OPENING OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL SESSION.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 671, 7 May 1870, Page 2

OPENING OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL SESSION.

♦ [W. C. TIMES.] V On Thursday, according to announcement, the Chairman opened the MaySession of the County Council, in the Supreme Court House. There were present — the Chairman of the Council (Totara), Messrs Harrison (Greymouth), De las Carreraß (Paroa), White (Hokitika), Robinson (Kanieri), Barff (Okarito), Clarke (Arahura). There were very few persons present, and these did not take much interest in the proceedings. THE CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. The Chairman then delivered the following address : — Gentlemen of the County Council ojb? Westland, — ' ", ■ This Council has been called together this early in conformity with a resolution passed on the 15th day of February, at its last sitting, for the purpose of taking into consideration matters of the greatest importance, to the inhabitants of the County of Westland, which it is desirable to bring before the two Houses of the Colonial Legislature during next session, withr a view to their enactment, the principal of which is a County of West: land Waste Lands Bill, a draft of which will be laid before you for you to discuss, to alter, and to adopt and recommend for the adoption by the Colonial Parliament of such provisions as you shall think beneficial for the general welfare of all classes inhabiting the County. And as a Waste Lands Act is absolutely necessary, inasmuch as the present Waste Lands Regulations in force for the disposal and' V occupation of the. Crown lands in the County of Westland are based upon an Order in Council by His Excellency the Governor, under the " County of Westland Act, 1867," section 17 (said Act being repealed), and section 3, "County of Westland, 1868," now lapsed, and no provisions whatever exist at present as to dealing with reserves of any description within the County, it therefore is highly desirable that a Bill should be passed as early as possible to give an undoubted title to the tenure of the lands disposed of, and to vest all reserves in the proper, corporate bodies, with a view to their proper object or utilisation, both in the towns and in the country. I am too of opinion, and strongly recommend to the Council, of initiating such provisions as will facilitate the acquisition of the waste lands by those intending permanently to settle . in the County of Westland. And 1 further urge this Council to approve of such a measure, to be embodied in the Bill as shall enable the Council to dispose of the Crown Lands not only by sale, but also for the construction of public works of general utility. The latter mode of disposing of the lands appears to me to be the only reliable and legitimate one for this Council to accomplish, what every individual and journal from the time possession was taken of the West Coast, have clamored and agitated for — to construct tracks and roads, and open up the country to facilitate the development of its resources, and insure the prosperity of the inhabitants within the same. And I also think that when lands have been disposed of either by the County Council or Waste Lands Board, and if the same should provd auriferous hereafter, provisions should be embodied in the Bill that the Corporation of the County of Westland reserves to itself the absolute and sole right of repurchasing the auriferous proved lands at 100 per cent in advance of the cost price originally paid, with a view of it being thrown open and worked by miners. In cases, however, where improvements have been made by the owners on auriferous proved lands, the miners intending to work these lands should be the parties responsible to compensate for such- improvements. A draft Education Bill will also be laid before you for your consideration aud approval. The same having been drawn up and revised by the Board of Education, which I hope you will recommend as to its enactment. I am, however, persuaded that the question cf Education is a purely Colonial question, and I trust that, ere long, the Colonial Legislature will adopt such measures as will ensure an uniform system of educating the rising generation throughout the Colony. I also shall bring before you a revised code of Mining Rules and Regulations, as it has been made to appear that the present code in force is defective. With a view to perfecting the same I have invited from miners and others experienced in mining matters suggestions from all parts of the country, which I hope will receive your most careful consideration. The chief defects in the present Rules and Regulations, appear to be the absence of provisions establishing the frontage vial spurs, and auriferous quartz veins, lodes, or reefs, and the absence of giving a tenure to persons holding, or bringing, in, large water-races, the right of which, in my opinion, ought to be held similar

as in mining leases. This, undoubtedly, would have a beneficial effect, as it would give a better title and security to enterprising persons. I therefore invite your co-operation in setting those defects aside, and in producing such a code of Mining Rules and Regulations, as will merit everyone's approval. The preseut session beginning so early, I am not in a position to express myself so fully upon matters of detail as you might have expected had the Council met at its usual appointed time. I may, however, here state that the revenue of the County is not keeping up to its former receipts, and I fear that at the end of the six months the expectations fostered will not have been realised. This being anticipated by me, I have, with this view reduced the staffs of various departments, which, however, will be more apparent when the Estimates for the ensuing six months are laid before you for discussion, and then I will also be in a better position of affording you that information which I am not at present able to do. The reason shown above will also prevent me laying before you those reports and returns from the various heads of departments which it is customary at the beginning of a session to do. Should, however, any information be required, 1 shall be only too glad to furnish the same upon an expression of the Council to do so. I have called for tenders for the erection of additions to the Lunatic Asylum, on the Hospital Reserve. The delay which has occurred in not having done so earlier — assome persons think ought to have been done— was that the County Engineer 1 ad not tiie time to attend sooner to the compiling of the plans and 1 specifications for the same, as matters of urgent necessity required his whole time and attention ; and also that the requsite means for entering into a contract and discharging the obligations by so doing were not available in the County Treasury. This matter has, therefore, stood over to the present, which presents another opportunity of considering whether it is advisable and judicious for the County to expend a large sum of money at its present stage, upon an establishment which, after all, will only be a place of safe-keeping for the unfortunates, without the requisite appliances and necessaries required for their proper treatment. And here I wholly agree with the remarks made use of lately in an adjoining Province, that this question of providing for lunatics — like many others— should be taken up by the Colonial Government, who should establish central lunatic asylums, where all lunatics could be kept at a less expense and treated with more facility to their recovery, and with greater comfort to themselves. The commodious building erected upon the Gaol Hill, and used as a gaol, is only partly occupied, and could, with considerable less expense, be made into a more suitable place for the unfortunates. The buildings offer every facility for being made two separate establishments, and afford greater advantages as to treatment and comfoit, which could only at a much larger cost be obtained on the Hospital Reserve, where at present the maintenance of eight lunatics is .very nearly equal to the whole cost of the seveuteen lunatics and prisoners during six months located at the gaol. Tenders for the maintenance of roads ,have also been called for up to the 10th January, 1872. This has become necessary, as the whole appropriation made for that purpose has been expended, owing, besides necessary repairs, to the repeated heavy floods with which Westland has been visited during this season, causing at each time considerable damage, which had to be made good to keep open the traffic. I hope that you will, at an early date, consider these tenders, as it is desirable that all roads should be maintained in as good a condition as possible. Gentlemen, there are many subjects I should have liked to have addressed you upon, but 1 hope to have sufficient opportunity, from time to time, of doing so. I cannot, however, conclude without referring to the policy, as initiated during last session, of ordering large expenditures without making the necessary provision ior their liquidation. The construction of works upon the deferred payment system is a fallacious one,- and will undoubtedly bring about, sooner or later, trouble, the more so, as in any newlyfounded country the receipts of revenue are fluctuating, and oftener than otherwise do not realise the most sanguine expectations. I therefore hope and trust that during the present session no volun tary proposals will be made of initiating works for the execution of which this Council is not in a position to make the required provision. May God guide our deliberations and bless our labors. I now declare the Council open for the despatch of business. C. Hoos. Chairman of the County Council. After some preliminary business it was resolved to subsidise the West Coast Times, to the amount of LSO, for reporting the members speeches during the session. This was agreed to by all the members present. The Council then adjourned until Monday.