GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Kumara Times, Issue 638, 14 October 1878, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[PRESS AGENCY.] '.'.' ; HOUSE OF; REPRESENTATIVES. '•-' WBLLt^GTON^ctoberll. < In she"debate "upqnVti&e resolution of Mr ;B;owen,;rfelati,uW 'to Hosjiital' reserves, Mr'&tout said'the resolution carried jbyjthe. member for'Kaiapoi 'Was vague only.apply ;to hospitals possessing no endowments. (j /Mr Brpjvn charged>.tbe At? torney : General with encouraging these Bills:in'«rder'to bast" ridicule upon Mr | BAvfeh's resolutions':; ■ itie opposed the Bill. ; v;>{MK.Mnn-ay urged the preservation estate instead- of >sacrific-; :ißg.it;for:immediate.revenue. •'■■■■' "" j •fflSfr;Atkinson- said the resolutibh car:.ried by the member for Kaiapoi was a dem&nd for a general measure, which the Government should introduce. Mr liee-f contended the Government already had the power to make reserves for hospitals, and urged the rejection 1 of the Bill. Mr Saunders advocated, a general 'measiire- '': u l'. : '" "" ••' .'.' : '' *■ . Mr 'Wakefield referredto the,difference of hetweeii " ministers in ■%)& and them, with ighorlng a!deliberate resblutiOp.pf the House; ; . : '"' ' _. Mp Kenny was in favor of aCoraBill.. .- •; Mi- M'Lean approved, the Government.action inresisting these local Bills for endowments and declared his intention .to vote with the Government on the. question. ..The Premier paid the resolution carried by the member for Kaiapoi tvHB tqo vague, and did not define "districts." The House had imposed burdens which the Government could not,bear,' The House passed the resolu--1 tion hastily, and the Government could not hold itself pledged t> carry out such resolutions, but would make •'ample provision for hospitals and institutions. I&rge! appiopriations -of waste land would lead to abuses similar to the spoliation of church estates 1 in England. The Government would prepare a-mea-sure during the recess on a National basis. Mr Wason moved the pi*evious question, and the House divided, when the previous question was,.oarried .by forty to twenty-one. '•"■■■ The Bill waa therefore shelved. The Tuapelca. -Hospital. .Endowment - BUT was' similarly shelved ■pa a division on the raotiou 6f .Mr ' Rblleston by twenty-eigh t to 'fourteen. The following Rills passed:—Repeals,, Friendly Societies, 'Otago and South.-: land" Education .Reserves, Public Reserves, Sale Dangerous Goods Amendment, Disqualification No. 2, Thomas Harbor Board. '.-'." The District Railway Amendment Bill-was read a second time,^ The Electoral .Bill. was. postponed: .in. Council last night-in co-nseqgenca of a' question raised whether exceptional legislative in respect . of. the • Maori franchise ispot-autagoniaticrto the Constitution Act. -'- •'";"-•• d'ctoher 12. ' In the House last'iiight, in Committee on the Juries Bill, Mr Stout said the Bill had been drawn specially to introduce a new clause providing that neither plaintiff nor defendant be allowed special juries without the consent of the Judge, and that the jury panel should be so large that jurors' names would be known, and canvassing rendered.impossible. The clause exerapcing bank managers from service on juries was struck out on a division of 27 to 26. A new clause inserted doinjr away the exemption of Grand .and • Special Juries from serving on a^'petty jury was carried. The Bill was re- • ported with amendments.

MB. WARDEN PRICE'S REPORT > ON THE GREENSTONE GOLDFIELD. From the same source from which „w,e obtained the report of the Warden on the Kumara GoldMd, which .appeared in our last issue, we now extract for the information of our friends and subscribers on* the opposite side of the Tereraakau, his report of the Greenstone district, which,is as follows : GREENSTONE. . . This district, which.'.. is ~in the Grey ..County, is separated from Kumara hy the Teremakau River.- /During -the .early part of 1877, several .rushes took place irom Kumara to terraces on that side of ..the river.. Qn Quinn's. Terrace a considerable quantity.of.-ground was taken np> but from want of water to commatvd it-.the •. claims have been reduced to.about twenty. This caused a small digging township tq spring up below the terrace, which is generally known as but which has Rince dwindled down to nothing.: Several other small rushes- have taken place in different parts of j,be district, but note have beeu sufficiently remunerative to attract any population. The workings •ate restricted generally W ground' that has befia,oj)ene T d..SQrue, jears, for this is one.of ; the-Old&idiggingsiin it" having... ' m~.1864. The mineis 4re. the- terraces,, ,and wa< few, y ork the creeks. .^W/:';'■■• !-....■■■,■ ■'•" •■• ' ■:.

The aYe' mostly v carried on by grouji&sloKjisßg.;.-.eleven are 1 alt- yiith success ou socttqivof: the-'terraces lately opened by shafts antf drivitigj : ■ The Chinese in f thi4'dlsk«ict Dumber 172, restricting 5, their to the creeks and low flats jalojjg.tbe sides of tbem, and appear to be contented } they are a well-behaved and inoffensive body of men.

The^populat»ion ; iß reatimated, at 750, showing an increase 0f,150 over that of previous year. .The gold revenue is higher by ,£646MBs 6d j for 187T\" £566:i3s 6d. The yield of gold I believe to have "been good—certainly notVless list year—but it is impossible to arrive at a correct estimate, because 'a gptid 1 deal was takeD to Kumabi aiid. sold'tliei-e.' . ,

■ ' A largerace is now, being cohstnicted, iia.med ■ to a company. lis source of ..water ife (»r«enwtone Creek,; and it terminates oa Hayes' Terrace,; a distance of seven and a half miles, on which there are 54 men employed, to hasten its completion. It will have an abundant supply of water, and will conitiiund all the ground along the line of race, which i» known to'be auriferous and payable. On the whole the district is* fairly prosperous, and, from the known auriferous nature, of a large area of ground, which only requires a good supply of water at a high level to work it, holds out every pi'ospect of maintaining the present population for some time to come. During the year, the following number of . registration certificates for various rights were issued:— Head-races ...... ... . ... . ; , 47 Tail-races ... ... 39 Dams and reservoire... .-,;,.. .... 19 Tramways ... ',..' "... ... 6 Tunnels ... . *'.'.- . . t>i i; . <js Extended claims ... ... ,',.. 3 Residence"areas' ....,, • ... ... ■.3 Liens and mortgages. . ... ~. ».,', 27 Transfers' of all kinds .'.'...'• .... 70 Renewals and other regjstaations ... 166 ' Total '.-.I ; The above is for the year from Ist April, 1877 r imvrehV 1878.