LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL 1857.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 354, 31 July 1875, Page 3

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL 1857.

The Bill provides dates upon which it shall come into operation and treats of the different descriptions of districts under three heads, viz—

(A.) Road or Highway districts already constituted under former Acts of General Assembly or Provincial Ordinances called “Original districts.” (B.) Original districts converted into districts under the provisions of the Bill by proclamation called “ Proclaimed districts.” (0.) Districts created under the Bill out of parts of the colony not previously comprised within original districts called “New districts.”

Part 1 relates to the constitution of road districts Original districts are Drought under the operation of the Act by proclama tiou on petition to the Governor of the in habitants possessing rateable property in the districts The petition to set forth boundaries accurately and the Act &c under which district is Jalready constituted The petition may be refused on| a counter-peti-tion being presented by an equal or greater number of the inhabitants Members of Road Boards, Trustees of Board wardens commissioners &c (throughout the Bill spoken of as “ the governing body”) remain in office and compose the road boards fot i he new district Such persons go out of office on the first Thursday m J unc happen iug alter the constitution oi the district

under the Act and members for the ensuing year are elected under the provisions of the Act. Until the completion of the voters’ roll under the Act persons on the ratepayers’ rolls to be entitled to vote for the election of members of the board. The rate levied uuder the old Act to remain in iorce the rights liabilities Ac of boards incurred are preserved and the property of the old board vested in the new. Any questions arising under the foregoing provisions to be referred to the Governor. “New districts” comprise an area of not less than fifteen square miles and are also incorporated under a similar petition to the Governor which may be refused on a couuterpetition. Districts may be united and boundaries altered also on petition aud the after consideration of the petition for this purpose and counter-petition (if any) due notice of which is to be advertised the Governor by order in Council is to amalgamate the districts In such order in Council the Governor is to adjust the property rights &c and the Governor is to decide the questions. Each district board under the Act to consist of six members whose qualification is rateable property to the value of £25 at least and enrolment either on the ratepayers’ or electors’ roll. Members of the Boards retire annually in rotation. The qualification of voters is possession of rateable property and the number of votes is proportionate to the value of property but not exceeding in any case six The election of members of the Boards is to be conducted by ballot Chairman is to be elected by members of the Board and the chairman continues a member of the Board for a year After the election the Governor is empowered to appoint him a justice of the peace for the colony having jurisdiction within the district. Salaries of officers of the Boards are to be paid out of the district fund revenue of the Board which consists of rates grants from the Government donations &c. All property within the district is rateable property except unoccupied Government lauds lands used by Government for public purposes hospitals schools church and other such lands which are exempted from rates. Government lands leased or occupied under licence not exempt. The Board makes an annual valuation and levies rates for the construction of works. Where a special work is required a separate rate is levied after notice. Roads ferries bridges &c are under the control of the Board. Part 2 —Relates to the construction of voters’ rolls and the manner of conducting the elections The elections to be conducted by ballot. Part 3—Relates to the proceedings of the Board The Board appoints its own times and place of meeting, &c. The powers vested in the Board may be exercised by three members. The accounts to be annually balanced aud audited. The ratepayers may be present at the annual meeting. Part 4—Provides for the constitution of shires Two or more adjoining road districts may petition the Governor to be amalgamated and formed and upon the petition being granted the road districts become “ridings” of such shire. The district thus constituted a shire is to have a Shire Council composed of members elected from each riding and presided over by a chairman elected by the Council. The powers and duties of the various Road Boards thus amalgamated into the shire thereupon cease aud become vested into the Shire Council The Shire Council will have the power to take land for permanent works such as roads bridges etc aud for public institutions hospitals asylums libraries and may borrow money for such works on the security of special rates. The Council is to have control over all roads tolls bridges ferries and public works within the shire. Part s—Contains miscellaneous provisions relating to the recovery of penalties making regulations settling disputes notifications in Gazette, &c, &c. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE AGENTGENERAL. [Per Press Agency.] Wellington, July 29. A long letter of instructions from Sir J. Vogel to the Agent-General was laid on the tabic to-day. The following are the most important extracts : You are aware that the Government have referred to me a large number of questions and a great mass of correspondence relating to emigration, aud have asked me to give instructions upon the whole subject, as well as upon many matters relating to your department and the constitution of your office. It lias forcibly presented itself to me that you require a much more complete system of recording documents than you have at present. The imperfection of your records is due partly perhaps to the various officers having acted too independently, and partly to the practice which appears to prevail of personal communications where written memoranda would he preferable. 1 think you will find it most desirable and very efficacious in remedying defects, to clearly notify to all the officers that Mr Kennaway, secretary to the department, occupies just the same position as the undersecretary of a Government department holds on the one hand to the Minister at its head, and on the other to the various officers. You should for administrative purposes regard your department as one under a Minister. The secretary of the department should be considered to hold direct relation with the different officers, and the business should pass through his hands just as that of the Commissioner of Customs passes through the hands of Mr Seed, secretary to the customs, or as the very varied business of the public works office passes through the hands of Mr Knowles. SELECTION OF EMIGRANTS. [Precise instructions as to the selection of immigrants and forms of certificate required are then given. ] I want to establish as a system the principle of visiting districts whence good emigrants are obtainable, which principle I know, spasmodically adopted, has never received your approval. To that end it should be one of the regulations of the department, and it should be made known as widely as possible, as well as stated in the papers sent to applicants, that whenever twenty persons, or if you prefer it, even a smaller number, send you a petition stating that they wish to emigrate to New Zealand, you will dispatch one of your

officers to see them. The form of petition you should have printed, and when applicants state that they desire to go to a particular part of New Zealand the officer sent to them should be the one best fitted to give them information as to that part. It should be the duty of the officer to appoint a time for meeting the applicants, and he should have large powers of approval, subject to a final approval by yourself. He should collect the certificates, authorise the surgical examinations (except in eases where ic is satisfied of the physical unfitness of the applicant), and report to you. Further, when he discovers in a district a general desire to emigrate to the colony, he should endeavour to make of the first applicants the nucleus of a larger number, who if sent out together would be likely to enjoy in their new home the old personal friendships that have existed here, as well as the material advantages offered to them there. The officers to whom I now refer should as a rule be able to lecture, and it should be your duty to determine where and how they are to employ themselves. I attach so much importance to this personal inspection selection, and giving of information about New Zealand that 1 shall recommend the Government to send home several gentlemen for the purpose 1 have explained. Meanwhile, I propose that the officers available for those purposes shall be Messrs Carter, Barton, and Holloway for your agency, and as I will presently explain, that Mr Adam and Mr Barclay shall be attached to the Scotch agency.

SURGICAL EXAMINATION. You are aware that there is a strong opinion in the colony that the surgical examinations of intending emigrants have been insufficient, and that it has been urged upon the Government to require that that examination in each case should be thorough and exhaustive, modelling it upon the plan adopted for life assurance, or for the passing of recruits. If not carrying it to the same extent as is done in those instances, in forwarding to you a recommendation to that effect, I guarded myself from expressing an approval of them to their full extent, and X know that you are of opinion that such an examination would interfere with obtaining desirable emigrants: I have therefore to instruct you to adopt a medium plan. On the one hand you should recollect that the colony which proposes to incur large expense in sending out emigrants has the right to inquire the knowledge that they are healthy persons. On the other hand, that provided the colony is duly protected there is no desire to insist upon anything that can be offensive to the feelings of intending emigrants. Whilst then you should insist upon a satisfactory examination, you should feel yourself at liberty to direct that it be modified to such an extent as you consider desirable from the forms generally employed in behalf of assurance companies; in other words I mean that you should prepare a code of instructions to surgeons setting forth particularly the nature and extent of the ex animation you think desirable, and that you should make regulations by which surgeons would be guided in reporting to you, and by which you would guide yourself. In case of a report being informal or not satisfactory there is very great difficulty in the way of paying for such reports. If the applicant pays the fee the surgeon may not consider that he is employed by the department, and if you directly employ him there is the danger of having to pay for the examination of many applicants who are rejected. If you make it a condition that you will pay only for those who are accepted an inducement to report favorably will be offered. I think a medium course may well be adopted that you should pay as part of the fee a small sum for which it would not be worth the while of a surgeon to seek to make examinations, but which would enable him to consider that you were employing him as well as that he was employed by the persons he was examining. I understand from Mr Carter that surgeons receive from Is to 2s Gd from each intending emigrant for the examination and certificate you now require. I think you might safely undertake to pay Is Gd for each report based upon the principles laid down by you, and that you should make that payment whether the applicant is rejected or accepted. If you • should find, as might be the case, though 1 do not think it would be, that some surgeons were making a business of giving reports for the sake of the fees, you could easily inform such practitioners thatyouw'ould nolonger accept reports from them. The surgeons should be required to post their reports to you direct, or in the event of your deputing any one to visit the locality to hand them direct to your officer, SURGICAL EXAMINATION OF EMIGRANTS IN DEPOTS. Your letters respecting the Blackwall depot have not altered. My opinion is that it would have been desirable that establishment should be in the hands of the Government. I continue to be of opinion that it is desirable you should have the appointment of the manager of the depot, and that he should be a medical man, so as to discharge the duties of doctor as well as general superintendent. His examination of persons in the depot should in most cases be directed to ailments that may have presented themselves after the date of the first examination. In applicants from districts upon which you had baaed your approval of them as emigrants, that is to say where the first examination had been of a satisfactory character, he would not require to go over the same ground again. In case, however, he should find that the examinadon and report upon which you had based your acceptance of an emigrant were manifestly unsatisfactory, he should state the circumstances to you, and you should be at liberty, if you thought it necessary, to reject the emigrant, A case illustrative of my meaning is that of the two persons afflicted with congenital deafness and dumbness, who were recommended by a surgeon in the country,and who were about to be shipped for Otago, only that as you will recollect, I strongly represented to you that you that you should not under any circumstances permit such a thing: that it would be better for us to pay any amount as compensation, rather than to risk the possibility of the colony having to support future generations of persons similarly afflicted. In that case the surgeon who examined the two persons, omitted to inform you of their state, and when they had reached the depot you were reluctant to refuse them passages to the colony, more especially as they had been nominated. It is clear, however, that it is preferable to pay compensation, or to do almost anything, rather than to send to the colony those who are evidently undesirable immigrants. CHILDREN. Much of the controversy which has arisen between yourself and the Minister for Immigration, is due directly or indirectly, I believe, to the verj large proportion of children

shipped by you ; an undue proportion of children makes assisted immigration very costly, 1 have to instruct you, therefore, as an absolute rule subject to modification only by express instructions from the colony, that you do not in any case, or upon any account, accept as emigrants, families including more than three children between the ages of one and twelve, without exacting either promissory notes or cash payments for the passages of the number in excess. For infants under one year you have not to pay, and therefore you need not include them in the number of three. It is possible the Minister for Immigration may decide to reduce the number I have mentioned to two immigrants. [The Land Act is next treated of as has been done already in other correspondence; but there is nothing new about it. A Scotch agency is next referred to.] IRISH IMMIGRATION. The emigrants from the North of Ireland, when they cannot be shipped at Belfast, should, in my opinion, be shipped at Glasgow. I intend to propose the establishment of a distinct agency for Ireland, but I am not now in a position to carry this out, as it will involve arrangements which I do not feel myself at liberty to make. I will therefore leave you to determine the extent to which the Irish immigration shall proceed from Glasgow, merely expressing my opinion that it would be better to combine the North of Ireland Immigration with the Scotch, unless you see objections in the way which which are not apparent to me. Final arrangements about the Scotch agency cannot be made until the receipt of a reply to my telegram to the Government. NOMINATED IMMIGRANTS. I have already written to you on the subject of nominated immigrants, and have asked you to revise the form issued to nominees. I desire now to explain the footing upon which I consider nominated immigrants should be placed. So long as payment is not exacted from or responsibility devolved upon those persons in the colony who make nominations, and seeing that the nomination papers are sent home without direct approval by the Immigration Minister, it is obvious that the approval or disapproval of nominees, must rest with you generally. I think you should be guided in your decision by the same principles as would guide you in dealing with ordinary immigrants, but that special cases may present themselves as to which you might feel justified in departing from the stricter rules held to be applicable to ordinary emigrants. There are cases too, in which I think it would be desirable, if you entertain doubt, that you should refer the papers directly to the Immigration Minister; but I am far from suggesting this as a general rule. I must leave you to consider, supposing the Scotch agency is placed on the footing I anticipate, after receiving advices from the colony, the extent of the responsibility you will devolve on that r ageucy, in respect to approving or disapproving of nominated immigrants. Whilst you should entrust to that agency a great deal of discretion, you should not part with the power of final decision. Incases of a doubtful nature it might be well to place the matter in this position, that the Scotch agency should have the power of approving nominations, but that if in cases where disapproval is considered desirable, the decision should rest with you, and the papers with the reasons attached be forwarded to you. IMMIGRANTS TO GIVE PROMISSORY NOTES. 1 believe the time has come when immigrants should pay some portion of their passage money. The colony has incurred expense for immigration to sueh an extent as should n ake it reasonable to suppose that those who have had their passages paid have left behind them a number of relatives or friends who, on their representation, would be glad to follow. I desire, however, that we should not, by making some cash payments a condition, shut out from proceeding to New Zealand persons who, though eligible as settlers, have no pecuniary means. I propose, therefore, that you should exact from, or on account of, each adult emigrant a promissory note for £7, or the payment of £3 10s in cash here. The case of children should be dealt with upon the cases of your shipping arrangements for them ; that is to say, for those for whom you have to pay half the cost of a statute adult, you should exact promissory notes or cash payments in the same proportions I have named, whilst infants, for whom you have not to pay, should of course be shipped free. In thus reverting to the promissory note system, I think you should make widely known the exceeding liberality of the colony in dealing with immigrants. The Government think it not desirable that you should obtain many emigrants from the large manufacturing towns, but in smaller towns, and in those of agricultural districts, as well as in the agricultural districts generally. You cannot too widely disseminate a knowledge of the New Zealand immigration arrangements. You should be careful not to let the emigrants suppose that you guarantee any rate of wages, as you know the Government do not endeavor to raise or to lower the rate of employment, and the emigrants should clearly understand that the promissory notes are not used for the purpose of forcing them into distasteful labor or at distasteful rates. In a reasonable time after their arrival the immigrants may acquire the franchise and political power, and there is not a country in the world possessed of more liberal provision for the education of all classes. A reference to the facilities offered lor education might appropriately be made in the notice. GERMAN CONTRACTS, [There is along paragraph on this subject. Its practical effect is there is to be no more German immigration.] DESPATCH OP SHIPS. You are aware that great dissatisfaction exists as to the mode in which many ships have been despatched, and that in the colony doubts have been expressed whether it was desirable to retain Mr Smith’s services. Yon have stated that you have a very high opinion of the character of that officer. I have not had an opportunity of forming an opinion from personal observation, but as far as I have been able to judge he seems exceedingly zealous, and it is certain that very large duties have been thrown upon him. I believe it would be bvtter if you were to some extent to lighten his duties by appointing some of the higher officers of your department to attend on board ships that are about to sail, so that they could be available for reference where doubtful questions arise, and thus leaving Mr Smith to attend to nis more ordinary duty of seeing that the fittings, &c, are such as we require and all in good order, under sufficient discipline. Mr Smith ought to be an exceedingly valuable officer, but his explanations when complaints

are made are not satisfactory. A perusal of some of his memoranda causes me to agree with the opinion of the Minister of Immigration to that effect, REVISED CHARTER PARTY, It will be necessary before entering into fresh shipping arrangements to decide what shall be the nature of the future charter party. I have eome to the conclusion that, in several points, the existing charter party should be amended. There should be power given to us to disallow the shipment of an undue quantity of spirits, wines, and oils. In most cases it would be preferable if the shipment of those things could be forbidden, especially on board vessels which are not so constructed or fitted as to protect the spirits and wines from being pilfered during the voyage. In my opinion the fire on board the Cospatrick arose through a careless use of a candle or matches during an attempt to broach cargo. The punishment for broaching cargo is not nearly severe enough. The failure of vessels to sail on the days appointed, resulting in many cases in the long detention of emigrants, have been exceedingly objectionable. From a return which has been furnished to me, I find that the vessels from Glasgow sail almost punctually to the advertised day, whilst a very wide departure from such a rule prevails as regards the London ships. There should for such delays be provided a penalty exclusive of the penalty of maintaining the emigrants; but I think that the contractors should also be informed that penalties are not desired, and will in future not satisfy the Government —that what is wanted is punctual sailing on the announced day in each case, and that the contractors who habitually fail in punctuality will be liable to find that it does not suit the Government to employ them. We must insist upon the payment of half the passage money in the colony. The case of the Cospatrick illustrates this necessity, as also how ready, as a rule, contractors are to protect themselves. I observe that the Minister forlmmigration has informed you that you are not to allow paying-passengers to be taken in immigrant vessels, unless I expressly reverse that instruction. lam rot disposed to reverse it, except to the extent of allowing paying passengers with your written consent. The charter party should contain a clause enabling the ship owner, or whoever stands in the place of the ship owner, to be sued in the colony for breach of contract. IMMIGRANTS TO BE SENT TO THEIR DESTINATION. I have to report the instruction previously given, that you are not to ship immigrants for ports other than those of their destination excepting very extreme and exceptional cases. Sending people to one province in order that they may be there shipped for another, causes in all cases great inconvenience, and often necessitates large expense, and the plan is looked upon with general and great disfavor by the province to which the immigrants ought ultimately to proceed. Of course you must still observe the instructions about immigrants for Marlborough, Westland, and Nelson. BUSINESS BY YOUR DEPARTMENT. I have to ask you to cause to be prepared and to forward regularly to the colony a four-weekly report as to the proceedings of your department. Copies of all correspondence between your department and the various departments of the Imperial Government, should be sent to the colony each month. I have strongly to urge that you will use your best endeavours to give effect to these instructions.