PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2183, 6 May 1870, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

This Day. The best part of this afternoon was occupied with foolish talk. On the minutes being read, Mr Shepherd rose and called into question the ruling of the Speaker yesterday when the count out took place, and concluded by moving that the minutes be not adopted. The Speaker was prepared with any quantity of precedents, serving to show that he was right in the coarse he pursued ; but intimated that he thought it would have been better to have waited until the tellers brought up the division lists before he declared that there was no quorum. Mr Shepherd, whose apparent object was to gain from the Speaker an admission that he had made a mistake, and, not succeeding, endeavored to get the House not to agree with that ruling; but in this he was equally unsuccessful. After nearly an hour had been wasted, during which the hon. member for the goldfields was on his feet half a dozen times, the Secretary for Land and Works thought it necessary to administer a rebuke to that gentleman. Mr Reid told the hon. member that, if he wished to carry his motions or be of use to his constituents, he should endeavor to conciliate himself in some degree to the feelings of other hon. members. Mr Reid explained that he left the House because lie thought it would only be a waste of time to discuss Mr Shepherd’s motion, when it must again come up for discussion when the Electoral Bill and a motion bearing on it came up. Mr Reid’s admonishment only served to bring Mr Shepherd to his feet again, and he proposed that the Standing Orders should be suspended, with a view of permitting the resolution affecting the electoral rights of miners to be re-considered during the session. Ultimately Mr M‘lndoe called attention to the fact that there were insufficient members present to allow of the motion being put ; whereupon Mr Shepherd gave notice of his intention to move if half-au-hour afterwards. The Secretary for Laud and Works laid on the table returns showing the number of agricultural areas taking up during the year, and the amounts received from goldfields departments and otherwise. The Speaker read a letter from the committee of the Athenreum, intimating the new building, will be formally opened by the Hon. the Premier to-morrow, and asking that as many members of the Council who could make it convenient to attend, would do so. Mr Shand presented a petition from Mr J. H. Harris, asking for redress for damage occasioned to his property by the flooding of the Taieri river ; the petition was received. The same lion, member presented a petition on the same subject from settlers “in the Waipori river” (Mr Haughton suggested they were “ mermaids”)—the petition being a most repulsive looking document ; it was however received. Mr Ashcroft brought up the report of the Private Petition Committee in re Andrew Thompson’s, of Waikouaiti, petition. [The Committee came to the conclusion that the has no claim for compensation—a conclusion the Committee have now arrived at some five times. In answer to Mr Ashcroft, the Provincial Treasurer said that he would make his financial statement some time next week, but had the Council got on with business more rapidly, it would have been delivered on Monday. The Speaker thereupon stated that the Government had no rea-on to complain, for it was they who had delayed bringing down business. In answer to Mr Shepherd, the Treasurer explained for what Mr Abram, the second master of the High School, was compensated by payment of the sum of L 25, without the vote of the Council He said in effect that the Government, in granting the compensation, were carrying out the recommendations of the High School Commission. [Left sitting, ]