PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3828, 1 June 1875, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Monday, May 31. . to questions, the Government stated (1) that they could not do anythin'* in the matter of the Goldfields Committee’s°recommendiition that the Government should purchase the Bannockburn and other private bridges erected under Government conditions, until action had been taken upon it by the Council. (2), That the primary cause of the delay in issuing licenses to settlers upon the ocks of land set aside for sale on deferred payments who have become entitled to the same, was the fact that the legal gentk™en . cou u ld i lo * agree as to the form S * he kernes should be issued Bvery effort was now being made to overtake the work, and the licenses were beint' issued ns fast as possible. (3 ) The returns of the officers appointed to ascertain the progress of settlement on leferred payment blocks would contain a considerable amount, though not all the information tint appeared to he re quired by the General Legislature. The membei s of the latter wished to ascertain not only the names of the applicants, but also the number of applicants in each family, xhe returns to be furnished to the Government would not supply that informal mo, but they would supply what he considered tc be all neoessaiy information —that was to say, the quantity of land held by each applicant, and the improvements effected. The returns would probably be

laid on the table before the close of the session. (4.) The Government thought it was purely the duty of the Council to decide whether the Harbor Board should have power to levy dues upon the Port Chalmers railway jetties. Messrs Menzies, Reid, Daniel, Tolmie, Rogers, Shand, and Manders were appointed a committee to inquire as to the best steps that can be taken to suppress the rabbit nuisance. On Mr M'Kknzie’s' motion affirming the desirability of the Palmerston District School being raised to a grammar school, the Commissioner op Railways intimated that there was no opposition to it on the part of the Government, but it was for the Education Board to see that the requirements of the Ordinance were complied with before it was proclaimed a grammar school.

A resolution, requesting the Superintendent to bring under the notice of the General Government the propriety of amending the Immigrants Land Act of 1873, so as to provide that the certificate of the Agent-General, after the immigrant is duly registered, shall be taken as cash by the receiver of land revenue to the extent of the value set forth in such certificate, was agreed to. ; , In his statement the Prouincial Treasurer explained the mode in which it was proposed to raise moneys on the educational reserves. The system of terminable annuities at thirty years’ date, bearing interest not to exceed seven per cent, (including sinking fund) was considered the most advantageous to adopt. This interest would amount to L 2,100 annually, and after paying it for thirty years principal and interest would be extinguished. But if the Council did not entertain the scheme, the amount would be brought down or. the supplementary estimates, though the Government had no hesitation In expressing their confidence in the elasticity of the revenue bearing this charge, more especially as they had not drawn within 1.50,0(10 of the estimated laud revenue. Summarising results, it will bo found that, taking the balance of cash in hand on 31st March, 1875 (L64,97613s lOd), and adding to it the estimated veqeipts of the current yearL6lG,B26l4a 6d), LGBl,Bo3had to be dealt with, Theproposed expenditure amounted to 1,728,4-318s Go, leaving an apparent deficit of L4G,62018s 6d. It must, however, b« borne in mind that these appropriations include sufficient tq cover all railways under contract, but on this account it will be impossible to spend during this current year the whole sum of L 129.000. In all probability there will remain on these and other works in progress, which cannot be completed and passed before the end of this financial year, a sqm of L 70,000; and if this be so (as the Government felt satisfied would be the case), it would bring the expenditure within the limits of the estimated receipts by L 23,000. The Government fully concurred with the remarks made by the late Treasurer with regard tojthe sale of the Bluff, Invercargill, and Winton railway to the Colonial Government; the construction of further branch railways, &o. ; anil particularly as to the inadvisability of sacrificing large areas of land for payment of such expenditure.

Tuesday, June 1. Among the earliest of the notices given this afternoon was one by Mr Heid for to-morrow—- “ That this Council has no confidence in the present Executive.” Shortly afterwards Mr M‘Glashan gave notice of his intention to move, as an amendment to Mr Reid’s motion, the following, which tne Speaker declined to receive as such“ That, as much delay to business and great expense to the Province are occasioned by unreasonable scrambles for place, power, and patronage, and other sweets of office, and have a tendency still further to lower the character and status of Provincial institutions, which now art becoming effete, and seem tottering to their latter end in other Provinces from impecuniosity and other causes, it is thereforedesirable soasto end this delightful state of confusion becoming worse confounded to pass the Estimates in ylobo, and that to administer the same Mr Willis (Undersecretary), Mr Sperry (Under-Treasurer), Mr Arthur (Provincial Engineer), and Mr Livingstone (Auditor)-the present working bees'! of Provincial establishment—be appointed to see that the necessary works specified in ithe Estimates are faithfully ■ carried out so far as means and contractors’ engagements are concerned—and that it be an instruction to them not to over-run the constable by contracting for more works than there is likely to be revenue to meet, so as not to sacrifice lands the heritage of our children and our children’s children. That the above gentlemen send in a report from each of their depai tmeuts to Mr Sessions, Clerk °i P rior to the next meeting of the Provincial Council, and that his-Honor the Superintendent be requested to take the general supervision of the whole, s that gentle- ' men having on several occasions said that the whole work of the Province could be administered by himself and a few clerks.” n l an3V ;’ er to questions, the Government said (1) that the principle of Mr Daniel’s question (whether greater facilities would be given to applicants for land in the western district of Otago, by sending an officer of the Land Dapartment periodically to Riverton to receive applications, payments, Sic.,] had been affirmed by the Council passing the resolution of the member for Oamaru country, and in carrying if out Riverton would be dealt with in conjunction with other places, (2.) That the lute Government was fully alive to the necessity of opening up the country (by a survey and exploring party) from the Waiau River and Te Anau Lake to Preservation Harbor and other parts of the west Coast of Otago, of sending a Burveyor into the district ; but the survey staff ba i been so overtaxed of late that a surveyor had not been available for the work, but if possible one would be told off for the purpose in the -lUinmer. < (3.) Thatjjthe General Government oad undertaken to nut up telegraph lines from Riverton to Orepuki and Otautau, before the railways to those places were completed. (1.) The engineer’s report on the survey of the branch railway to OatUn’s River would be laid on the table on Friday. (5.) It was perfectly f r ue that no rent had been paid by the lessee of the Port Chalmers Railway refreshment rooms daring the past twelve months ; and at the present time L6OcJ was due by him 1? to the Government. The Railways _ (who answered this question) was not in a position to give a satisfactory reason for its not having been paid, but his own opinion was that the amount ought to have been collected long since.—(Hear.) Apparently, the cause it had not been collected was that though the rent had been demanded, the lessee (Mr George Proudfoot) had always put in some objection, and ultimately made a large claim, in the nature of a set-off; but what the nature of that claim was ho (the Commissioner of Railways) had not been able to see. The matter was afterwards put into the hands of i Provincial Solicitor; but apparently nothing had been done since. But the present Government were determined to have the matter wound up immediately in some way or other, and they intended to talc" vigorous sti-os to insist on such being done.— (Hoar). Resolutions were carried nffiiming the desirability of all vessels hailing from New Zealand ports carrying a number of boys as apprentices, in proportion to their tonnage ; that a block of 1,200 acres in run 199, at its southern boundary> should be opened under the agricultural lease regulations, and a block of 3.000 acres on run 202, in the neighborhood of Waikaia. The business on the Order Paper bavin" been got through, the Provincial Secretary moved an adjournment until to-morrow, but several members having spoken against further time being wasted, Mr Reid, after some discussion, agreed to take up his want of confidence motion at seven o’clock this evenin'- ■ and the Council adjourned till that hour. ° ’