PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 1021, 19 May 1871, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1871. The Council met at 3 p.m. Present, all the members. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. Education Rate. Mr. Colenso, pursuant to notice, asked His Honor the Superintendent— Whether he intends to introduce a Bill for the amendment of the Education Rate Act. ' His Honor in reply stated that he had in common with the rest of the members, devoted much attention to this subject, especially as he could see that the present Act was not what the province wanted. As, however, there was no way of going into this matter without opening the whole question very largely indeed, and as it was almost certain that the General Assembly would take the matter up next session, he had decided not to introduce any new measure on this occasion. He thought the question had best be allowed to stand over ; but if no action were taken by the Assembly next session, he would desire that the Council should again take the matter in hand. Toll-gate Act. Mr. Colenso, pursuant to notice, asked his Honor the Superintendent— Whether he intends to bring in a Bill tot amend the Toll-gate Act. His Honor, in reply, stated that he had not intended to introduce such a Bill, as certain roads depended for their maintenance upon this source of revenue, and he did not see how the province could dispense with it. By the order paper, however, he saw that a Bill relating to this subject was to be introduced by one of the members for the town. The matter might be more fully considered when this Bill was brought in. Removal of Toll-gate. Mr. Colenso, pursuant to notice, asked his Honor the Superintendent—To obtain from the Provincial Engineer an estimate of the probable cost which would be incurred in removing the present Toll-gate to a site at the Ngaruroro Bridge, His Honor, in reply, that the request would be acceded to. There would be no difficulty in obtaining the Provincial Engineer's opinion on the subject. Petition of Military Settlers. Mr. Kinross, pursuant to notice, moved— That the petition of the Wairoa Military Settlers be considered, and that this Council approve of the remission of the amounts due by them to the Government for assisted passages. —The relief applied for in the petition was •not very great, but it was a good deal to the petitioners, in the position in which they had been placed. Under the circumstances of the case, he considered that they had a claim upon the sympathy and eon-* sideration of the Council. Mr. Sutton said that before long he expected that the Council would be asked to wipe out every debt owing to the Government. The province would be obliged to forego a good many of its just claims as it was, and he did not at all approve of the prayer of the petition. Mr. Ormond pointed out to the Council that proceedings had been taken by the Government against every one of the settlers signing the petition, in common with all the debtors to the Provincial Government that they had been able to trace. For his part, if the Council did not decide otherwise, he meant to see that these proceedings should be pressed. (Hear, hear.) Mr. A'Deane was surprised that members of the Council should support these petitioners in seeking to repudiate the liabilities they had incurred. Not content with receiving grants of land actually for nothing, they now appealed to the Couucil to have their promissory notes cancelled. He failed to see a single argument in favor of this course. These men accepted the position of frontier settlers with a full knowledge of the dangers to which they were liable, and had no just cause of complaint in the circumstances in which they had been placed. He trusted the Council would pause before establishing so objectionable a precedent. Mr. Colenso thought the Council should hesitate before granting the prayer of this petition. If these settlers were really in want, he would cheerfully'support a vote of any reasonable sum for their relief; but he could not advocate relieving them of thei? just liabilities,

Lieut-Col. Lambert entirely agreed with what his colleague bad said on this subject. lie was surprised that members of the Council could he found to support the prayer of this petition. These settlers received their grants of land for the sole purpose that they might defend the frontier line, and they had been treated well and fairly by the Government throughout. Nothing, as he had already said, would give lim greater pleasure to assist the distressed when they were truly deserving; but he could never support the repudiation of a just claim. Mr. Kinross said this application, if granted, might not make a good precedent, but similar circumstances were very unlikely to occur again. He objected to the imputation of cowardice which had been cast upon the petitioners by a member opposite. Lieut.-Col. Lamrert rose to order. He bad not so much as hinted anything of the kind. Mr. Kinross said great stress had been laid on the fact that the settlers had been placed on the land to protect the frontier, from which it might be inferred that they bad been remiss in that part of their duty. Lieut.-Colonel Lambert again rose to order. No such inference could be drawn from his remarks. Mr. Kin boss said his remark was not intended to apply to the gallant member opposite, but to his colleague. Mr. A'Deane rose to explain. He had no intention of conveying any such imputation as the one suggested. He had merely said that, as frontier settlers, they must have anticipated some such continsencv as had befallen them. Mr. Kinross having made a few more remarks, the motion was put and negatived on a division, the ayes being Massrs. Kinross, Routledge, Kennedy, and Sutton. Toll-gate Amendment. Mr. Doebee withdrew the following question standing in his name, an answer having been already given to one of a similar nature. If it is the intention of the Government to bring in a Toll-gate Amendment Act this session. Bridge over Karamu Creek. Mr. Ma?u;y, pursuant to notice, asked His Honor the Superintendent— Whether it is the intention of the Government to take any measures for the erection of the proposed bridge over the creek leading to the Karamu from the Papakura block. - A bridge in the spot indicated was very essential. Since the Ngaruroro shifted its bed the settlers in the neighborhood had no means of access to their land except by a most roundabout way. A sum of £3OO would be sufficient to build the bridge, and the money would be well laid out. His Honok in reply stated that he was quite aware of the need of a bridge at the place indicated ; but it would be cf little use unless a bridge was also made across another creek —one of the main tributaries of the Ngaruroro. He could hold out no hope that money would be available for this this purpose ; but would point out that if the proposed railway scheme came into operation, it was very probable that this want would be supplied, aa the line would jnost likely pass in that direction. District Highways. Pursuant to notice Mr. Ormond moved — For the appointment of a Select Committee to consider and make recommendations as to the division of the £I2OO for Road Boards among the various districts of the province for the year commencing July 1, 1871. Such committee to consist of Messrs. Routledge, Russell, Kinross, Tanner, Bridge, Lambert, and the mover. —lt was the desire of the Assembly that the outlying districts should be those which should derive the greatest benefit for the road board grant. The work before the committee was cf an important nature, and he had endeavoured to suggest such men as would carry out its aim more effectually. The scheme last year had been presented to the Governor in Council. This year it would be presented to the Assembly. The provincial revenues enable us to provide for the maintenance of the main roads, the grant was for bye-roads. In making the scheme this year, he had done the best he could. Under it several Road Boards were now in operation. The Council bad thus some experience of its working, and could improve and complete it. The motion was then put and carried. Special Settlements. Pursuant to notice, Mr. Ormond movedThat a Select Committee be appointed to enquire and report what blocks of land are available for special settlement and also a 3

to the terms upon which such lands should be granted. Such committee to consist of Messrs. A'Deane, Colenso, Tanner, Dolbel, Kinross, Bridge, and the mover. —ln the resolutions adopted by the Council the other day, the last clause was to the effect that it was desirable that immigration should take place by means of special settlements. There "were some available blocks of waste land in the Province already, and if the negotiations for the purchase of the Forty-Mile-Bush were brought to a conclusion, the scope for the labors of the committee would be greatly enlarged. He, for his part, would give them all the information in his power. Capt. Carter. Pursuant to notice, Mr Ormond moved— That the correspondence relating to the resignation of office by the late Provincial Treasurer, Capt. Carter, be referred to a Select Committee to report on the claim put forward by that gentleman for consideration of past services. Such committee to consist of Messrs. Rhodes, Tiffen, Lambert, Russell, and Johnston. —Capt. Carter had been up to a month or two ago Crown Lands Commissioner and Provincial Treasurer. On the late amalgamation of General Government offices owing to the introduction of the Lands Transfer Act, he had been deprived of the first of these offices, and as the salary of the second was insufficient to support him, he resigned it. On his doing so he (Mr. Ormond) gave him to understand that he would bring his long services before the Council, and recommend that some compensation be given. For the loss of his office of Crown Lands Commissioner, he would get some compensation under the Civil Service Act, but a very small one. It was a delicate matter to speak of the circumstances of an old and respected settler, but there was no doubt that the compensation would be a matter of some moment. The motion was put and carried. Rates to Highway Boards. Pursuant to notice Mr. Sutton asked His Honor the Superintendent— > If he <ra> inform the Council what sums of money have been actually paid as rates to Highway i.oards in this Province within the past year. Mr. Ormond replied that, from a paper in his hand, he could give a tolerably accurate answer to the question ; he preferred, however, to get the exact account from the Provincial Treasurer. The minimum fixed by the scheme was one quarter of the sum granted by the Government, and this, at least, had in all cases been given. In some cases much more. In the Papakura district Is per acre was voted. Bank receipts for the amount raised by rates, had to be lodged before the grant was given. It would therefore be an easy matter to give the return asked for. Te Ante School Trust. Pursuant to notice, Lieut.-Col. Lambert moved — That the two Representatives for the House of Assembly be requested to exert themselves to cause an enquiry to be instituted for the purpose of ascertaining in what manner the profits arising from the Te Aute School Trust have been disposed of, and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded by the Speaker to each of the Representatives and the Colonial Secretary. —He had been frequently asked by his constituents why it was that there was no school at Te Aute, but had been unable to afford an answer. It seemed to be the ease both here and at home that if once bishops and archdeacons got hold of land, it was a matter of great difficulty to make them release their grasps (laughter.) The only way seemed to be to keep the matter continually before the eyes of the Government, and in order to gain this end he had proposed the motion standing in his name. Mr. Colenso would second the motion as proposed, but would have preferred it to be more strong and definite. He would have had it that our representatives should ask that the trust be taken out of the hands of the present trustees, and new trustees appointed. It was of no use waiting for a small corporate body to purify itself. Mr. Tanner doubted whether the Assembly had the power to interfere with the Twist. Mr, Ormond said that he had taken action in the matter in the House already. He had moved for an enquiry, and it was owing to that motion that Mr. Hart had come here, and a Commissioner had been appointed to investigate into this and other trusts in the colonies. There were several trusts of a similar description in the colony, and in no case had tbey been managed successfully. The present trust compared very favorably with any of them. In the town

of Wanjraoui, one third of t.he land was held in a trust of the kind. Its estimated value was £20,000, yet it was let .for. £IOO. He did not say that the .Te Aute trust had been used as it should hare been; it might be better no*v if the trust fund were put iuto the hands of more energetic men. It was a difficult matter to upset a trust. In the present instance they would baye to consider that the" trustees had a powerful interest in the legislation, and had also their legal position. He agreed with Mr. Gulenso, that if recommendations were made by the Council it should be definitely to do something, not merely to m-ke an enquiry. If they proposed the latter they would be assured that an enquiry had been made already. Mr. CpLENSO read a portion of the report of the Commissioners on the Te Aute school trust, which appeared in the appendix to the journals of the House of Representatives. Mr. Tiffen moved that the debate be adjourned till Tuesday to give time to consider this report thus brought to their notice. The debate was adjourned accordingly. Clive Square Bilk Mr Sutton moved the second reading of thin Bill. In so doing he could not but allude to the petition. It might be thought stiange that he should go against a petition .signed by 119 Napier residents, but he had good reasons for so doing. One of the parties mainly instrumental in getting it up had called on him and received a full explanation of the objects and provisions of the Bill, yet, atter this, the Bill was misrepresented in the petition. The petition was badly got up. He would defy any member to understand or explain the fifth clause. No attempt had been made or was likely to be made to vest the property in trustees. Fiom the official plan of the town, now on the Council table, it could be seen that it was never the intention of those >vho laid it out that any road should pass through dive Square. He believed that with the exception of three or four, all who signed the petition did so under mistaken ideas. He bad formed this opinion from conversing with some of them. One man thought Oailyle street would be completely closed ; another was under the impression that the Bill proposed to vest the management of the Square in the Cricket Club; and in fact very few had any idea of the true nature of the Bill, or knew what they were signing. In other provinces large and valuable sites were vested in trustees for public recreation grounds, and there was no reason why it should not be the case here, The proposed trustees would make all the required improvements in the reserve, and would not come to tie Council for as much as sixpence. A great deal was made of the diversion of traffic ; but that would be exceedingly slight. The Tennyson-street traffic would be diverted a few feet, and the Emerson• street traffic only about two chains. A public pathway through the reserve, where the road now passes, should be insisted upon, but not a cart-road. He trusted the Council would see the justice of the Bill. Mr Kennedy seconded the motion, as he believed the Bill would only have the effect of placing the reseive in the position it was originally intended to occupy. It could not be said that it would interfere with any road, because there was really no road there. Mr Maney said that before he could support the second reading of this Bill he must know whether the proposed trustees would have the power of imposing a fee for admission to the ground. He remembered the grant for a racecourse, which was said to be for public recreation —a kind of park; yet the public were forced by the trustees to pay a fee for admission. If the pro posed trustees of Clive Square were intended to have, this power, he would oppose the measure. Trusteeship was virtual possession, and in the ca-<e ot a trust being perverted, the remedy was only to be obtained in so roundabout a manner that it was very rarely that any person could be found to take it up. Mr A'Deane said there were many valid objections against closing what had apparently been a public right of road for a number of years. He thought the

might be left intact, and the portionH of t.he reserve on each side enclosed. The larger enclosure might then be used as a cricket 'ground, and the smaller be applied to purposes of general recreation. To close the present road through this' reserve would cause great inconvenience, and he considered that one of the first duties of the Superintendent was to see that no public rights of road were infringed. Lieut -Col Lambert said that, as the member who introduced the petition, he felt called upon to make a few remarks. He sincerely hoped this property would not be vested in trustees. fa They had had enough experience of trustee* in the case of the Te Ante school reserve. The Assembly, in changing the trustees of that property, would have a difficult card to play. The botanical reserve and the race-course were instances in our own vicinity. To change the racecourse trustees would cost more than the land was worth The proposed measure would have the effect of causing a great unnecessary diversion of the only straight level road we possessed in Napier, that certain gentlemen might have a cricket-ground. (A. laugh ) The member- for the town might laugh, but from the way he had spoken of the petition on the table it seemed he had little confidence in the views of his constituents, and no doubt they had a« little in him. If the management of this land was to be placed in the hands of any person, let it be the Superintendent of the Province The member for the town had bitterly opposed the closing of a byeway through the Government reserve, opposite his own door, but thought nothing of a protest of 119 of his constituents against being deprived of a right they had enjoyed tor fourteen years. Let the learned member opposite tell how many years were required to establish a legal light. Mr Routledgs would support the second reading of the Bill, lie had heard a suggestion to-night that a portion of the land should be enclosed as a cricket-ground. Any cricketer would tell them that the whole reserve was nob too large for that purpose. Cricket could not be played with a cart road running through the centre of the ground. Tt was not right that horses and carts shouid traverse a place of public recreation. A wicket-gate for foot passengers at each of the four sides would be siiiScieiit, As for vesting the reser\e in the Superintendent, that officer had plenty to attend to already. He could only appoint a committee, who would be in the same position as trustees. Lieut,-Col. Lambert : With this difference, that the Superintendent, who appointed them, would also have power to dismiss them. Mr Maney, in explanation, said that lie was not opposed to the reserve being set apart and improved for the public recreation ; but lie wished it to be free for ever to the people —that the trustees should be prohibited from ever imposing a charge for admission, or placing any other restriction upon the public. Capt. Russell said that several members had spoken of trustees as if their sole object would be to defraud the public. For his patt, he thought they vrere usually actuated by a strong desire for the public good, lie did not see why a charge for admission should be ligidly prohibited. A sixpenny fee on the occasion of a festival would surely be no hardship. Mr Tanner attached but little weight to the petition, knowing, as he did, the happy-go-lucky way in which sxtch documents were got up in Napier. He thought more of the i opinion ot the town members, who seeiuediiuianimous on the subject '.There seemed some practical benefit to be derived from the Bill. If the resene was left in its present indefinite state nothing would ever be done with it. Mr Kinross would support the second reading, lie was surprised that country members should seek to deprive the Napier people of their recreation ground (No, no.) It was quite time that this reserve was enclosed. People had actually asked him where Clive Square was. The stoppage of traffic complained of was a small matter indeed. The Carlyle-.-treet traffic was exceedingly small. (Oh, oh, and laughter.)

Tbe manner in which the proposed trustees had been spoken of was a poor rgturn for their public spirit, lieut.-Col, Lambeet disclaimed, any such object as the last speaker had attributed to country members. For his own part, he had simply presented a petition from 119 townspeople who found themselves unrepresented by their own represental ives, Mr Lee opposed the Bill. Had he been asked to present the petition, he would willingly have done so. The signatures were good, and he had no doubt the petitioners knew perfectly well what they were doing. There seemed to be some misunderstanding as to the object of the Bill. It was not to vest the property in trustees, but to place its management in their hands, as had been done in the case of the cemetery. Clause 2 provided that this management was to be under restrictions and limitations, but these strictions and limitations were not set forth in the Bill. The trustees would soon require money for the purpose of the trust, and he could easily understand that admission fees would soon be imposed. Jf cricketers had to pay for admission, children would soon have to pay before they could go in for a game of ball. Some of the members had spoken as if no recreation but cricket was available for the people, and as if nothing but the cricket interest was to be studied. As the road at present ran through the ground, there was about one acre of the reserve on one side, and two on the other. The two acre 1 por tion, he thought, should be amply sufficient for cricketing purposes. The Bill in its present shape contained so little of a restrictive nature that there was nothing to prevent the trustees, if so inclined, from completely enclosing the property, without so much as leaving a turnstile for the admittance of the pub lie. It was plain to him that the road had always been intended to run in its present direction. Had it been other wise, the proper one would have been laid out, and the present one never j have been made. No man in his senses, in laying out a town, would place a large longitudinal reserve directly across the middle of a main street, so that the traffic should go round it. Let the twoacre portion, if the public w ere willing, be made a cricket-ground ; but let not the Council perpetrate such an act of injustice as to shut the people—the women and the children —from a public reserve ; to forcibly take away the property of the whole of the town and give it to some thirty crieketers Mr A'Deane said that the member for Wairoa had, with his usual happy way of misrepresenting what was said, made a very unjust accusation against the country members, They had not «iven the slightest foundation for the statement that they wished to deprive the public of their recreation ground. Mr Colenso would not have alluded to the petition, had his colleagues al lowed it to rest quietly on the table ; but as they had not done so, he would also allude to it. With that petition he cordially agreed, and only lamented that he had not been in a physical condition to come to the Council and present it on behalf of his constituents. Unfit as he now felt himself to undergo the exertion, he felt that he would be unworthy of the confidence of the public if he did not stand in his place to resist to the utmost this spoliation of the town of Napier. The member who introduced the Bill had cast reflections upon those whose names appeared at the foot of the petition- had raid that they did not know what they were signing, and had almost hinted that false pretences had been resorted to by those who had token the question up. That petition was signed by many of the oldest and most respectable settlers in the town, many of whom lived in the neighborhood of the reserve, and used the road through it daily. The member for Wairoa had said there was no traffic through Carl yle-street. He would net have said so had he been in a position to give an opinion on the subject, If he lived on the other side of Clive Square he would never have supported the Bill, The feeling which ! instigated this Bill was: the opposition of the Shakespeare-road residents | against traffic in the diiection of Miltonroad. They saw that it would even-' tftftUy be. the great road to the Port, '

and they knew of no means so effectual to prevent this result as the fencing in of Olive Square. Farewell then to Milton road and the great road of the future through the present swamp.' The member who introduce'd' the" Bill said that the original grant was* for purposes of public recreation, and upon this very platform he (Mr C.) opposed this measure. The public lands and commonages of our forefathers were never fenced in from the public. It' this land was once fenced, in what was to prevent it from being made a cricket ground, a Band of Hope reserve, or being devoted to any other class purpose. The very reason why the surveyor who laid out the square had not drawn the line of road through it was because it was intended that it should never be fenced. Why at this time was an effort made to lock up the land ? Why not allow it to remain open as heretofore? One great blunder had nearly been perpetrated when a portion of this land was set apart for an Athenaeum. The Council had prevented this wrong from being committed, and veie now asked to sanction a worse one. So long as he lived and could raise his voice in the Council he would protest against this spoliation of the, property of the public of Napier. Mr Rhodes said this was essentially a town question; and the opinion of the town ought to be obtained. Only one side had yet been heard, and he thought the members who supported this Bill had been remiss in not getting up a counter petition. A great deal had been said on the subject; but there had been very little argument. He had tried yeat after year to have this land improved, and always been opposed by town members. He could not now account for them so suddenly changing their opinions. He should like to see the land ornamented and improved, and the first necessary step was to fence it in. There was nothing to prevent it being still perfectly free and open to the public Mr Sutton had not expected to hear it insinuated that he had hoped to derive any direct or indirect benefit from this Bill. So far from the proposed fence excluding the public, it would merely give them the use of the Square, which they had not at present. Old residents in the town had informed him that the impediment to traffic would be very slight, as Carly was but little used--all the traffic passing through Tennyson-street. He was at a loss to understand the objections raised by people in that part of the town, for their property would be materially improved by the alteration. If the Council were in favor of the reserve always being open to the public without charge, a provision to that effect might easily be inserted in committee. The Council then divided on the question with the following result:— Ayes, 11 :--Capt. Russell, Messrs Routledge, Kennedy, Kinross, Sutton, Tiffen, Rhodes, Bridge, Maney, Tanner, and Ormond. Noes, 6 :—Col. Lambert, Messrs Lee, Colenso, Dolbel, Johnston, A'Deane. The Bill was accordingly read a second time. Mr Sutton moved that the Bill be committed piesently. Mr Colenso moved as an amendment that the Bill be committed on Tuesday next. Amendment agreed to. The Toll-gate Act. Pursuant to notice, Mr. Sutton moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the Toll-gate Act. Leave was granted and the bill was read a second time. Napier School Bill. Mr. Obmond moved that the Napier School Bill be committed next sitting day. Mr. Colenso hoped he would be allowed to say a few words on the principle of the bill now. There seemed to be a disposition to grab all the valuable corner sections in the town on one excuse or another. There were many other sections more suitable for a school. The section granted in the bill, if we looked to the future, would be one of the most valuable sections in the city to be. Napier was a civitas inchoata. When it was complete, the section in question would be in the middle of the main street. He had been unable to go to see the scheme which was at Mr. Wilson's office for inspection, but he had seen a draft of it in the JJerald x the paper of the day. The s'ec-

tion chosen Wasiextremelyunsuitable for a school* as; owing to its proximity to the swamp, it was very unhealthy. ~ The motion was then put and carried. 'Rifle Volunteer Shed. Mr. A'Deane having moved the adjourn- . ment was in possession of the House. He was not inclined to accept the Bill in its present shape. The shed should-be made available to every branch of the service. Mr. Colenso opposed the Bill in its present shape. He would support a Bill to give the Volunteers a drill shed, but not in the centre of the town. To have a brass band in an incipient condition groaning at unseasonable hours would be sufficient to depreciate the property, for some distance to right and left. (Laughter.) The volunteer movement might increase; but, on the contrary, it might be on the wane. It would be the wisest plan, if any land was granted, to give a lease. They spoke in the Bill of building a shed. The term did not convey the idea of a building erected at such a large outlay as to necessitate the granting of land in freehold. Capt. Russell was opposed to the Bill. He thought that volunteering altogether, except in special branches as cavalry and artillery, might, with advantage, be dispensed with. If the present grant was agreed to, all the other volunteer corps would be applying for similar ones. Lieut.-Colonel Lambert, while agreeing in some points with the last speaker, did not approve of his view of the volunteer forces. They were very good and very valuable, if they were only what they professed to be. It was, however, no unusual thing to read in the Gazette that the services of a particular company of volunteers had been dispensed with. Such things as these were generally occasioned by disputes among themselves. He hoped that if a site was granted, it would be a little way out of the town, as the practising of the band was looked upon by many of the public as a nuisance. One thing seemed strange to him—that this application had been made by the Rifle Volunteers apparently without any reference to the Artillery Volunteer Corps. He should like the grant to apply to all the volunteers in the province. Mr. Ormond said that he was very desirous that some conclusion should be arrived at in this matter. He earnestly wished that a suitable site should be granted for the Napier school, and the two matters were connected with each other. He had arranged that the volunteers should have a three years' lease of a site at Clive Square, and had written them a letter to that effect; but the site had since been applied for for a school, for which purpose it was really the only one available. The volunteers could, if they wished, hold him to his arrangement, but he hoped to be able to induce them to take some other site in place of this one. Perhaps the Council would grant them a less central site at a longer lease; but at any rate the volunteers could not be expected to relinquish their claim without some equivalent. He would suggest that the Bill should be allowed to pass its second reading, with the understanding that certain limitations should be introduced into the grant, and provision made in case the company should cease to exist, that it might revert to the Government. The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Friday, his Honor undertaking to communicate with the volunteers in the meantime. Adjournment. It was then proposed that the Council adjourn to 7 p.m. Lieut.-Colonel Lambert moved an amendment that it adjourn to 7*30 p.m. He did not approve of its meeting so soon after tea. Amendment negatived, and Council adjourned to 7 p.m. The Council resumed at 7 p.m. Provincial Treasurer. Mr. Colenso moved for re-committal of item £250 to Provincial Treasurer. He thought that as Capt. Carter was obliged to resign because the salary attached to that office was too small to support him, if the salary were increased, he should have the offer of it. Mr. Sutton said that the state of Capt. Carter's health had been such as to unfit him for his duties, and that the work of the department was greatly in arrears. This, no doubt, was the reason why no offer of increase was made to him, though Mr. Ormond could not put it in this way. Mr. Rhodes would set his face against all re-committals. The Council should do so, if it did not wish the session to be prolonged indefinitely.

The question whether £2OO be substituted for £250 being put, Messrs; Cotenso, Lambert, Russell, and Buchanan voted for it, the rest : against it. Sutfsidy'fo Line of Coaches. Mr. Kennedy, at the request of some of his constituents enquired . whether this might not be dispensed with, as the line paid very well now. Mr. Colenso thought that if it were, continued, the coach proprietor should be prevented from incommoding, the passengers by carrying luggage. Mr. Ormond said that the coach line as far as Waipawa paid well,, the subsidy was for running beyond it. Mr. Colenso asked if tenders were called for carrying the mail to Pprangahau. If so the subsidy was an undue advantage. The item was ordered to stand over. Acclimatisation* Mr. Ormond observed that the ; grant was given with the view of resuscitating the Acclimatisation Society, and enabling them to introduce insectivorous birds. Mr. Colenso trusted the Council would pause. The Acclimatisation Society, in bringing these birds here, were doing a work for which, if he might use an expression not quite parliamentary, future generations would curse them. The birds would do more mischief by destroying fruit, than the good they would do by destroying insects. Mr. Ormond said the introduction of birds was not the only object aimed at. Trout might also be introduced with very little expense, from Hobart Town. The advisableness of introducing sparrows was questionable, but starlings, partridges, and finches, there could be no doubt about, and all these could be got from other parts of the colony. Mr. Tanner defended the sparrows, quoting the case of their destruction in a large district of France, and the bad results that followed. Finches were not insectivorous ; as for the hedge-sparrow—— Lieut.-Colonel Lambert : That was a species of hawk. (Laughter.) Mr. Tanner thought his friend's ornithology was rather shaky. Lieut.-Colonel Lambert thought the hon member had said hawk-sparrow. Mr. Tanner said that the introduction of the birds would do a great deal of good, besides enrapturing our souls with their songs. Lieut.-Colonel Lambert thought that doing away with the poetry of his friend, the sparrow would be a pest. He thought the item should be postponed. Mr. Rhodes trusted it would be passed. The aparrow could do no harm here, as we had no vignerons. He was in doubt about the fish, as the expense and risk would be too great. Progress was reported, and leave asked to sit again next sitting day. Slaughter House Bill. Mr. Ormond read a lettsr from the person in charge of the slaughter-house, stating that a careful account had beer, kept of all animals slaughtered; but the book had been stolen a few weeks ago. At present the province derived a revenue of £IOO per annum from the slaughter-house. It might be desirable to give up the revenue, and charge fees just sufficient to pay for oversight. Mr. Tanner observed that it was strange that the book referred to should have been stolen just when this Bill was about to be drafted. He did not say that the member who introduced the Bill had stolen the book, but it was a strange coincidence. (Laughter.) The Bill was read a second time and committed. Progress was reported, and leave asked to sit again next sitting day.