THE NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCI.

Evening Star, Issue 3811, 12 May 1875, Page 2

THE NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCI.

(By Telkobaph.] on. « .... Nelson, May 11. n Supcnutendent opened the Provincial Council to-day. He stated that the views he should express would be his own, and not necessarily those of the Executive, as he considered that Superintendents in confining their addresses to the expression of opinions dictated by the Executive were accepting a position wholly inconsistent with the existence of independent relations between the head of the Province and the Council. He said that with one or two exceptions he had worked in satisfactory accord with the Executive in regard ordinary routine of administrative on, such as the appointment, diHrmwipl, &o of officers, and had been content to record his protest; but in one matter, .largely affecting the interests of the Province, he had told the Executive that he would either require their resignations, or call a special meeting of the Council, and the Executive had given way. J he revenue for the year showed a slight decline, owing to the difficulty in executing surveys, and consequently of bringing land into . e Referring to the proposed Pro* vmcial changes, he said that if the Government proposals included the abolition of Provincialism throughout the Colony, and did not insist upon maintaining intact the land compact of 1856, and made fair provirion for local Government, he would not oppose them. The Superintendent caused considerable excitement by referring to the Brunner Railway in the following terms“ The Brunner line, that remarkable specimen of a political railway, after a struggle of four or five years, affords some promise of being open for traffic before the end of the year. The first estimate of its cost for which a vote was taken in 1871, was L 26.250; in 1872, the estimate was raised to L 54,400, or more than double, and a vote was taken for the difference of L 28,150. In 1873 the estimate was raised to L 74,000, and a vote taken for an excess of L 20,000. In 1874 the estimate was raised to L 84,000, and a vote taken for an ad* ditional LlOjOOO; and this year I believe a further sum of at least L 16,000 will be required, whether the line can be maintained at all in the present position without enormous cost, or whether it will tumble into the river, are questions which time alone can decide. I be* heveitwill be found necessary to abandon it, and to reconstruct it on the north b*«k of the river, with a terminus at Oobden.”