PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3827, 31 May 1875, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Monday, Mat 3L Petitions were presented from the Macraes Progress Committee, praying that a block of , at least 1,000 acres should be thrown open on deferred payments in that district; from E. M’Glashan and others, praying for inquiry into the causes of the failure of the Government to complete their part ef the arrangement for the closing of a road line up the Water of Leith Valley; from 192 owners and occupiers of land and householders in the North and West Taieri districts, praying that the Council will take such steps as may be considered necessary to construct a railway . between Mosgiel and Outram, as already agreed fto by the Council, with a view to its ultimate extension to Lower Waipori, and that it will not give its consent to the construction of any line which is likely to retard or prejudicially affect the early completion of the lino already sanctioned by the Council. On Mr G. P. C. Browne’s motion, the standing orders were suspended, to enable a select committee to be appointed te consider the matters of the Southland railway contracts. The names of Messrs Menzies, Fish, M‘Demid, Hazlett, Wilson, Daniel, and Browne were originally proposed; but on the Speaker’s suggestion it was agreed to ballot the names. The appointment of a “surprise” committee was strongly deprecated by Mr Reid, who characterised the motion as an easy way of getting out the information which a notice already on the paper aimed at; and the excuse of the head of the Government that he could not see the ProvinciallEngineer was a paltry one. It was not information that was required by the motion, but a sensation—something to distract men’s minds. If the engineer had not been supported by the Government, would such reports have been forthcoming ? Then what was the redress ? Should the Government step in and relieve the contractor from his contract ? If the Council were to encourage anything of that sort, they could not better serve the contractor. They had an instance of the kind in the Winton line, the relieving the contractfr of which had cost the Province L 27.000. The matter should be left in the hands of the Executive, who should insist on the conditions of the contract being complied with. A few wooden openings had been driven at the risk of the cent-raotor, who would have to make them good to the satisfaction of the engineer. No payment had yet been made, and the engineer had been instructed not to certify for any work until it was done to his satisfaction. The engineer, backed up by the moral support of the Government, would urge the fulfilment of the obligations of the contract. The next step would be to terminate the contract; hut that was an extreme step, and the Council should think it over once or twice before they sanctioned it. To do no would be opening the door to an amount of expenditure few members had any idea of. The specifications were in many respects exceedingly defective, and no matter on whom the responsibility of seeing them carried out rested, a very large amount for extras would have to be paid, much in excess of what the Council when sanctioning the contracts had any reason to expect. Apparently the members of the proposed committee had been chosen for their impartiality and cognisance of matters connected with the contracts. The Commissioner of Railways reflected with much warmth the uneasiness of- the member for the Taieri, and said if the Engineer and the Government were powerless to stop works they knew to be wrongly constructed, and which would cost thousands to put right, the contracts should be terminated without delay. The Provincial Secretary, while deprecating the uncalled-for warmth fof the member for Taieri, and explaining that he did not think any blame was attachable to any member of tbe late Government, assured the (Council, “on his honor,” that the motion had tiaen brought forward without tte Inviir- I

lege of the Government. After further debate, in which Mr Reeves and Mr Lumsden _ opposed, and Mr M'Dermid, Mr Daniel, and Mr Kinross spoke in support ef the motion it was carried on the voices, and the following were chosen members •f the committeeDr Menzies, Messrs Fish, Daniel, Eeid,* M'Dermid, Wilson, and B. o .vn ;. The Provincial Secretary in making a Government statement, said it was their intention to brinor down a Bill to empower the borrowing of L 30.000 on the Educational reserves, which are to be vested in trustees, and so to relieve the (Estimates of the sum of L 25,000 put down on them for school buildings. It was contemplated to borrow on these reserves from time to time as the necessities for school buildings dem mdcd ; and the Treasurer, in his Financial Statement, would explain the Government scheme for creating interest and sinking fund. Resolutions 1 would also be brought down for extending the deferred payment area, and for asking the sanction of the Assembly for a loan for branch railways. L 5,000 would be placed on the Estimates to relievo the gold duty, which would this year be reduced one-half, the Government thinking that was as much as it wgnld i be justified in doing, seeing the large i sums that would be required to carry , out the public works on the Estimates, t 7 In /eferenca to the managership of railways he > had to state that, after an interview With Mr

Conyers, that "gentleman had coasented, if the Council agreed to vote a sum sufficient as he considered to entitle him to give up the private business he had already entered upon, to resume his former position of manager of the Otago railways; and the Government, after mature eona'am-ation, had come to the conclusion, considering the growing importance of our railway system, the large amount of personal supervision required to carry it on, prop. ■rly; the position in which Air Conyers bad found the railways, and the satisfactory position ho had brought them to, together with the cheap percentage at which they were worked—that they would be justified in agreeing to place upon the Estimates such a sum as would induce Mr Conyers to resume the managership. That sum was L9OO a-year. The Government would take up the Kaitangata and Outram Railway Bills. During the rec< ?s, the Government would take into consideration, with a view to bringing up next session a complete scheme for the endowment of all the harbors in the Province, which wouldbe the means of maintaining the harbors’ officers, &c. During the recess the Government would endeavor to mature a scheme by which the Dunedin hospital would be placed on a different footing to its present one. He did not wish it to be understood that he thought any blame was attachable to the present management, he really thought quite the reverse; that it was wdl and economically managed, and generally gave satisfaction to the public; what was objected to was that the hospital was very much like a close borough, se far as the medical profession was concerned. He contended that, in the interests of humanity and the advancement of the medical knowledge of the professional men settling here, it was positively necessary the institution should not remain closed against the medical men. He had it on undoubted authority that medical men, strangers to the City and to our sho:es, on going to the Dunedin hospital had received the cold shoulder rather than the reverse. It would be very advisable that the Hos >ital should be placed on a similar footing to the London and Melbourne institutions, and have honorary surgeons and honorary physicians. It was not to be expected that the citizens of Dunedin would support the Hospital to the same extent as up-couutry towns did similar institutions, but he thought they would do so to a reasonable extent.

The Pbovincial TbeaSUßKr, in making his statement, which was well put, though short in substance, pointed out the receipts were estimated at L 616.826, the great difference between theirs and their predecessors’ estimates being only on the item of lands, which are estimated to yield 1 200,000. The Tbeasubbb stated that the receipts under that head had during the past two months yielded at the rate of 1 <250,000 a-year, and they were convinced . their estimate would be exceeded. While the estimated expenditure of the late Government had been decreased by L 13.670, many new works were proposed, including bridges over the Makerewa and Clutha, between Inch Clutha and Matau, at a united cost of L 3,500. [Left sitting.] The amended Estimates were laid qn the table bj the Government this afternoon. The alterations on the estimated revenue are the following:—Crown Land sales decreased from L 200,000 to L 150,00 0; education rents from L 4.000 to L 3,500; school fees from L 2,000 to LI,OO0 —making a total decrease of estimated revenue of L 51.500. The alterations on the estimated expenditure are the following Executive increased from L 5.000 to L 5,620; under miscellaneous items revenue officers are reduced from LSOO to L3O0; incidental expenses under the Sheep Inspector’s Department increased from L2oto L3O. Under Crown lands, rangers are increased from L 450 to L 525, In the Lands Department, Invercargill, the forest bailiff, with a salary of LIOO, is struck out. In the railway department an alteration is made in the several items, resulting in an increase of L 750.