THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 566, 2 September 1869, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1869.

It is expected that the present session of the Assembly will close during this week. The near approach of this event has as usual been heralded by the hurrying through of a mass of bills — an operation usually spoken of as " the slaughter of the innocents" — after a number of members have left for their homes, tired out by the long-protracted party struggle for place and power which has occupied the most of the time spent in Parliament. Amongst the " innocents," which are being manipulated in this off-hand manner, we find that there are a number Bills of great importance to Westland, both directly and indirectly, which require some notice. To begin nearest home, we learn, that on the 2Tth itlt. the hon member for the Westland Boroughs, Mr Harrison, at the request of the members of the Grey mouth Borough Council, moved for leave to bring in a Bill to remove all doubts as to the power of the Corporation to levy tonnage dues on vessels coming to the wharves on the Grey River, which were specially placed under the sole control of the Council by the County of Westland Act. This was rendered necessaiy by the adverse decision of Mr Revell, in a case heard recently, as it would do away with the necessity for prosecuting the appeal, of which notice had been given, and would give the Government a.id the House an opportunity of saying whether or not they intended to repose the power to levy tonnage rates in the Council when they gave the control of the wharves. . There was no moral doubt that this was what waa intended, but there was a legal quibble, and in order to set it at rest for ever in the most effective manner, the step we have mentioned was taken by Mr Harrison. We are happy to say that he hca already been successful in cai'rying the measure, and has thereby done good service to the Borough Council, for this is a matter of something like £800 a-year to its revenues, and was too much to lose without an effort. The County of AVestland Act Amendment A^t, 1869, had, at the date of our

last .id vices, passed through all its stages in the Houseof Representatives, and been read a first time in the Upper House, so that there is every reason to believe that by this time it has been finally passed. The principal objects which are sought to be attained by this Bill were thus stated by the Hon Mr Yogel when it first came before the House : — " Tlje first was to provide gome sort of control over the expenditure of the public money, by making it necessary, when any vote of expenditure was to be proposed, that certain notice should be given, and also making it necessary that the Auditor appointeid by the Government should countersign the cheques, It need scarcely be said that the control was very imperfect aa compared with that which existed in the Provinces, and it was forcibly pressed on the notice of the Government, that as large sums might be paid to the County out of the Colonial revenue, some control ought to exist. He did not pretend tha'; the Bill would make the system of control efficient. It was the best that could be given under the present constitution of the County. Eveiy day proved more and more that the County was called into existence by crude legislation, and which, moreover, had not been successful. The other part of the Bill was to carry out what was* promised in the financial statement, to endeavor to give power to the County to overdraw in the same way as the Provinces might overdraw, to the extent of one-fifth of the previous year's income. If the House was of opinion that the system proposed to be introduced was an efficient one, it might be desirable to give che power of overdrafts. " Although we have not yet seen the Bill, we have reason to believe that in addition to the subjects mentioned above, it will provide for placing the Westland Police Force under the control of the Governor or his delegate, and deducting the cost of its maintenance from the Cosolidated Fund paid over quarterly to Westland as surplus revenue, in accordance with the re solution recently earned in the House by Mr Harrison. It is expected that among other things, the Bill will also contain a clause giving the County Council power to levy a rate for the maintenance of the Hospitals, but this is not yet definitely known. The Westland Public-house Ordinance Amendment Bill, which was introduced by Mr Barff, has also passed after a hard fight. Had it not been for that gentleman's perseverance, and the plucky man ncr in which he defended the measure during all its stages, there is no doubt that it would have been quietly shelved long ago. If this Bill has been passed in its integrity — of which there is little reason to doubt — the alterations which it will make in the present system of issuing licenses will be somewhat as follows : — First, there will be four kinds of licenses instead of three, so as to allow of the local government issuing conditional or bush licenses. Second, wholesale and bottle licenses will be made transferable. Third, conditional licenses will be granted on the gold fields, at certain rates, on the recommendation of the Warden, the Resident Magistrate, or two Justices of the Peace. Fourth, a fee or tax will be levied on dancing saloons or casinos, whether attached to public-houses or not. It wil'. also provide heavy penalties for keeping houses open after hours ; and the suspension of any license by the County Council, on the recommendation of the Resident Magistrate or two Justices of the Peace. There are other very useful amendments in the Bill, the most of which were founded upon the recommendations of a Select Committee of last session of the County Council. The Westland Waste Lands and Public Reserves Bill, which was introduced by the Government in the Upper House, has also passed. The object of this Bill is to provide for the management of the waste lands of the Crown in Westland, as the present land regulations only remain in force till the end of the present session, and to continue those regulations in force till they were altered, revoked, cancelled, or annulled by the Governor in Council, or his deputy, by the powers given to them under the Act. The section which vested the reserves in the Governor was repealed by the County of Westland Act, and no power existed to manage such reserves. The Bill also provides for the management of these reserves. We may also mention that the Gold Fields Act 1868 Amendment Act, the Gold Fields Act 1866 Amendment Act, and the Gold Fields Act Amendment Act, 1869, have been passed, btit we have no space at present to. enumerate the amendments which have been made by these various enactments.