PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2393, 2 December 1870, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

This Day. At this afternoon’s sitting, Mr Mills presented a petition from certain landowners and residents in Hawkcsbury, praying for an alteration of the western boundaries of the township. Leave, was given to the various committees to sit to-morrow. Mr Haughton asked —“Whether the Government arc prepared to propose to the Council any measure for cheeking the immigration of Chinese ? and whether they have taken into consideration the fact that large areas of auriferous land, which really form part of the heritage of the future colonists, are being worked out by these foreigners ? ” The Secretary for Laud and Works stated, in reply, that the Government were not prepared to submit any proposition for checking Chinese immigration. They would, no doubt, have to consider the way in winch the auriferous lands of the Province were being worked by these “ foreigners,” as they were termed. Unfortunately we were all in the same position, having taken possession of territory which belonged to the aborigines of the country ;. and lie did not see how they could take any exceptional action in regard to the Chinese. It would no doubt bo preferable to have a European population occupying the goldfields, but so long as that could not be got, they were glad to see any population. (Hear, hear, and “oh, oh,” from Mr Shepherd.)—ln answer to Mr Henderson, the Secretary for Land and Works stated that the Attorney-General had taken objections to nearly half of the 320 clauses of the Load Boards Ordinance, passed Isst session. Indeed any Bill of the kind passed by the Council would be of very little effect. The present Loads Ordinance had to be validated by the General Assembly. He hoped a future Assembly would take the matter up and give to roads districts some control over the funds raised by them. In that respect the present Ordinance was very defective. He concluded by condemning the action ot the Legislative Council in throwing out a measure which had passed the Provincial Conned and House of Representatives. The House went into committee of supply.— On Mr Barr moving that a sum of L’ioO be placed on the estimates for a schoolhousc at Mornington, the Government while admitting the justice of the vote and stating its intention to do something in the matter during the next financial year, expressed its determination to vote against the whole of the motions on the order paper, as there were no funds with which to meet the outlays, unless at the expense of votes already sanctioned. Mr Hay then moved that progress bo reported. Mr Reid suggested that none of the motions on the order paper should be considered in Committee. The conduct of the Government was animadverted ujxonby Mr Reynolds, and condemned in strong terms by Captain Mackenzie. The motion to report progress was negatived ou the voices, and Mr Barr, satisfied with the assurance of the Government, withdrew his motion. Mr M'Dermid moved “that an address be presented to the (Superintendent, requesting that lie will be pleased to cause a sufficient sum to be placed on the Estimates for the purpose of making up the difference between Ll3O voted last session to the municipality of Port Chalmers, and the amount to which it is entitled by a resolution of the House passed in ISGB.” Mr Tayler maintained that the subsidy had been granted in terms of the resolution, and stated that he could have persuaded “ any animal with less dignity than the horse ” that such was the case, but he could not so persuade the hon. member for Blueskin. Mr M'Dermid denied the accuracy of Mr Tayler’s statements, and stated that in 1867 the municipality was treated as a country one, and received a subsidy of L2 to LI, and consequently had oidy received two years subsidy under the resolution of 1808 instead of three. The motion was negatived, as was also Mr M‘l.icimid’s motion for a sum of LoOO for the purpose of repairing the road by the beach from Port Chalmers to the Sandspit. (Left sitting )