The Evening Star MONDAY, JUNE 30, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3232, 30 June 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, JUNE 30, 1873.

w Counplj. will meet for business 10-morrow, and we sincerely trust that, .whatever other .differences -there - may .he, the .one • bo-thh chief object aiitoed ’at,- : So Jjjreat been, thd I ’^haiigcfe 7 iii, the composition of“the House that speculation as to. party is.out of the question. It is *hardly ppssiblfyin fact, to say -whether such an organisation as party is likely : at -first /although, as time rolls on, shohld sbme specifiic question arise in which largo ipterests are involved, the happy-family system, in which each esteems it a pleasure to help the other in doing what is best for the whole, cannot possibly be maintained. We do not suppose that the Superintendent will repeat, the speech which was so factiously dealt with by the clique in the last Council nbw bo happily broken up. Every member of that faction who had the grace’to allude to the speech at all, pronounced it able, and acknowledged thati ( i^e r iVbrk marked out was important afi(l necessary, The have, however, put everything else on. one side/ and in the ‘ excitement of weighing the. respective merits of rival, candidates/ the 1 .substance 'ofwhafthe Council was invited' to-consider has, fin. most instances, passCcp froth memory. Wq, therefore, wall; be aping a useful work by giving a summary cf it; jfor the legislative; requirements of the Province remain unchanged* ! The first part of the speech’ was a short review of the progress of the Province; during the previous twelvemonths, and was . chiefly statistical. The imports “were shown to be valued at L 1,884,998/ #nd the import duty collected L2d2jooo—-nearly one-third of the Custom? revenue of the Colony. Of gold, 169,2120z. were exported, against 166,37 2oz. during the previous twelve mouths. The exports were valuedat L 2,279,663 againstLl,! 90,000 the year before, being equal to , the astounding amount of L7O .per. head for each’ statute adult in the Province. The goldfields revenue for the year was L 39,790 agaW L 44,816 the year before, the decrease being caused by the reduction of 6d per Oz. in the gold export duty The Provincial revenue frpm all sources was L338,00Q against , L 289,000 the year before. The expenditure was L 279,522, and, after ’paying off. the overdraft/ L 16,698 repaeined in |he Trewury?‘ ;; ‘'- The works in progress and completed were next alluded to. ' The Naseby sludge-channel, believed to be a reproductive work, was in eourafe of construction at a cost of L4Q,000 l ind, as a proof of the increased attention to mining matters, several mining companies had been with such command of capital as would enable them to Vork at thC best f adVantag|7 Ajnew Goldfields Bill, intended to aid in; developing gold mining and remove grievances complained of by the miners, was prepared, which, it was hoped, would become law at the next session of thp Assembly. The Dunedin and Port ChaTmer* railway Ime had been completed and paroled £rq,yinoe by the General Government, and it was estimated that the traffic receipts * tvould amply recoup the cosh ’ A'b'Ofid' 'haid been entered, into for the, ment of a paper factory on! the Matayra, and if a bonus on whale fishing were again offered, in* all probability parties would come forward prepared to engage .in ihduktry 1 . h} Tlfe hchobl l’accommodation having become too limited for the number’ of pupils, larger and better schoql? buildings . ynd additional sums being required far teachers* . salaries,... -T£P?i rs school-houses, &c., it wa!s suggested that L 30,000 should be borrowed for this object,; and Llsoo a *year, out of the LI I,ooo' a year rental of property at the disposal of, the • Education Board, beset aside for thirty years for repayment and further extension. 1 Mr Hjslop’s recommendation ijQ appoint ah additional Inspector and to establish i a. Normal Training School for teachers, was commended as advisable to' be adopted. The altered state of education in the Province was pointed to asrendering’ the ' Boys’ High School less necessary, and the Goyerhment ’were - informed of the appointment of a Com-, mission to investigate the subject. Referring to public works, it was proposed that the connecting link between the Clutha and Mataura lines of railway should be at once formed by the Province, with, a branch to Tapanui, 'in order to complete the main trunk Hpie. The advantage would be to open up valuable agricultural land for settlement, and add revenue to the main lines. The cost would be L 1*50,000, exclusive of rolling stock, and . the amount? would be realised by the sale; of the land made available for use by the construction of the line. Payment 1 could be arranged for at the rate, of L30,p00 a year 7 for the first tiro years,; and. the balance within one year after completion of the line. "It would be well to complete the Dunedin and Moeraki line by a similar arrangement, or by hypothecating land as security, If the Council agreed to that, Dut little difficulty would be experienced in making the ; necessary arrangements.. The formation of those lines would prove a great j paying. to the, Province, through apt ipquipngto aad main-

tain metalled roads at great expense. The saving more profitably employed in workSaJi "the intermix It was proposed to \u fcjsi Boards at the-rata ofi round for p^rod. wilto butofthe L7ojssQ special IpSfq! for the Inofthi,; of t¥qSpoinSaking Warn way ' val-, ley nf (Tim contract for this work has since been let.) The balance of Elsooo was being expended on roads and bridges in the north of the Province. The defence of-the Port was a question of great importance, -and 7 the expenditure of LIOjOOO or L’15,000 for that purpose would be amply justified. A .contract, on behalf of the Province for resuming immigration had been entered into by Mr Auld with Messto Patrick Hendersofi and Qo., ,and pe was ipstructed urge, the . expediency of using ; vessels for : the ■ purpose.■ Proposals,' would be submitted to ; the Council for the removal of the Lunatic Asylum TokopiaiirirQ, to ;throw open, the Dunedin Hospital to the legally qualified: practitioners of the City. It might be advisabla to, connect the hospital witlf the school of medicine,) and surgery should be established in connection with, the University, op. condition of which a further endowment of 100,000 acres of land had been agreed to. A report would be submitted by the Provincial Engineer on a proposal to reclaim the mud flat from high water mark at the head of Dunedin Bay: The profit, was estimated at L20,000,.a portion or tlie whole of which might be devoted to endowing a Harbor Trust apd doing away with pilots and harbor dues. Correspondence oh the subject of’diverting patural- water r courses for gold mining purposes would be submitted for consideration* 'lt was a involving grave questions of compensation and the righto of property. The approval of the Council was asked fot declawng 30,600 of land, for, sale, on deferred payments.) vißegret was expressed-that the,administration of the depasturing district* Of Lake Wakatip had not beeh satisfactory. : The report of’ the* Local Commission would be laid before the House. (Budh is an outline of what was said, and we presume ojf the business of thO new . Council after .the usual iormalitifis have been disposed .of. Most probably art idea may be iormed of the temper of the House in ;the ohoice ;of a Speaker. .