PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 692, 17 June 1869, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 1869. fgE Council met at 10 a.m. v<nTE OF CENSURE ON THE GENERAL ' GOVERNMENT. ]VTr Dolbel moved— That this Council entirely condemns the course j op ted by the General Government in reference to the withdrawal of the scouts organised by Capt. tfeber, on the nortli frontier of this Province, at the request of Mr M'Lean; and also for ordering the loyal natives of Mohaka to join the expedition .(ffaikarimoana while their district was in great danger, and in the opinion of this Council if such ,j e ps had not been acted upon the attacks on Mohaka might have been prevented. ,-The General Government committed a blunder in insisting on the Mohaka natives going to Wai jjarimoana. The result had shown the General Gov eminent to be wrong and Mr M'Lean to be right. If the General Government had done its duty, the Mohaka tragedy could not have happened. Mr Sutton seconded the motion. Mr Tanner agreed with the ideas 0 f the member for Mohaka, but thought this was not the proper astern bly in which to bring it forward. All were pretty well agreed that there had been great mismanagement. ontheEasi Coast, but the General Assembly was the place where it should be taken into consideration. Mr Patisons would vote for the motion. He thought this Council wis the best qualified assembly to give an opinion. Mr Buchanan knew of no motion this session so injudicious as the one now before the Council. The mem ber for Mohaka this little petty Council to condemn an act oi the General Government without adducing a shadow of evidence to support his motion —nothing but his own bald, bare assertion. He (Mr B.) was not aware that the Govern ment had e\er asked the loyal natives to do as was said, and the Council was bound to have sufficient evidence before them that such was the case be-fore passing so sweeping a condemnation. At present they had actually no case. He (Mr B.) was not there in any way to defend the action of the General Government in fact, on some points he was in an tagonisrn with them ; but he took into consideration the grave position in which they stood with the country, and protested against these little irritating motions, which sprang from personal motives and private malice, and not a desire for the public good. No doubt the cry was, "Dolbel to the rescue ! " and that member threw his weight into the balance, confident that it would turn on his side because he did so. To Buffer himself to be put up as a pup pet in this manner was not worthy of him. There were gentlemen in the Council of higher standing and with more influence than he, and one of them should take the responsibility. The two gentlemen opposite—one of whom (Mr Ormond), by the way, with his usual tact, was absent—were going hence to the General Assembly, where, no doubt, as they were justly entitled to do, they would fight their battle to the death, and, if it were possible, oust the present Ministry. He objected to a question of this kind being brought up in this Council, the functions of which were purely municipal, not political. Not only was this motion political, but personal, and it was this personal feeling on both sides that he deprecated—the personal conflict and spirit of faction iliac was tearing this unhappy country to pieces, and which made men of his temperament feel the desperate eondition in which the country was plunged. He would give this motion his firmest opposition, and his only hesitation was which way ho should meet it, whether by the previous question, by amendment, or by fighting it out. He could see that it was intended to pass the motion quietly and insidiously in a thin house.

Mr Carlyon would also vote against the motion, though he fully agreed with its spirit. The whole Province had already expressed its opinion in a satisfactory manner in the same direction, in the proportion of about 99 out of every 100, and to go again over the old ground could serve no useful purpose. Having elicited the feeling of the Council on

the subject, he hoped the member for Mohaka would withdraw the motion. If this was not done, he would have to move the previous question.'

Mr Rhodes would advise the member for Mohaka to withdraw the motion. The opinion of the Province had been fully expressed,; and the motion could do no good, j

Mr M'Lean would also advise the member for Mohaka to wi'hdraw the motion. He could not allow the remarks of the member for the Country District to pass unnoticed. He had stated that the Government had brought this forward by a side wind, which was not true. As far as himself and colleagues were concerned, the motion was entirely the idea of the member for Mohaka. [Mr Buchanan : I did not say by whom that member was prompted.] He fully agreed with the motion as a statement of facts.

Mr Ormond said that having just entered the room he had not heard the discussion, but he supposed when he first saw the notice on the paper that it was to aid the mover's constituents in obtaining compensation for their losses, and show how those losses were brought about. The Superintendent informed him that it was proposed to withdraw the motion. He considered this should not be done, as it would greatly damage the case. It would make it appear that the opinions expressed in the resolution were not borne out by the Council; and himself and his colleague had found during last session of the Assembly that there were plenty of people here ready to supply the Government with false information to damage the Province, by which means Ministers were often enabled to triumph over its representatives. By carrying this motion, the Council would give additional weight + o the action of its representatives in the Assembly. Mr Dolbel said he was not a tool of the Government, and had a right to express his opinion. His authority for the statements in the resolution was a letter from a Maori at Mohaka, which he would read. [The let ter was in English, addressed "To Philip," and was without date or signature. It stated that the Mohaka natives had been threatened by the Government that if they did not go to Waikarimoana their guns would'be taken from them.] He would press the motion. The motion was agreed to on the following division :—• Ayes, 11—Messrs. M'Lean, Kennedy, Rhodes, Ormond, Dolbel, Sutton, Feraid, Parsons, Locke, Tanner, and Carlyon. Noes, 2—Messrs Buchanan and Lambert. PETANE-MOHAKA. BLOCK.

Mr Parsoxs asked his Honor the Superintendent —

Whether any measures have been taken for the settlement of the question relative to the confiscated land known as the "Petane Mohaka block," and if so, what measures. Mr M'Lean replied that the matter was still unsettled. PROVINCIAL AUDITOR'S SALARY. Mr Ferard moved— That considering that the duties of the Provincial Auditor will be considerably lighter in future years in consequence of the great diminution in the Provincial revenues, and considering further that a large reduction has taken place in the salaries of most Provincial officers, this Council is of opinion that a salary at the rate of £IOO per annum is sufficient for theTrovineial Auditor, and raqnests his Honor the Superintendent to urge the Governor to fix the salary at that rate for the period in which the Provincial Auditor shall be actually discharging the duties ot the office, and the salary of the Deputy Auditor at the like rate for the period during which the duties of Provincial Auditor shall be performed by him.

Agreed to. UNAUTHORIZED EXPENDITURE. Mr Rhodes moved — Whereas the "Provincial Audit Act, 1866;' provides that unless an address to the Superintendent to send to the Council a recommendation to grant a sum of money sufficient to meet the- unauthorized expenditure, shall he passed hy an absolute majority of the entire number of the members of the Provincial Council, the Provincial Auditor shall commence suits in the Supreme Court to recover the penalties recoverable under the said act, for signing aud issuing special orders for the issue of money without appropriation. And whereas it is necessary to release the Superintendent from the penalties to which he is liable for such over and unauthorized expenditure, the Council requests the Superintendent to submit to the Council a recommendation to grant a sum.

* of money sufficient to meet the said unauthorized . expenditure : The Superintendent requests tin [Provincial Council to grant the sum of £209 10 13 dto meet the unauthorized expenditure from tb 'lst of July, 1868, to the 31st March, 1869, thi same unauthorised expenditure having heen in I currnd on account of the serviees hereinafter men tioned:— Over Expenditure (in excess of votes) — £ s c Harbor Department (contingencies Wairoa) 3 6 £ Materials for Prison Labor 23 16 C Expenditure connected with Tollgate 13 2 3 40 5 0 Unauthorized (not specially provided ior) — £ s d Survey Department ... 70 10 0 Harbor ditto 78 19 6 Ferries (Nuhaka) 14 19 4 Police Department 4-16 5 £209 10 3 Mr Ferard said that this matterwas one every item of which should be carefully investigated by the Council. He must ask for an ex planation of the various items. Thi* explanation not being given, Mr Ferard moved that the items be considered in a committee of the whole house, which was negatived on a division.

He then obtained the desired information by moving successively that each item be struck out. The requisite information being obtained, the Council assented to the motion. The Council then (1 p.m.) adjourned till 2 o'clock. The Council met at 2 p.m. CREDIT ACT. This Act was brought up by Mr Rhodes, and passed through its preliminary stages. PUINTING OF ESTIMATES. Mr Carlyon moved— That the financial estimates as passed by the Council shall be printed and distributed as in the case of the former Blue Book. Agreed to. MR KOCH'S CASE. Mr Buchanan moved— That in all cases where the services of officers holding appointments under the Provincial Government are dispensed with, for other reasons than reduction by this Council, the investigation they are legally entitled to under the Executive Act ought not denied. That the denial of such investigation to Mr A. Koch, has been an injustice to him, and such injustice ought to be redressed.

—He had no further remark to make than those he had already given on the motion for the consideration of the petition. Mr M'Lean had little to say on the subject. Matters of administration like these should be left entirely to the Superintendent, and he altogether denied that the petitioner had been deprived of any right to which he was by law entitled. Mr Koch had addressed a letter to the Superintendent on the subject of his dismissal, which letter had been submitted to the Executive, who entirely appro\ed of the course which had been taken. If he had applied for a certificate to have something to show in evidence of his professional capacity, it would have been accorded at once. There was no necessity that the public service should suffer in any way from his dismissal. As to the action of the Government, he considered that, having entire administrative charge of the Province, they were the best judges of the zeal and fidelity of their officers, and that they hud grave doubts whether the officer in question possessed the zeal and fidelity considered necessary. The mover of this qiiestion had said that there was no gain in economy, in consequence of the loss of the traditions of the office ; but he (Mr M'L.) thought the loss was greater when these traditions were made use of for pri\ate purposes. Mr Koch had been far from displaying a public spirit, but he would refer to a particulai instance. That gentleman was in the habit of compiling maps for surveyors under the Land Purchase Act; their notes were sent into the office and mapped, and it was his duty to take tracings to serve as records in the office. These tracings he abstracted from the office when he left, and refused to restore them unless paid for them. One great matter of objection was that he used the survey office for purposes wholly;

1 lapart from bis public duties, and hac 8 shown an animus altogetherinjurious 3 to the Government be "erved. The e Government objected to any 3 in their service interfering in any " way with political matters, but more " especially to the detriment of their employers. Although this failing I had become very prevalent, it would have been overlooked by the Govern- ' men* if, on the occasion of unforLu- ) nate differences, arising between the militia and volunteers he had not taken a very piominent part in opposing the officer in command—acting as Chairman at a Volunteer meeting the result of which was to render their service less efficient, at a time, too, when it was of the highest necessity that every member of the community should cheerfully take his part of the duty. Mr Koch, in his letter to the Government, had admitted this last charge. In conclusion, he would say that the Provincial Government were under no obligations to their officers, for a circular to that effect had been addressed to them so long ago as February 1868. Mr Carlyon. said that as it had been made quite clear that Mr Koch was dismissed for taking an overdue part in politics, and not for any slur on his personal honor or professional: ability, he hoped the member for the Country District would withdraw his motion. j

Mr BrcHANAN said that the labored explanation of his Honor resulted as precisely as stated by the member for Te Ante—political reasons, and political reasons alone, were the cause of this dismissal, and the result was so far satisfactory to the petitioner. It was a pity that the Superintendent had not confined himself to the real cause. The grave charge that Mr Koch having been employed in plotting for private surveyors, and having taken tracings for the Government, had abstracted those tracings from the office, was not true, and he defied the Government to prove it. Mr Ormond said that the Provincial Engineer complained that Mr Koch, whose duty it was to make up plans from the field-books, had not only not done so, but on leaving had taken the field-books with him. Mr Bucit-ynan said that the Government had no right to come down to the Council with such false statements ; for he had no hesitation in slating that this last statement was a deliberate falsehood. ISTo fieldbooks or other Government property had been removed from the Survey Office by Mr Koch, and he challenged the member for Porangahau to produce any ehaige against him from Mr Weber to that effect. The Government could not do so. Mr ORxMOND laid on the table a letter from Mr "Weber, and moved that it be read.

The motion being agreed to, the letter was read by the clerk as follows : Survey Office, Napier, May 26, ISG9. Sir.—l am sorry to have to bring to your Honor's notice that this department is put to very serious inconvenience, by the undermentioned circumstance, viz.: — Some time ago it was discovered that no surveys of native land blocks named in the margin (Mangatoro, Oringi Waiahone, Qtavvlmo, Kaitoki, Taoraiti, Nos. 1 and 2) were in this office, and on looking over the list of plans, surveys, &c, handed over by Mr Koch, it was found they were not enumerated therein. On application to Mr Koch, lie replied that he had taken said plans from said office, which had been considered public property, but which belonged to him, they having been made out in private time. Not being able to state that said plans had been made in office hours, I pointed out to Mr Koch that it was his duty to make copies of every plan before it left the Survey office s and as he had not done so, merely because he bad plans of the above blocks (being his own property), the least that could be expected of him was to lend his plans to the Survey office for a few days, to make copies of them, but even this he declined. I am sorry to have to make such au unfavorable report referring to Mr Koch, especially after having had his cordial support and co-operation for over five years, when such office was principally under his charge, owing to my frequent and protracted absence from town. But as I am anxious that the Survey office should have the necessary plans before my relinquishing the charge of that department, I beg to suggest that you authorize me to apply to the Native Lands office in Auckland for surveys of the above blocks, and warrantry of necessary outlay, if not exceeding £6, for same.— I have, &c., Charles Weber, C.E., Surveyor.

1 Mr Buchanan would now amk 3 gentlemen around if there was a. ? word there about field-books. It i would seem as if gentlemen opposite ' were totally ignorant of the distinc- ) t ion be Ween tracings and field-books. • From his own professional experience ; he knew exactly the meaning of all these technical terms, and he accused • the Government of recklessly bringing against Mr Koch charges which they had utterly failed to establish. These tracings were never Government property. He would state the' exact posture of the case. Surveyors—and more particularly those at present employed under the Native Lands Act—found it pay better to employ an experienced draughtsman to do their plotting than to do it themselves—in fact, many of them were not capable of doing it themselves. Out of their private meanp, therefore, they employed Mr Koch, and in his private time he prepared the maps—using neither Government time nor material. From these maps, whenfinished, he took tracings, which, of course, were his private propertv, and which he retained for purposes of reference. These tracings he afforded the Government the use of so long as he remained in their employment, but when dismissed at a moment's notice, who was to say that be was bound to leave them in the office] To allege, as the Government had, the charges made in a letter dated this day as their reason for dismissing Mr Koch, showed more fully than any words he could use, the weakness of their case.

Mr M'Lean said that he had not mentioned that as the cause of dis« missal, but in allusion to the mover's remarks about traditional knowledge. Mr Buchanan could meet the Superintendent on his own ground. Mr Weber held the appointment of De-puty-Inspector of Surveys, an office he v. as neither able nor competent to fill, as the number for Porangahau and his Honor the Superintendent knew ax well as himself. [Mr Ormond objected to these statements. He did not know that Mr Weber was at all incompetent, and there was only the assertion of the member for the Countiy District to that effect ] Mr Buchanan continued : The business of the office, therefore,. rested entirely on the petitioner's shoulders, It was not difficult to see the cause of the dismissal. If Mr Koch had been a subservient tool of the Superintendent, these accusations would never have been heard of, but his having a will of his own was the true secret of the dismissal, and nothing else. His professional capabilities needed no certificate from the Government—they were too well known for that. Nor was there the slightest excuse on the ground of economy. The Government had saved nominally <£so— Okmond : £IOO] —and on one transaction alone had lost double that amount —where the Govern ment had employed sueveyors on the Petane-Mohaka block for weeks doing work which was done already and lying in the Land office—with not a soul there who knew anything about it. Reference had been made to the fact of Mr Koch employing his private hours in the practice of his profession. Tlrs the Government had tacitly permitted. Many of the members in that room had employed Mr Koch in a private manner, and his Honor himself had in this manner availed himself of his set vices. What, then, became of this imputation, thus thrown out at the eleventh hour ? The reason his services were thus employed were because they were the best and cheape°t obtainable—because in him was centred a fund of knowledge possessed by no one else, and for which any private surveyor would hav'e to pay. He was surprised to find such a lack of the sense of honor in the Government as co make a reproach of that private practice of which they had themselves taken full advantage in their da\ and generation. Another grave charge was that he had failed in his duty to make certain tracings neces'sary for records in the office : bub ieven this charge he (Mr B.) by correctly stating it, could put in a betiter light. If clue notice had been given to Mr Koch before he was> dismissed, he might have put the re-

cords in bebter order, but in the pressure of other business, and with no fewer than 80 maps already under the Native Lands Act, this was next to impossible. If anyone was responsible, it was the Chief Surveyor. What must his omission have been, in not seeing that the records were properly kept? The letter which had just been read was the s f rongest condemnation of that officer possible, for it showed the negligent manner in which that department was kept. But ic wawell known hat as far as his duties in, the Survey Office were concerned, Mr Koch was Mr Weber's dry nurse Then the Superintendent had touched upon his being • uilty of the grave indiscietion of taking the. chair at a volunteer meeting—a position which, from his rank in that body, re was obliged to take. If the duties to which he was legally liable clashed ■with his duty to the Provincial Go vernment, was he to be blamed 1 This just showed how the Goveimment found themselves obliged to catch at every little, trivial, petty, miserable point which could injure and damage the man, or throw discredit on his character, for the purpose of justifying themselves. As foi the " in* estigation " by the Executive, what kind of investigation could it be when the party most concerned was not present 1 It might more properly be called an inquisition —a Venetian concla\e, — doing what was light and proper according to their own sweet wills. They could prove no offence against the man, so they attempted to im pugn his character, and throughout there had been the most absolute denial of fair treatment. All the pe titioner had asked was an investigation in which he might answer in person any charges which might be brought against him, but not until the Superintendent rose in his place this afternoon had any charge, verbally or in writing, been male against him. Was this conduct on the part of a bod r holding power consistent with the British spirit of fair play 1 Pri vate spite and private malevolence were at the bottom of the whole matter, and gentlemen opposite well knew that to be case. As for the resolution standing in his nam \ the first part simply stated a prineijlj in an existing law regulating the Provincial service, beside merely asserting an abstract proposition which no one possessing a shadow of a sense of the principles of justice could deny. On the second point, that the principle had been violated in the case of Mr Koch, theie might be some diversity of opinion, but he would pres* it to a division, though he might not have been inclined to do so but for the observations of the Superintendent. That gentlemen had plainly stated that Mr Koch had abstracted from the Survey Office certain records, the property of the public. If that ass;rrion had been true it would have been his Honor's duty to have resorted to the legal tribunals —to have had the case tried on a criminal information. That would have been his redress. And he would have done so, but he knew it was not true —that the facts would not bear him out. If the charge had any foundation he could yet do so, but he (Mr B ) prophesied that he would let it alone.

The resolution was then put, and negatived on the following di\ ision— A yet, 2—Messrs, Buchanan and Weston. Noes, 7—Messrs. M'Lean, Sut ton, Ormond, Rhodes, JFerard, Dolbel, and A'Deane. UNAUTHORIZED EXPENDITURE. Mr Ferard asked — "Whether any moneys have been issued by the Provincial Treasurer during the present financial quarter without appropriation, or in excels of the sums appropriated by Act of the Provincial Council ; and whether it is intended to lay the particulars thereof before the Council, so that the Council may, if it think fit, pas£ such an address as is required by the 14th section of the " Provincial Audit Act, 18(56," • —lt seemed to him that the ordinary expenditure going on this quartetmust be paid in an unauthorised manner, Mr Ormond said it was not proposed to bring down any account oi* over-expenditure for the present, Cpiarter. It would be very ■ ligh t,' gßtl the Government would Iwve to!

ask the Council next session to indemnify them for it.

TRIGONOMETRICAL SURVEY. Mr Buchanan moved— That there be laid upon the table a copy of all reports, correspondence, awards, or other papers in reference to the Trigonometrical Survey lately carried out by Mr Surveyor Fitzgerald. This was a subject he had been forced to take up, by a statement of the Superintendent. The Council i were aware that the triangulation of the Province was carried on from a base at Patangata; and his Honor's assertion was that thi* verification b ise had been measured by one of the best surveyors in New Zealand, Mr Park, and found correct;. He (Mr B.) was prepared to show that Mr Park did not make an exact measurement, but simply measured it as if it were the side of a forty-acre lot. The time he took over it, — about two hours—was enough to show what kind of measurement he must ha\e made. Certain defined dimits of error had been laid down in the specification, and if the-4e were exceeded, the survey was considered incorrect, and if the error was below the limit, it was correct. It was a known fact that the limit had been greatly exceeded, and that the base line had never been verified. It ought to b*> measured by the Inspector of Surveys, now in Napier; the points still remain, and by measuring a new base it could be seen whether the survey was correct or not. For this incorrect survey £450 had been paid, and the Government had sought to justify the expenditure under Mr Parks' name. He would now conline himself to the question before the house, but he did not intend to let ib rest here. When he had the papers he would prove that the money of the public had been wasted on a triingulation which was simply unreliable.

Mr Ormond said that all this was entirely beyond the functions of the Council. "This survey was made under the Native Lands Act, and the money was paid by the General Government—but he only spoke now as it was not fair that the statement they had just heard should go unrefuteJ. The member for the Country District had ventured to make specific charges-, resting them on his own knowledge, which he (Mr 0.) would prove to be untrue Mr Weber having ob jected to the survey as being incorrect, the matter was referred to arbitration, the late Mr Docld, who was murdered by the Hauhaus at Poverty Bay, and Mr Park, being the umpires. He would now read the award of the arbitrators. [The document was signed by Robert Park and G. N. Dodd, and certified the survey to have been properly performed, the amount of error being within the prescribed limits.] This, he hoped would convince the Council that the honorable gentleman's charges were proved untrue Mr Buchanan : Is that a Government document 1 Mr Ormond : No, the paper was the property of Mr Fitzgerald, and could not therefore be laid on the tuble. The Government- possessed no papers on the subject The next thins: would be that the General Governmeut would come on the Council and administer a snubbing, for improper inrerference in affairs with which it had no concern. The honorable gentleman's object certainly seemed to be to destroy any chances of the Province ever being favorably dealt with by the General Government.

Mr Carlyon could not see the slightest use in the motion. The papers would be one day on, and the next day under the table. It .-seemed to be ripping up an old question, long ago settled, and all the motions in the world could not alter the facts nor extract the money from Mr Fitzgerald's pocket. The member for Porangahau had for once—exceptio probat —made his meaning clear to his (Mr C.'s) comprehension - that it wa* a matter out ot the province of the Council, and one in which it was uselss to interfere. He would support the member for the Country District, however eccentric his motions might appear, in any I measure to prevent the profligate ex'penditure of-public-money, but could jnot go with him this time, simply

because be could not see the use of doing «o. Mr Buchanan .said that the Government had met his motion in their usual disingenuous spirit. They produced a certificate belonging to a private individual, but would not produce any statement from their own officers. He was, however, aware of their object—they were on the point of losing Mr Weber's service", and wished to make the best case possible for the gentleman whom they intended for his successor. The error in the survey was discovered and reporred on by both Mr Koch and Mr Weber, who discovered that there was absolute error of 18 links in 135 chains —more than three times the amount—s links—allowed in the specification. As for the matter being beyond the Council, a political subject had that day been introduced, entirely beyond the functions of the Council, condemning the General Government for their conduct of the war, and he had found the gentlemen opposite seize the opportunity to dilate upon the subject, and ultimately divide upon the resolution. He maintained that the Council had essentially an interest in the correct triangulation of the Province—it was a fair and legitimate subject for their consideration and a matter in which they should take an interest, for all had. to pay their quota towards it. It was a fallacy to say that this question was beyond the province of the Council, especially as the measurements had been checked by provincial officers. A gentleman who could make an error of 18 links in 135 chains would be unlit to hold the office of Chief Surveyor, and he would stake the professional skill of the gentleman who checked the survey against that of the original surveyor. The report on the subject 'was in the possession of the Government and no ex parte private documents could release them from the dilemma in which they were placed. He had made no assertion that he was not fully prepared to prove from the. papers on the subject —the base was wrong, the angles were very possibly wrong also, and the only wriy r to settle the questions was to have them re measured by an independent person. The motion was nega ived on a division, as follows : Ayes, 3—Messrs Buchanan, Lambert, and Weston. Noes, 7—Messrs M'Lean, Rhodes, Ferard, Sutton, Parsons, Tanner, and Carlyon.

EVIDENCE IN THE RUSSELL CASE. Mr Ferard moved— That the evidence of the witnesses examined by the select committee, appointed to take evidence as to the Russell "Military Grant Act, 1868;'♦ and also the evidence of August Koch, on the same subject, taken before this Council, be printed. The debate on this mo ion was of an appalling length. The whole question of the propriety of the grant was re-opened and re-discussed, hut no new matter whatever introduced. A temporary stop was put to the discussion by the adjournment of the debate at five o'clock for (he orders of the day to be proceeded with, bat at the evening sitting it was resumed, and continued to a ]ate hour—the motion, which seemed to have been almost lost sight being ultimately negatived. ORDERS OP THE DAY. The Slaughter-house Amendment Bill, Immigration Board Bill, and Artesian Well Bill parsed their second readings, the latter not without some opposition. The Sheep and Scab Consolidation Bill, Appropriation Bill, Immigration Board,Bill, Slaughter-house Bill, and Artesian Well Bill, were partially considered in committee. The Ratification of Loan Bill having been read a third time and passed, the Council adjourned to next sitting-day.