Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 385, 2 July 1868, Page 3

In the County Council, on Monday, the business was not of a very important character, the debate being principally confined to the upset value which shoxild be placed upon town sections in Hokitika. This was commenced by Mr Shaw moving — " That the report of the Select Committee appointed to consider and report upon certain petitions from the inhabitants of Hokitika concerning the sale of town lands in that township, be considered in committee of the whole." In a most doleful strain the Mayor of Hokitika proceeded to draw a picture of the glorious past, the barely endurable present, and the miserable future of the town over which he presides. To use his own words: — In the early days of this town, when everything was prosperous, and when the people, although living in canvas tents, were doing a roaring trade, hundreds of pounds were frequently asked for the ground upon which those tents stood. The people then were most anxious to possess a legal title to the land, and they applied to the Canterbury Government to

fix tho upset price of it, and had the Government then acceded to the people's request, the price, however high, would have been cheerfully piiid. But the land was not then sold, and this state of high prosperity passed away ; another stage, not so prosperous, succeeded j and there came a third stage of general depression. He (Mr Shaw) felt assured that it would lead to a state of universal insolvency if the people were compelled to pay for their land at the rates proposed at the late sitting of the Council. The value of property was completely altered, and it was j still, almost daily, decreasing in value. I He could vouch for this from his own experience — property belonging to him in Sewell street, which let readily at £2 a- week, lie had lately offered at 25s weekly, and could not get a tenant. The fact wai that the generality of the peoplo werj very poor in Hokitika. There were, it was true, some rich men in Hokitika — men who were rich, and who belonged to an usurous class — men who were ready to tako advantage and to make a profit of the necessities of others, and if the price of land was not altered, these men would swamp the small section-holilera by purchasing their lands. This usurous system was carried to a frightful extent in Hokitika. It would be to his interest to magnify the state of Hokitika, but under the circumstances he could not conscientiously do so-^-in fact, notwithstanding that he had invested so largely therein, he had the strongest persuasion that he should he obliged to leave the plaoa and hand over to tho Government the printing and publication of the newspaper, for although it might pay a person in the Government having a salary of LSOO or L6OO a year to carry on a uewspaper, and at the a une time make a profit and inculcate tho principles of his Government, yet if things I went on as they did, it would never pay , to carry on an independent newspaper. The motion was carried, and the House went into Coiamittee, when Mr Shaw moved that Clause 1 be adopted — "That it is desirable that the price of town sections in Westland fixed to be offered to occupiers in Hokitika, by resolution of the County Council passed on the 27th "February, 1808, and recommended to his Excellency the Governor-, should be altered." Mr Whall seconded the motion. On this a long discussion ensued, in the course of which Mr Shaw again bewailed the condition of Hokitika, in order to persuade the Council to consent to a reduction in the upset price of the town sections. He said he was sorry to sco gentlemen advocating that changes should not be made. Let them look at the changes that were taldng place in society, 1 and in the condition of the people among whom they were assembled. Who would I have thought, two years ago, when the streets were thronged with people from morning to night, when the theatres were crowded, and money was plentiful, that Hokitika would have been in the depressed state it wasat the present time, with people making up their minds to leave, and yet, forsooth, they were told that they ought not to make alterations. Mr Harrison is reported to have said he thought that [ when holders of sections had been allowed to hold them for two years without let or hindrance, it was too much for them to seek to fix a price. At the Grey, the chief portion of the town was built upon native reserves, for which the inhabitants paid a rental of from 10s to L 3 per foot per annum. This was a great hardship, and yet withal the depression, and the Grey was depressed correspondingly with Hokitika, they heard nothing of these complaints. He would not object to the fixing of the price outside the triangle, but woiild decidedly object to the resolution in its present form. All the objects could have been obtained under provisions of the Grey and Okarita Land Act. There were a number of amendments moved and divisions taken,the resolutions being ultimately passed as follows : — "1. That it is desirable that the price of town sections in Hokitika to be offered to occupiers, as fixed by resolution of the County Council on the 27th February, 1868, and recommended to his Exellency the Governor, should not be altered as far as lands inside the triangle are concerned. 2. That the price at which improved town sections in Hokitika should be offered to the lawful occupiers, should be five shillings per foot frontage outside the triangle. 3. That the upset price at which improved town lands in Hokitika, within the triangle, shall be put up to auction shall be fifteen shillings per foot frontage for all lands one chain in depth and under, and twenty shillings per foot for land over one chain in depth. 4. That the upset price at whicli sections upon which a deposit of 10 per cent, had been paid to the County Land Board, shall be offered at auction, with improvements added, shall be twenty shillings and fifteen shillings per foot, according to depth." It was resolved, in committee on the Estimates that appropriation be only made for three months, which will necessitate the calling together of the Council again at the expiration of that time. Mr Whall endeavoured to make the amount payable to the Road Boards a fixed charge ; so that the Board might know beforehand how much money was coming to them. His motion was that the amount of L 5150 set down under clause XII. for Hospitals and Educational purposes ; together with the amount of L 11,703 6s 4d, set down as Surplus Revenue be made a primary charge on the ! revenue of the County, next after the permanent charges for interest and sinking fund, and expenditure voted for the department by the General Government. The motion was negatived on the voices. j A number of items in the Estimates we? © passed as printed. A motion was agreed to affirming the desirability of creating a new Road jßoard of the Kaneiri District. On Tuesday, Mr Shaw asked the Chairman if any steps have been adopted by the Government in selling lands through which tramways pass, for the protection of Tramway Companies ? The Chairman replied that in all land already sold reserves had been made for road and railway purposes, and tramways would come j under this heading. The expense of fencing in would fall tipon the purchasers of the sections. The Council went into Committee on the Estimates, when the following items were passed,: — County Secretary's Department, L 487 30s; County Paymaster's Department, L 304 ; Supreme Court, L 150; Resident Magistrate's Court, L 87 5; Wardens' Courts, L 2213. On the tern Police, L 4510 10s, being proposed, an amendment was carried by Mr Whall, that the item be reduced by L5lO for the six months, leaving it to the Government ,to reduce the number of the force. The following items were passed : — Public

Contingencies, L 1425, and L 202 8a two constables at the Lower Gaol, L 1233 43 ; Gaol Contingencies, L 1875 ; Waste Land Department, L.187 ltfa. Tho items Survey Department and Engineers' Department were ordered to stand over, and. the following additional items were passed : — Harbor Department, L 1123; Weights and Measures, LIOO ; Overland Road, L 3575 ; Miscellaneous, L 4804 16s Bd, out of which L2OO is to be paid as a subsidy for ferries in the Okarita District ; houserent for Government Officers, L 10 0; General Contingencies, L10JO ; Subsidy to Steamer for Southern Ports, L 240. A discussion took place on the item L2IOO for Public Buildings, and Mr Harrison carried a motion for the distribution of LSOO among the Westland Volunteer Coipa as follows : Hokitika ■ Volunteers, L3!)t) ; Groyuiouth and Rosa Coiup.mics, LI 00 each. A sum of LiOOO hail been j set down as subsidies for Hospitals, upon which Mr Shaw moved the increase of the amount by LIOOO, because tho public of I Hokitika had refused to take the management of the institution into their own hands, and subscribe for its support. Mr Whall could not understand why Hokitika should object to take charge of the Hospital. If the inhabitants would not pay, a special rate should be made onforcing them to contribute towards its support. Mr Harrison could see no reason why Hokitika should refuse to contribute towards the maintenance of a Hospital, when Greymouth and Ross did, and the Waimea contemplated building one. He remembered that the merchants and business people at the Grey said tho same a3 they did at Hokitika about the I impossibility of raising money, but when j o;ie of the Wardens belonging to the Nelson side of the river oilered to raise i L3UO among the miners, the inhabitants ;of Greymouth collected L 136 in a few j days among themselves. He thought if this could be raised among the inhabitants of Greymouth surely Hokitika, with a population of 8000 or 9000, could do something similar. He found by the return that out of 875 patients admitted in the year 18G7-8, 475 came from Hoktika. Under these circumstances the Council was not justified in increasing the vote. After a discussion, the Council divided, when Mr Shaw's motion was rojected, and Mr Shaw suggested the advisability of the Council taking into consideration the levying of a compulsory rate in Hokitika for the support of the Hospital. Later in the evening, Mr Shaw moved — " That nine gentlemen bo appointed by tho County Chairman as visitors of the County Hospital;" but on a division it was negatived.