however, was done. In asking the Governor,' Sir George Bowen, to open the exhibition in the drill shed grounds on the Anniversary Day, 1872, Mr Rolleston called attention to the substantial progress made by Canterbury in its wool exports and in its agricultural produce. He a!so referred in eloquent terms to the debt they owed to the founders of Canterbury. On the foundation they laid with such care a larger building than -they had ever contemplated had grown up, and the fostering of educational institutions had always been present in the minds of their rulers. Mr Rolleston, who never lost an opportunity of eulogising the province he so faithfully served, also called attention to the fact that Canterbury, the youngest of aU the settlement*, hod been j the first to initiate railways and telegraphs. Mr Rolleston opened the last session of the then existing Provincial Council on November 15th, and in his. speech called attention to the progress made in education by the Province since 1869. The number of children attending the publio schools had doubled, being 6816 in 1873, whilst the amount spent in education had risen from £7445 19s 7d in 1870 to £26,430 9s Id in 1873, and the amount

•pent upon buildings for educational purposes amounted to £50,000.

On (March 23rd, 1874, Mr Rolleston was re-elected Superintendent unopposed for a further term, being nominated by Mr R. J. 8. Harmon, and seconded by Mr W. D. Wood. la hie address, Mr BoUeston urged that the greatest possible thing for Canterbury would be the opening up of communication with Cue West Cbsst. On the subject of education Mr Rolleeton held that the system had been so ably worked under the Board of Education, and could be so worked that Canterbury would be rendered attractive, not only by its natural resources, but also as being a settlement where the highest education could be attained , by all classes of society.

On the 30th April of the same year the Museum and Library having been transferred to the Canterbury College Governors, Mr Rolleeton took office on the Museum and Library Committee. On May 29th he met the newly-elected Provincial Council, and in his speech he drew attention to the continued prosperity of Canterbury. The population at the time of the first meeting of the late Council, not quite font years before, was 45,000; then it was 59,000, and their exports had reached over a million during the year. Mr Rolleeton also referred to the large increase in the number of children attending the schools of the Province, which had increased from 6265 for the December quarter, of 1872, to 8299 for the same quarter of 1873. Otf June 14th. 1875, the Council passed the Education Ordinance, which providea for a totally new departure in the administration of educational matters, and forwarded it to the Superintendent for hie approval, Mr Rolleston hold very »trong opinions as to the Board of Education carrying on the work elf education, but the ordinance proposed that this should b* placed in the hands of the Provincial Executive of the day. It further proposed to increase the contribution to be paid by districts to the building fund from one-sixth' to one-half of the coat, and also for doubling the school fees paid by householders. Sir Rolleston, in a special message, sent the ordinance back to the Council for reconsideration, and also cent several amendments which he proposed, relating to the appointment of a Board of Education, and also providing for a system of free education.