WELLINGTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 159, 21 January 1854, Page 6

WELLINGTON.

We Lave the Independent of the 14th inst, nearly the whole of which, including- a supplement, is devoted to the proceedings of the Provincial Council and the speech, of Mr. Wakefield on the " Fencing Bill." The hon. member for the Hutt, appears to have exceeded even m's previous notoriety, for we have 6 letters in tbe supplement, aud two leaders, devoted to his castigation. ■ ■. In the Provincial Council, an Address to the Superintendent had been adopted, -'calling upon him to take means to secure an increased and efficient survey staff, to be paid out of the revenue of the current financial year." £4,000 had been voted for making the Ngahuranga road ; £5,000 for the construction of a road from VFairarapa to Ahuriri, and thence to the Manawatu ; and £4,000 for a trunk line of road from Wanganui towards Wellington. £10,000 had also been granted for immigration, " to be appliedonly/'astbeProvhicial Secretary observed, " when a favourable opportunity offered for its beueficial outlay, such as a turn in the labour market of the neighbouring colony of Victoria." His Honor had assented to the* Empowering Act and die Fines aud Forfeiture Act. Several of the clauses of the Fencing Bill had passed the Council, not without strenuous opposition from Mr. Ludlam and other members, including Mr. Wakefield. Among other Bills read the first time, v.as one proposing to change the name of the present town of Petre to its original one of Wangamii. The resolution proposed by Mr. Wakefieid—" That in order to complete the system of Responsible Government in this Province, the Superintendent ought to be empowered to appeal to the electors' by means of dissolving the Provincial Council," was adopted | by a majority of the Council. I NELSON. In the Examiner of the 7th instant, we find " that the harvest hud commenced in the Waimea, both oats and wheat having been cut. The season continues dry, but although the late sown crops will be light, those sown in proper season will be good.'' In the Provincial Council, an amendment reducing the salary of the Superintendent to £300, was adopted by a majority of the Council. The Speaker, for the first year, declined any payment for his services. The following salaries were afterwards passed hy the Council •— Solicitor £200, Treasurer £SOO. Clerk of Public \\ orks and Inspector of Roads £250, Interpretor £oQ. per annum. The sum put down for the expenses of Returning Officers was increased to £50. Mr. Elliott's resolution, for flowing members residing more than 12 miles

iv a direct line from the Council Chamber, 10s. each day they attended the meeting- of the Council, provided they did not receive more than £25 for any one Session, passed the Council. After some discussion, the sum of £\BO was granted to Mr. Campbell, the originator of • he Nelson School Society, to enable him to "render his schools efficient for the present year." The proposition of Mr. Elliott, for the Council to sanction "the appropriation by the Superintendent, assisted by the Executive Council, of a sum not exceeding £2000 out of the General Kevemie, for the purpose of promoting Steam Navigation in connection with this Province," was affirmed. The Bill for raising a rate on lands for the repairing of the roads had got through Committee. A Meeting of the Nelson School Society had been held at which His Honor the Superintendent presided. . The funds of this Socieity being at a very low ebb, Air1. Jollie, in his remarks, solicited a more exteuded grant from the public funds for its support, and suggested that no person should be allowed to register as a voter who had not, either from a clergyman, schoolmaster, or other competent person, a " testimonial of reasonable proficiency in at least the rudimentary arts of reading and writing." AUCKLAND. We have no papers from Auckland by the late mail via Wellington, but the Wellington Independent had received, overlaud, despatches up to the 10th ult. The Provincial Council was still discussing the Estimates : the Superintendent's salary had been fixed at £800.—A destructive fire had occurred at Auckland, by which property belonging to Mr. Nicholson, boat builder, had been destroyed to the amount of £1000. The, Tarandki Herald of Dec. 21, says, " We hear from a private source that his Excellency returned to Auckland the day before the mail left, and that he is expected to sail for England early in January." NEW PLYMOUTH. A second Money Bill had"been passed by the Provincial Council, to extend for three months only, as the previous one. On the 22nd ult., Mr. Burton moved the following resolutions in reference to the Governor's proposed appropriation of the Revenue. 1. That this Council have taken into consideration certain papers laid on the table by order of His Honor the Superintendent, at thesitting held on December 10th, 1853, relating to the financial arrangements proposed by His Excellency the Governor, for defraying the expenses of the Department of Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, and of the department of Registrar of Deeds, and the local expenses of the Supreme Court, also the draft of an Ordinance transmitted by His Honor for appropriating money to the public service of the Province for the quarter ending 31st March, 1854; 2. That whilst this Council fully recognises the advantage of maintaining an uniform administration throughout the colony of the departments in question, and on that ground approves of the proposed retention of those departments in the hands of the General Government, this Council will, nevertheless, decline to make provision for any public service not in the hands of an Executive accountable to this Council until such time as an efficient, control over the whole public expenditure shall have been established by the summoning of the General Assembly. 5. That this Council cannot approve of the existing arrangement under which certain departments are in one Province placed under the control of the Provincial Authorities; whilst the same departments in another Province are retained under the management of the General Government. ; 4. That whilst this Council, from the necessity of the case, is obliged for a second quarter to appropriate such portion of the revenue as has been placed in its hands under the authority of instructions issued by His Excellency, it nevertheless must express its regret that*'the General Assembly has not yet been convened, and that the revenue of the colony is consequently disposed of in a manner at variance with the provisions of the New Zealand Constitution Act. 5. That the foregoing resolutions be communicated to His Honor in the usual way for transmission to His Excellency.

A Scab Bill, an abstract of which we hope to give next week, had also been introduced, and a bill for the acquisition of land for the construction of roads. The Council have also unanimously agreed to levy a tax mi town and other land, and also town properly, " to be applied to the introduction of labourers into that colony ; " men," said Mr. Outfield, the proposer. " who had never aspired to anything beyond hard work, and plenty of it." On the 23rd hist., the Council adjourned to Jan. 13.