PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3524, 9 June 1874, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Monday, June 8,

The division on Mr Haggitt's licensing resolutions and the Provincial Solicitor 5 * amendment thereto was as follows:-The trrst resolution was carried by 21 against II • the second negatived by 19 against 11, the third negatived by 16 against 15, and the t..nrth negatived on the voices. The Provincial Solicitor’s second amendment was negatived by 17 against 16 Mr G. F. 0. ■Browne moved as a further amendment—- '* ihat no licensee who employs during the year any female in his bar, shall be eligible for a renewal of his license.” 'Jhis was opposed by Mr risa, as interfering with the liberty of the subject, and by Mr IvEEVEs, as being absurd. The amendment was negatived on the voices. Mr M‘Kenzie obtained le.yj to move the following addition to the motion, as carried;— That ip order to prevent the undue creation of vested interests, no publican’s license shall po granted until a memorial signed by a majority of the male adult residents of the distucu shall be presented, and the genuineness ot the signatures proved, as provided bv the Licensing Act. 1872.” Agreed to. The debate was interrupted by the hour of adjourmuent. . Ke P° 7of the Goldfields Committee. m re petition of Koxburgh Land Committee, was as follows This petition prays for th® opening of a block of land on Henderson et run, Miller’s Flat, for settlement under the deferred payment system. Your comnuttee have carefully considered the petiS*J£ d \° re P° rfc the evidence or eignt practical men is so completely contradictory to that of Warden aimpson in regard to the character of the two blocks of land °n Henderson’s run, Mount Benger, the Committee are of opinion that if the arrangements regarding these blocks have not been completed, the Government should not tigated 11 ” 111 the matter ia more full y lavesof Supply, Mr Fish moved r^ 8S t0 Superintendent requesting a sum Sf aC r e o°n»!J e bu PP lement ary Estimates, fm^ m ° £ L2,o ®°» aB a g ra nt in aid of the improvement of the Town Belt. Ihe motion was opposed by the Provincial Secretary, on the ground that the work was not urgent as compared with other works on the ii’stiTo km “? tlle JPjROVIS CIAL Solicitor as LZfOUU had been already voted for the Museum, a sum had been paid to the City in , respect of Castle street, while there had beep, a grant to open up a certain street ip the town. The question was one of finance, and he hoped the motion would be withdrawn and brought on again next year. Before the beautifying of the City was looked to, provision should be made for the sewage. Mr Clarke moved, as an amendment, that the amount should be reduced to LI,OOO. The motion, as amended, was then put a n d negatived by 10 to 21. On Mr Ireland’s motion, L 250 was voted for improving the hospital building at Switzers ; on Mr De Lautour’s motion, L2soas a bonus for the best gold-saving apparatus for saving gold extracted by hydraulic sluicing that can be devised cheap enough to be practicable, said bonus to be paid to such an extent and on such terms as to the Superintendent may seem fit; on Mr Daniel’s motion, L 250 to form a road from Port William to Half-moon Bay, thence to Paterson’s Inlet, in Stewart’s Island; on Mr

Ireland’s motion, Ll2 for the purpose of repaying the Switzers Mining Association the expenses of witnesses in re fifty-acre inquiry, conducted by Messrs Shepherd and Maitland * on Mr Driver’s mot-on, 200 for the purpose of forming and metalling k >e approaches to the bridge over the Kaikorai stream, on the main road between Dunedin “*?orth Taieri, via the Half-way Bush onMrBASTiKGs’s motion, L4OO as a grant to Mr W. Williamson, manager of the Krdt-v nm Water-race Company; and on Mr Irk land’s motion, I 2,500 for the construction of a bridge over the Molyneux at l!ox burah. The following motions were negatived:— LI,OOO for the formation of a road from Roxburgh to Waikaia Bush ; L 250 for the erection of a library at Roxburgh ; LI,COO for the purpose of subsidizing voluntary subscriptions pro rata to pastoral and agricultural shows throughout the Province ; 1,150 as a subsidy to the Arrow Library ( omuiittee, to make suitable provision for a bridge over the Kawarau, near Arrow Junction ; LSOO for improvements on the road from Armstrong’s crossing, Oreli Railway, to Forest Hill; LIOO to form that portion of Morven Ferry and Arthur’s Point "road which passes through Arrowtown ; L 2.000 to form the first section of a dray road between Arthur’s Point and Maori Point; and L 1.500 for a bridge on Jacob’s River, at Collesford Mr Wood’s motion that a sum of money should be given as a bonus to the first successful borer of an artesian well within the Hmits of any city c r to . n of Otago, was met by an amendment, which was carried, that the Superim cadent obtain reports from the Provincial Geologist as to the practicability of boring where water is scarce. In moving “ That a respectful Address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, praying that a sum be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for making repayments, &t the rate of sixpence per ounce, to exporters of geld, the produce of the Province of Otago and the late Province of Southland, during the current year”— Mr De Lautotjr said it had been admitted in the House of Representatives that this was an unjust tax, and it would have been done away with, had it not been for theimpecuni osity of some Northern Provinces.' He did not go so far as to say the duty should be done away with altogether, but only to such an extent as would leave an amount to covet the expenditure on the goldfields. The motion, which was supported by Mr Gil LIES, who said the tax was an iniquitous one ; by Mr Clarke, who characterised the duty as a grievous injustice; by Mr Fish, for the sake of consistency, and because the miner would get the benefit of the reduc tion, was opposed by the Provincial sec RETARY, because the reduction would not beneht the miner. 'I he motion was carried on a divison of 17 to 11. There voted Ayes, 17 : Bastings, Brown (J. C.), Browne (G. F. C.), Clarkd (R.), Daniel, De Lantour (teßer), Fish (teller), Haggitt. Hazlett, Ireland, M Kenzie, Oliver, Reeves, Rogers, Sumpter, Turton, Wilson. Noes. 11: Allan, Gillies (teller), Henderson, Lumsden, Menzies, M'Leaa, M‘Neil. Reid. Stout, Webster, Wood. Tuesday, June 9. The licensing,resolutions as amended yesterday were adopted. Mr Fish’s motion—“ That in the op : nion of this t ouncil, the conduct of the late Government in accepting tenders for the Light Railways ip southland and the Waiareka "V alley so much in excess of the sum voted by this Council, and after the expiration of the financial year, is deserving of great censure, and that such conduct is entirely subversive of the principle of responsible government,” was met by the following amendment by the Provincial Secretary “That this Council records its regret that, owing to various causes, the contracts for light railways were not let before the close of the financial year, and also that the prices for which the contracts have been let are in excess of the sums appropriated by the Council; but this Council hereby records its approval of the action of the late Executive in letting the works for cash payments instead of payments in land, as authorised by the Council. This Council is strongly of opinion that no contract should be accepted after the close of the financial year, until new appropriations hare been made, and that unless under exceptional and pressing circumstances, no contract should be accepted in excess of the authority granted by this Council.” [Left sitting.]