THE SUPERINTENDENTAL ADDRESS.

Evening Star, Issue 3804, 4 May 1875, Page 2

THE SUPERINTENDENTAL ADDRESS.

The following is the Speech with which his Honor the Superintendent opened the Provincial Council yesterday:— Mb Speaker ane Gentlemen,— Since I last addressed you, the Provincial Legislature of Otago has attained its majority, it being now twenty-one years since it was ‘called into existence. It then met in a small building which stood upou the spot ou which the Cargill Monument now stands. I had the honor, Mr Speaker, on that occasion to occupy the position which you at present hold. It is worthy of remark that of those who then composed the Provincial Council, only two have a seat in it now. Gentlemen, were this a fitting occasion, it would be both interesting and instructive to trace the progress of this Legislature from infancy to manhood, to philosophise upon and contrast the various stages of its growth. As it is, I may safely say that there is no British Colony winch, inproportion to its population, has progressed as this Province has done. Although opinions may differ as to what extent our past progress may have been due to the action of the Provincial Legislature, I apprehend t.iat there ie little difficulty in predicating how much further advanced the' Province would have been had it been an independent Qolony, eg indeed had it been allowed to exorcise fha+ control over its own affairs and resources which, in common with all the Provinces, the Constitution Act contemplated. lam convinced that it the people of Otago would study their own interests, either the one or the other of these alternatives is that which should be persistently aimed at even now. . In. 1854. the public revenue of the Province amounted to litt more than L 6,000, while during the past year the , sum contributed to the Colonial and Provincial chests amounted to close upon one million sterling. It is a-remarkable fact tbat there are only four Colonies in the British Empire, the amount of whose revenue, trade, and commerce exceeds that of this Province, and yet there are some among us who think that the Province is unfit to manage its own affaire. ; Gentlemen, 1 would now desire to allude to. : some of the balding facts v.liich serve to illustrate ' the position of affairs during the post financial year. The Consolidated Eeveuue of the year has been 1,515,584 16s. as against'L 436,147, for the previous year. Of this amount the Province lias been credited with L 65.557, as capitation allowance;, the whole of which lias gone to pay the interest and charges on the Consolidated Loans of tlie Province. The gold duty shows a considerable deficiency a-s compared with the previous, year, the figures being L 11.502 and L 17.5114, respectively. This deficiency, however, is not to be attributed to any exodus of population from the Province, or to any perceptible diminution of its auriferous resources, but 'to the Hoircumstance that many of the miners have been acquiring aud turning their attention to agricultural leaseholds, and many more have been availing themselves of remunerative contracts on public works The consent of the Governor to‘the Bill passed" by yon last session for a partial reduction of the export duty on gold was withheld. I understand, however, that the Colonial Government lias lately intimated to the Otago Miners’ Association 11 mt it has now no objection to. the duty being reduced. I have written to the Colonial Government to the effect that, if this be SO, the ® ro,, b i «ial QoveniaSttnW 4 * to reliu Wsh eUhor a portion or lf to. e former will indicate the particular iimHff uf.BicoompliKhing this, wliich. will moot its concurrence. *■ ■ 4

•« a taken Tip .dnriij!? tlio past year uqder Act as agricultural leaseholds has been 1/,405 acres, distributed unions 180 individuals. Thearea of Jand acquired on deferred payments has been 37,2f1j acres, by 219 individuals. X he area sold for cash amounts to 161,167 acres, to Wt purchasers. The area of rural land surveyed ojn ™ ° r settlement during the year lias been acres, divided into 1,255 allotments, and tnere are now in course of sectional survey 150,000 acres ; also, 140,000 of trigonometrical survey, which will be placed in the market when the surveys are completed. Of town and suburban allotments there have been surveyed ■ 860. Notwithstanding the large area of laud which has been selected on detei'red payments during the year, there is still an anxious desire tb take'Up land-under this s\ stem It is a matter of regret, however, that the area wuich can he opened is so limited as to. cause conSidorable delay and fruitless expense to ibo annlicauts_m attending to ballot for sect ions. It is to be doped that the Colonial Legislature will see its wav to remove this restriction at an early dale. Tour concurrence will be requested to the proclamation ot several new Hundreds, and of further blocks on deterred payments, proposals for which will shortly be laid before you. As you are aware, some years m accordance with resolution affirmed hy you” 1 reserved hy proclamation a largo mm of territory as endowments for various public purposes. The Colonial-Government, however, declined to issue Crown grants, in respect of these endowments, winch, by an Act of the Assembly, have been can--.■u Act i u question also provides that, with your concurrence, 600,000 acres for public pur. poses may be set aside from sale. A resolution will bo submitted to yon accordingly. Tho births, deaths, and marriages during the year amounted to 3,583,1,067, and 731 respooti *ely. 12,311 immigrants have arrived m tho Province during the year from the United Kingdom, of whom 1,156 were nominated by their friends. NotwithStfUjding the circumstance that a largo proportion of these wer o IftSdfd in the winter season, it is satisfactory to know that ill! “-hie aud Willing. to work were speedily absorbed in the labor market, auu at tho present inoipsut tbp immigration-depots are all but empty. One of the great aiincultiQS with which immigrants had to contend wUs - the scarcity of house accommodation. In order to obviate this'the Provincial Government applied for and obtained the temporary mo of 1.12.000 for the erection of immi-ea-autfi’ cottages. This money has to bo repaid to the General Government in instalments spread over four years. 135 cottages have been eroded In various parts of tho Province, which it is proposed to sell along with the laud on which they stand—the proceeds to be applied to the building of others to dm dealt with in the same way until tho loan is extinguished. I am glad to say that since the arrival of Mr James Adam in England, considerable improvement has taken place in the quality of fro a immigration to this Province, and that tho results which wore anticipated from his mission have been so far fully realised. _The amount deposited in the various Savings liauks throughout the Province has been L 244,766, being upwards of L 31,000 in excess of the deposits tor the. previous year. The only new railways which have been opened have been tho main line to Green Island, and the Provincial branch to tho Green. Island cool field.-. traffic returns on' fail ways amount to s. ’ L 35.527 for the previous year. Tho lino from Oamairn to Awomdko will, It ia exgetc*. bo goods traffic iu the ertrtrse of •

thorw lines wbiob are bain ff constructed by vKo^i,w™S? , ?? uao,ltare * l Understand, being ■ p b n d forward. and the Southern Trunk HillstomuU Z* be opened so soon as the Chain be about the T o \ ed > which it is expected will solved n«o« tbl Ju lL uo f t ' I«t year yon re-i-ailwava P inilwo™ C ° nßtructloa ot val 'ious branch £tei^lSi£^"srS s»aasfsssrtSS« necessary loan, and, with the ary surveys, things remain as tbnvTOwL 0 * P ro^lmm ' that another effort be made at the ntl m- * P r °POso of Parliament, to embtothe b. KMMdcd With. I. solutions of lost year, preliminary survevs W« been put in hand, and estimated ord£ed to £e nrepared as to the probable cost of various Hnea A flying survey has also been made of a line to the Dunstan, both by Waihemoand Tuapeto. a view of ascertaining the relative cost of the two routes. Full particulars of all these surveys to. gather with estimates, will be placed before Von. It is scarcely necessary to add that, unless the Col£ mal Legislature will sanction the required advance to effect these worts, or purchase the Bluff and Win ton Railway, there is little or no probability of their being constructed, with the exception, perof such lines as that from Riverton to Ore* pula, which will open for settlement Crown lands winch are at present practically unavailable, the proceeds of a portion of which will amply cover the cost of the line. In the case of Orepnti, I may say that the present contract will be absolutely unproductive unless the line is completed. These nrodn^Hr 01 "d 01^8 of an eminently urgent and reTided for nnf l Jrf lto^ not possibly be at once providecl for out of ordinary revenue. They are works sbffhw’ Provinoe would not have the slightest difficulty in accomplishing if their par* ™ TO* .°r et a limited nnmbe? of years. The Colonial Legislature last session refused Jf+V^p ap P bcat “ n for t loan, and decided that the Province should not obtain the means re. quired for the construction of its branch railways, notwithstanding that advances for various purpose were made to other Provinces. 1 am glad to bo bo , waver >toat before the close of the S “toe Legislature, recognising the injury that to m.dflrtaVp hy - refnßm ff to enable the Province to undertake the important works for which the loan was reqiured, agreed to an Act authorising an advance of L 60.000 out of the Public Works Mian lor the construction of branch railways in the Pro? vmce. lam not without hope, therefore, that, onproper representation of the matter, the, ColonuS « tT^ r ° will sanction a temporary advance to v nce ’ snfficient t? enable it to construct the* b n- % -J 1 ” 6 ! B a° l } r £ eutl y required, and without the main lines and the hehefita to be derived from their construction will not. be tiuiy realised. As it. will becomp necessary to os■similote toe gauge* of the Bluff and Winton Rail* wa y. to J-be-t of the Colonial lines, the requisite rolling stock has been Ordered from England ; S6 soon as it arrives the gauge will be altered. It is noped that the value of the existing plant, which-it aas been agreed to dispose of to the Government ofAew bouth Wales, vyill to a certain extent cover thfl cost of the new stock. ’ - Gentlemen, the Estimates for thfe year have been framed with a desire to apportion tho revenue equitably throughout the various districts of the ■Province 1 1 only wish that the amount likely to be at our disposal during the current year were such as to ename us more fully to meet urgent requirements. *

~l n dealing with the educational requirements of the I rovuice, the General Education Board has had frequently forced upon its attention the necessity of making provision whereby those districts which may desire to tax themselves lor the purpose of supplementing the Government allowance to schools might be enabled to do so. With this view a Bill will be submitted for your consideration and an. proval. On this subject I may : say that in my opinion it is a mere question'of time when a general education rate will become imperative. The do. mand for schools throughout the Pro ince even at the present time can only be partially mot out of the ordinary revenue and the rents of the- edngationai endowments. During the post year there have been expended on school buildings ’alone L 21.000. The number of Government schools'has increased from 140 to 154, and the number of teachers from 219 ho 265. The attendance of pnpils has increased from 11,451 to 13,681. The annual report of the Education Department, which will bo laid on your table, embodies much interesting information, and many important suggestions, which VI sbn.ll be clod to see given effect to. 6 There are a number of other Bills to be introduced by the Government, for the most part of a technical character, and to which I need not now further advert. I understand that your assent will be asked to several important Bills, having for their object the construction and working of branch railways by public companies by means of their own capital. I Jujil sqch enterprises, a» belqg of *-the'ut. most importance, and as, demanding every encow ragement-at the' hands of the legislature, seeiuir tiiat the State is not itself in a position to undertake them, In all such Bills due carp should be taken to provide that the railway may be acquired upon fair terms by the Government at any time, should it be deemed expedient, and also that the Government should have the power to regulate the charges and running of the Hue, so os to guard against extortion on the one hand, and secure the public convenience on the other.

During the past year the Executive Government has devoted much of its attention to the proper working and organisation of the railway department a department which is gradually developing itself mto one of the most important in the State—and upon the efficient administration of which both the safgtypuu copffvrt of the, public; very much depend. ont'how important. it fe ,•« the commencement bf our railway organisation; that there may be established, through all its ramifica. turns, the most perfect order and system. , In th<s attainment of tins end, tlie Government is mnoli i&i mhjablejidvice and assistance of tliii nylway managed, Mr W. Conyers, tvliobe semdeiTf regret to say, we are about to ios'e. '' * Last session you voted a sum of money as the salary of a Mining Surveyor; I accordingly placed myself in communication with the Government of Victoria with the view of obtaining an experienced mqn for thq offlcc. It was found, however, that thn 6\jm voted was insufficient to secure for one year the services of MTr G."H.‘F. Ulrich, Constating Minina Geologist of Victoria, the gentleman who was re. commended. Under the circumstances, therefore' it was deemed advisable to employ hfr Ulrich to the extent to which the amount voted would go tti« repoi-t, from which, it is to be hoped, muohbenefffc may result, will be placed before you. It would I il- el r a M S^ e u’ b - e 2 boon to toe eroviuce could Mr Ulrich be induced to settle hero, in connection withjv schoo! of mines, for the establishment of which it is intended to solicit your approval this

I am sure you will agree with me in regretting the loss which tlm Province has sustained by the death of Mr John A.nld, one of the earliest and most entliusias t io. promo to rs. of the settlement of Otago, a man of high character and stafiding, who has been of vast service to the Province in various ways, and whom it will be very difficult, if pot impossible, to replace. Mr Auld’s death, there is reason to fear, was brought about in the service of the Province being the result of an accident which befell him when personally inspecting the arrangements for the late shipments of salmon ova. The question of a successor to Mr Auld in the British Agency of the Province will be submitted to you. Last year I suggested that au asylum should be established for inebriates, and tluit incurable lima, tics should bo removed from Dunedin ito the country; also, that provision should be made for the custody and reformation of criminal children apart from the Industrial School. Small votes ware passed by you for those several objects. Although nothing has yet bpen' tloiio in'-these direorions.’ ilie Government has not lost sight of them. The difflf! ciilty has been the acquisition of a suitable locality w’lthm a short distance from Dunedin by mil, where a sufficient area of laud might he had, so as to render the institutions self-supporting. It has now been resolved to solicit your concurrence in reserving 900 acres, about twenty miles from Dunedin on the Great Northern Line, with a view of locating both the Industrial and Reformatory Schools as well os the asylum for lunatics and inebriates. This area of land would afford the means of healthy em. ployment for the inmates of all these establishments, and go far to render all of them self-supporting, In terms of the provision of tho Ordinance of last session, a Harbor Board has been constituted fo* the port of Dpuedip, to which body, in accordance with what wad understood to' bp been delegated all the powers and fuuctiohS heldJl? me in respect of Dunedin it arbor. The Qdvehl meat has likewise grapted to tho Board the use of air tho property connected with the Harbor Denart. ment. pending your decision os to-whether the Pro. yiuoe is to make a charge for the same, or whether it is to be handed over free. It will bo necessary to amend the Harbor Board Ordinance so os to afford tliG Board ereater fanilitv f.hrm u-.

x*yaiu fimuii mcmry man it now possesses towards the speedy and successM carrying out of the work, with the accomplishment of which it has been charged. - Geutleaicn.—ln conclusion, there is one erabiect which so vitally concerns th 6 future welfare ot this Province, to which'if I,as tCn integral part Of tlili Legislature, djd not on the present occasion advert; I Should fail in hjy to the people with whose interests I am specially charged—l refer to the contemplated constitutional changes. It is' pro; posed, as you are aware, forthwith to abolish the North Island Provinces, on the plea that they can no longer perform the functions assigned to them by the Constitution Atft i that is to say, that thov are unable, without the aid of the Colony, to nro vide for the maintenance of peace, order, and mn/f government within their borders. KVO ■ Gentlemen,—lf this bo so, which 1 denv tb« cause is not far to seek. The present condition of the Provinces might be very aptly illustrated bf companng them to a man who has been bound hand and foot by one stroim er than himself,, and thentSj that, because he oauhot walk, he is a j the ground, Of one thing’ 1 urn Is/tnkt there dan be no partial abolition oSS- *£*! so lote.as Kew Zea&dTrSe^ misrWiyiEsS®

tribute tho lion’s share of the Consolidated Re venue, are to be called upon to supply still more It implies that the resources which, will bo derived from our railways—railways the whole of which art being constructed at the cost of the Province—shall become Colonial revenue, to be appropriated by the General Assembly. It will not be long before this item figures very largely in the annual balancesheet. It implies, moreover, that the administration of the Waste Lands and the settlement of the country will be under the control of a power much less directly responsible to and under the eye of the people than at present. Although, no doubt, this might suit the interests of some,it is doubtful whether, in this Province at least, it would be conducive to the public interest. In the course of two or three years the existing leases of extensive a oa.i of country, now held as gra. lug runs, will begin to terminate. If properly dealt with these mus will yield a considerable permanent revenue, which will be increasing annually for the next ten years, and which will go far towards keeping down taxation; they will also carry a large agricultural and pastoral population. It therefore becomes us to guard most watchfully against an organic change in the Constitution, which I am persuaded will breve to be as the letting in of water as respects the future disposition of the Provincial estate.

No doubt we are told, and that sincerely, that the Compact of 1856 is to become as the laws of the Modes and Persians. I confess, however, thivt I have no snch faith in the Legislature composed of such conflicting elements as that of New Zesland. I regard it as the sheerest infatuation on the part of the people in Otago to countenance a Constitutional change, the advantages of which (granting that there are any) will be as tbe small dust in tbe balance compared with the risk—or rather, I should say, with the certain loss which cannot fail to result. The same remark will apply, in a somewhat less degree perhaps, to our neighbors of Canterbury. \Vhy should the people of Otago submit to their resources being still further swallowed up in the maelstrom of Colonial finance ? Why should they quietly take It for granted that they must needs be the victims of the inevitable, when, if they would only pull together and rise superior to local jealousies, they nave the destinies of the Province in their own hands ? It is humiliating to reflect that, while this Province has been materially the backbone of tbe Colony, contributing as it does about one-third of the Consolidated Revenue, it has been, politically, a rope of sand, allowing itself to be kept in leadingstrings by a political system which tma had little knowledge of and less sympathy with its interests and requirements—a political system the relationship with which has been to repress the progress of the Province and to swallow up its resources. Gentlemen,—There can be no doubt that a radical change is required in the political framework of the Qolony as it now exists, and if this change would only take the right direction, happy would it bo for all concerned. It was a disastrous day for New Zealand when the policy which dictated the “ New Provinces Act, 1858,” presided over its’destinies, and I am persuaded even now, difficult although it poay appear to be, that the wisest thing that could be. done- would he to fall back upon the Constitution and allow the respective Provinces to rely upon themselves; limit the central Government to purely federal action: let each Province have the uncontrolled disposal of its public revenue, from whatever source derived, contributing its share pro rafa towards the maintenance of the central power, and towards the payment of the debt for which the Colony as a whole is now liable. Were this policv adopted, the Provinces in each island would gradtially and spontaneously merge into each other, and the apparently irreconcilable idea of a great and united Colony, and at tbe same time practical financial separation between the two islands, would be realised. We should moreover bo relieved to a large extent of that enormous departmental expenditure which is yearly assuming more and more gigantic proportions, and swallowing up resources •which might be more beneficially appliedr-expeudi-ture which in a great measure is at present practically beyond the control of the representatives of the people. It may bo.said that these views are now impracticable, and that it is too late to entertain them. I venture to think, however, that nothing is either too late or impracticable if the people will it. It should not he lost sight of that most of the absolutely necessary and primary functions of government are now being carried on by the Provinces. Surely it is only reasonable that before committing political suicide, and relinquishing the powers which they now possess by means of the existing Provincial Organisations, the people of the Colony should know into whose hands those functions are to bo hereafter entrusted. If they are to devolve upon the Central Government, all experience goes to prove that they will neither be better nor more economically performed than at present. If they are to be entrusted to Road Boards, not only will the cost of administration be enormously increased, but it will end in confusion worse confounded. You may depend upon it that the real question with which the Colony ought to grapple is not abolition c : f Provinces, but the question of financo—a morn fiquiUble appropriation of tbe public revenue amon" those by whom It is contributed—the reduction ol the cost of administration without impairing its efficiency. I p.m well assured that, under the peculiar circumstances of New Zealand, Colonial administration will give ns neither. The great problem which we in the South have to solve is how best to hold our own, which we certainly shall not do by renouncing the local self-go-vernment which we now possess. From first to last the Central Government has abstracted from Otago alone, two millions of money, not one farthing ef which has been expended within the Province, and it is because the abolition of the North Isla-ci Provinces must, in my opinion, stereotype the continuance of, and render worse, this state of things, that I express myself so strongly upon the subject. No doubt I shall bo jibed with the “ Grent-is-the-(wilana-pf-the-Epbesiuns ” argument, by thi/Su win) lumdt ctmCCive it for nieh to bq ilrbihpted r y'principles of political action different from their own. 1 can assure you, however, that wore this the last day of my official existence, the opinions now expressed are''those which would be honestly held Gentlemen,—Hoping that your deliberations will conduce towards tho best interests of the Province, I now declare this Council open for the despatch of business.