PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3816, 18 May 1875, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Monday, May 17.

la moving the amendment referring back the Estimates to the Government Mr Bastings said the Treasurer had painted in glowing colors the present financial prosperity of the Province, but he thought these colors were too thickly laid on, and that the affairs of the Province were not in so satisfactory a condition as the Treasurer would have the House believe. The Treasurer expected an increase in the revenue from railways of L4O,(XK), and he iMr Bastings) could not see upon what ground le made that calculation. As to the amount to be paid during the present financial year on contracts already let, it might be the case that a large amount might not be paid out of the present year’s revenue, but he (Mr Bastings) thought the amount to be paid this year was very much underrated, and that at the close of this year they would be rather in difficulties so far as money was concerned. As to Southwhile the revenue from that portion of thd Province was over LIfiO.OOO, the total expended there was only E11,770, which was not sufficient, taking into account the large amount of revenue retut V tj .l rom during the last 2 years. Mr Bastings then complained of the manner in which the gentlemen occupying the Governd’?ch"g ed .theiV functions, and referred to the tirmle against himself delivered by the Secretary for the Goldfields in an address to his constituents. The gentleman who oceupied the position of Provincial Secretary and Secretary of Works, while doing Ml he

oould, conld not do more than one man corTd doand during the last twelve months the affairs of the Province had been too much urd his control, and works that had been undertaken by the Province h?i not had that supervision which was necessary for them to be carried out in a proper manner. In proof of this were mentioned the Sludge Channel at Waipori and the works at Mount Ida, which were commenced nearly two years ajo, nd the contracts were not yet finished. Again, it was a perfect far je that there should ,- e a member of the Executive stationed at Cromwell, to which anyone desiring to cee him o ! business would have to go. In a short rime Mr Reid would have to go to Wellington to attend to his duties there, and while away Mr 'fackellar wovdd come to town to take bis p'ace ; but it was impossible that anyone coming to town and stepping into the offee could, at a moment’s no dee, carry on the functions o" t lie department in a satisfactory manner. Mr Postings concluded by complaining of delay in toe letting of contracts, which was entire'y unnecessary. Mr Wood second -d the amendment, considering that Southland hid not been fairly dealt with, the Bluff being especially illtreated, At the same time other polls had endowments, such as Port Molyneux, where craft whose tonnage during the year aggregated only 4.000 tons entered, had an endowment of 25.000 acres, while the Bluff, whose tonnage amounted to over 60,000 per annum, had no endowment. Mr Lumsden said that being a Southland member, and it appearing that a cry abont Southland was to be used by a strong Opposition, he would make a few remarks. One who did not know of the whole circumstances might be led to come to the conclusion that the district was unfairly treated; but, considering the present large income from Southland, and the revenue therefrom in former years, the sum voted this year was fair and reasonable. Mr M'Glashan was opposed to endowments, and if Bluff Harbor require expenditure it should come in the shape of a money grant. He was inclined to think that the necessity existed now for a change in the composition of the Government, and if it came to a vote he would be inclined to vote in favor of the motion. He objected to the Provincial Secretary being absent three or four months in Wellington. Mi“ Stout thought this was the most peculiar raid, if he might so term it, ever made in the House. This year, Mr Bastings wanted the Estimates reconsidered, in older that Southland might get a greater share of the public money, _ but last year the same gentleman had complained that Southland was getting too much of the public money. The Estimates had been framed in a fair manner. It was not right of members, because they could not get all they wanted for their several districts, to combine together and oppose the Government in order to get the votes for their districts increased. As to the sludge channel at Waipoii, and the complaint that no steps had been taken for its management, the Government had no power during the recess to appoint corporations. —Mr Kinross spoke strongly on the composition of the Government, and said he believed the gentleman at the head of the Government had more than his fair share of the work. He contended that Southland had not _ been fairly provided for in the expenditure. With extreme regret he was forced into opposition against the Government. Mr M ‘Deemed was opposed to the Government because they had ideas in gross violation of the Ten Commandments.— (Laughter.) The Government had gone m harmony with gentlemen outside of the Council and given assistance to tax the Port Chalmers jetties, which was a distinct violation of the Tenth Commandment. Mr M'Kellab, to prove that he had not exercise undue influence with the Press, offered to presen member for Tuapeka with a twelve months’ file of a paper recently owned by himself. He had been more freely abused than any other member during the past year, but was never censured by his constituents at Cromwell He challenged any honorable member to show that while the head of the Government was in Wellington, things were all at “sixes and sevens.” Mr Dk Lautoub said the Goldfields Secretary could not transact the business of his department in such a small township as Cromwell; and he took exception to the personnel cf the Government, the head of it excepted, who could not accomplish all he endeavored to perform. At once rose Mr Reid, who called upon the member for Mount Ida to substantiate his statement, as reported in the Stab, that certain contracts at Mount Ida were let at “a less price than had been determined on,” —Mr Db Lautoub’b answer that he had merely expressed his belief, was characterised by Mr Reid as being so vague that he was at a loss what to reply to. The debate was then adjourned till next day. [We should feel obliged if Mr Eeid would net charge us with putting into the month of Mr De Lautonr language that gentlemen never nsed. The member fer Mount Ida asserted that the contracts were let under the engineer’s estimate, and, he believed, in spite of the protest of that officer. It was a fair condensation of the member for Mount Ida’s observations that we published on Saturday ]

Tuesday, Mat 18. In answer to questions the Government said : —(1.) The Waipori Sludge Channel was finished on September, 1874, since when it had been under the charge of the district engineer; that certain damage, the cost of repairing which was estimated at L3OO, had occurred to the work, owing to a tail-race having been out into it and a recent flood having silted it up to a certain extent. (2.) No land was proposed to be given by the Government to the Dunedin and Ocean Beach Bail way. There was apioposal to give to the Company the use, if the Rattray street station could not be obtained, of an acre of land near Jetty street for station purposes, and supposing the line to be a chain wide the use of about two and a-half acres more for the purposes of the railway. As to the foreshore the Company had been informed that any right to that must be obtained from the General Government. (3). If the General Government could be induced to furnish & return showing the average cost to the Province of board, lodging, &c., of each immigrant curing the interval between arrival and engagement to service, it would be laid on the table. (4). Application had been made for *“* reaße d for deepening and extending ‘he Naseby sludge-channel, and, so far back as the Government had been informed that •he General Government would not accede to «ny further sums being spent on the works. In a short speech Mr Wilson mo/ed his Constitutional resolutions,” and asserted that : line-tenths of the residents in his district v .' ou ld gladly vote a change in the direction of simplification. Hu found a eecini'er in Mr •ANIEL. Next came the Provincial Solicitor, ■vho, in moving the previous question, pointed out that the mover of the resolutions had cut the ground from under his very feet, inasmuch as while they were a direct invitation to the Colonial Government to make some organic change in the Constituiion, the last clause of the resolutions affirmed that “no organic change should be made without submitting the whole subject to the inhabitants of the colony at a general election of representatives- He was opposed to any Upper House at all; and in conclusion spoke of the desire for constitutional change as a “ remnant of idolatry.” At four o’clock Mr M'Glashan was speaking in support: of the previous question.