Provincial Council.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 256, 14 April 1855, Page 3

Provincial Council.

Wednesday, April 11. Present, all tlie members, .except Messrs. Aylmer^yVard, and Moorhouse, who is,absent from the.Province. His Honor.'"the Superintendent and.'several members of the Council attended t>ivirie Service at eleven o'clock, on which occasion an eloquent sermon was preached by the Rev. O. Mathias. After the celebration of the Holy Communion the members of the Council proceeded to * the Council Chamber. The Speaker' took the _hair at 2 o'clock. Immediately afterwards His Honor was announced, attended by the Members'of the Executive' Government. He then proceeded to read the Address, a copy of ■ which we subjoin :—- Mb. Speaker and Gentlemen or the Provincial Council. The Session which is about to take place will be one of unusual importance, not from the variety, but from the nature of the subjects which will be brought.under yoiir consideration. Before, however, alluding to those subjects I cannot but congratulate you upon the change which has taken place in your body since I last addressed you. The Provincial-Legislature has exercised for the first time the highest of the privileges. which has been bestowed on ;it by the British Parliament—the power of constituent legislation. In the exercise 'of that power, the original constitution of your Council has undergone a change, which will, 1 I doubt not, enable it to command the confidence of the people, in a larger and fuller degree than heretofore. It is additionally gratifying to me to reflect that this change has been made ait so early a period in -compliance with a general demand on the part of the people.' A demand not arising from any hostility to or mistrust of the Council as hitherto constituted, but indicating rather that the people are taking an increasing interest in their public affairs, and more fully recognise and appreciate the powers and privileges which they possess, and the responsibility which attaches to their .exercise. I may be allowed* to take this opportunity of acknowledging in the warmest terms the p.ttient and attentive consideration which the Council as hitherto constituted has paid to the measures which it has been my duty to submit to it, aud how deeply indebted I stand to its members for their co-operation, their advice, and their assistance. They may fully claim the gratification of reflecting that the measures which they have passed have proved to be beneficial to the Province, and. satis factory to the community in no ordinary degree. I am happy to be able further to congratulate you upon the steady advance which this Province is making in general wealth and prosperity; a prosperity the more satisfactory because is shared by all classes of the community. It'isnot in my power to lay before you any official statistics which will enable you to judge of the advance which has been made. Some amendments in the Census Ordinance will'be proposed to you which may enable me,, in future years, to provide such information, but so far as incidental sources of information may be relied on, there can be no doubt that the quantity of land now in cultivation is considerably greater than when I first ooened the Council eighteen months ago ; aud I have reason to believe the amount of stock' in the Province has nearly doubled since that time. The population has slightly increased. The im- . ports have increased considerably, and the exports very largely. The latter fact is very significant. The increase iv imports for the year ending the 31st December last is returned at 29 per cent, over those of the preceding year, whilst the increase in the exports for the same period is one of no less than 500 per cent, over, and it is certain that from the value.of the wool of the present season, the exports will again be far more than doubled in next year's returns. This is a very encouraging fact, inducing the hope that our settlement, so lately formed, is rapidly [approaching the normal condition of every country iv a healthy state of trade, and thai the imported necessaries and luxuries which we enjoy, will, before long, be paid for wholly V by the products of our own labour, and the. re-Xso^-trces of our own Province. • \ Tlie only drawback to this state of general pNpsperity arises from the great scarcity of laboV This, however, will be probably of tempo™i'\duration, as the arrival of immigrants both fromAustraliaandfromEiigland may now be daily. looW for. With regard to immigration from Enghud I regret to inform you that owing to

the delay _in pay ipg over the proceeds ,qf the land fund to,the, Provincial chest, and.the consequent inability of the Provincial Government, to transmit funds ;to -England, a delay;has oc-. curved in niakiiigarrangements, with shippers to ( uodertuke the immigration. , I endeavxmred to avoid, the difficulty by empowering the .agent, in England to draw on the Provincial Govern-. ment; but there ( appears to be some temporary difficulty in negotiating such -bills. As soon, however, as I was apprised of the difficulty, I caused £ 10,000-to be transmitted to Mr. Godley through the Union Bank, and in the meantime Mr. Godley. and Mr. Selfe have again come forward ..to,aid the settlement by their private credit.. So that some immigrants may .be. daily expected. To the same scarcity of labour you jfrnust the apparent delay which exists in accomplishing those public works,for which funds have been voted by the Proyincial Council. . In this matter I have felt it incumbent on the Government to act with great caution, both to avoid withdrawing labour from the ordinary occupations of the colony, especially during harvest time, and also to avoid throwing such large public funds into the labour market as to raise the price of labour to an extent.ruinous to the ordinary employer. Ido not, however, doubt but that with the assistance that will shortly be received from fresh immigration, all the works for which funds have been voted, will be accomplished in the course of the ensuing year. With one or two trifling exceptions, however, it.is,not the intention of the Government ;to "ask you for any further {votes on account of public works for the current year, both because it is not likely, that any works besides those already engaged in, could with the labour we shall be able to command be readily executed duringthe current year, aud also because no larger sums than those already voted could be safely expended in {labour during that time without risking so serious a disturbance of the labour market, as to inflict considerable injury on the Province. With regard to the main work undertaken by the Government — the Sumner Road, —so much misapprehension exists that I shall request your attention fur a few moments to that subject. The Commissioners appointed to enquire into this subject bave reported on tbe best line of road, and also on the best line of railway. I entirely agree with those who think that a railway from Lyttelton to Christchurch is necessary, in order to develope tbe resources of this settlement. And I have no doubt .that iv a few years, the Province will be in a position to undertake such a work. At present it possesses neither means nor credit, public or private, for so large an undertaking. In a young and comparatively unknown community the establishment of the public credit is the first consideration, to undertake a work far beyond our present means would be ruinous, not only to that work, but to future undertakings. On the other hand, the formation of the cart road into the interior from the Port will only hasten the time when the Province will he able to undertake a railroad; and the sum of money required for this work is only a small fraction of that necessary for the construction of a railroad. 1 have had an accurate and detailed survey and estimate made of the Sumner road. If that estimate had much exceeded the sum I proposed to you to spend on the work, T should have again referred the subject to your consideration, before engaging in the task, but I am happy to be able to state to you that after the most complete and careful survey of the whole line, it appears that a good practicable road for carts of full breadth throughout may be opened within twelve months for the sum of about .£12,000, whilst a further expenditure of ten or twelve thousand pounds would effect such improvements chiefly in metalling the road as to render it a first rate road throughout. Such further improvements, however, are not necessary in order to open the road for traffic; they need only be effected in a series of years, and will probably be in a great measure unnecessary. The road now surveyed is considerably shorter than that originally laid out. It will present no dangers. Instead of the precipitous rocks and lofty retaining walls of the old road, the retaining walls are very trifling in extent, and will nowhere exceed four feet in height, and on the Sumner side instead of a long descent of two and a quarter miles in a very steep hill side, the proposed line will descend by a hill of less than a mile iv ground of tbe easiest possible character. The complete survey moreover shews that the tunnel will pass 270 fept below the summit ofthe hill. : This road will therefore save a perpeu-

dicular rise of no less than 700 feet as compared with any road which can be made over "any. : other part of the hills. After the most mature consideration of the whole subject/aided by the elaborate and.careful survey which hasunpir. been made, I am satisfied that as a means of. surmounting the gieat natural obstacle which those lofty and precipitous hills present to the communication between the port and, the plains, the road now determined on is not.only thebest which can be made, but also'that it will-be a work reflecting the highest possible credit oa the sagacity and skill ofthe engineers by whom it was origiaally proposed, andjupon the gentle-: man by.whom the details bave been completed . I am compelled to the conclusion that it win, prove.not only to be the cheapest road -in* point ■ of actual cost which can be made, but immeasurably the cheapest as regards the advantage* it will present when done. The unavoidable delay which has occurred from the necessity of completing a careful survey,of the whole line being at an end, I propose to prosecute the work in the,course of the ensuing year with the utmost expedition. With regard to the financial condition of the Province I have caused a statement.to be prepared, .shewing the amount of .expenditure which has taken place in the past year. Whilst that expenditure has fallen within the estimates on the .whole, there has been a slight excess in some departments. The rearpns for this excess .will be explained to you in proposing „ bill for the appropriation of the sums comprised in it. lam happy to be able to direct your attention to the fact 'that the ordinary Revenue of the Province bashitherto been sufficient to provide for all the ordinary and curreut expences of the Government without drawing upon the Land Fund. This is a state of things which I hope will ever be scrupu^ ( lously observed. It appears to me to be not only unsound in a financial point of view, but very unfair towards one class of the community7 that the funds derived from-the sale of the Waste Lands, should be. applied to liquidate the current and ordinary expences ol Govern-: ment. If the ordinary annual expences of Government are allowed to encroach on the casual and ; incidental receipts, one great cheek on the expenditure will be removed and a spirit of extravagance will, not improbably be fostered. The Lands should rather be regarded as the capital stock of the.country and their proceeds should according to all sound economy be expended in giving permanent value to the land itself: for example, in the introduction of labour without which the land is valueless and in the construction of Public works which facilitates its occupation, and amongst those public works not the least in importance is the buildin? and endowment of schools for the benefit of Ihe occupiers of the.land. In proposing the estimates which will be laid before you for the ensuing year the same principle has been observed.. You are already in possession of the instructions from his Excellency hy which it appears that one half instead ol one third of the general and land revenues of the colony is to be paid to the General Government. lam unable to understand why so large a portion of the revenue is necessary to meet the expenditure of the General Government, and I entertain no doubt whatever but that the proportion will shortly a*ain be altered, and that the Province will be entitled to receive at least 2 3rds of the revenue during the ensuing year. I» that event the revenues ot the Province will probably exceed the sums set down in the estimates. Among the subjects which will come before you in the^course ofthe present session, that which will principally occupy your attention will be the disposal of Waste Lands. The measure to he piopospd by tbe Government has been so long before the public, and has been so amply discussed that it is unnecessary for me to dwell upon it at any length, The policy upon which it is based may be briefly embodied iv two propositions. Fir«t, that the occupation ofthe soil by settlers who require it, and will use it for agricultural purposes, is the basis of all real and durable prosperity to a colony, and ought therefore to be regarded as the main object to which all others shoulp be made subservient. Secondly, that until the Waste Lands are required by'agiicullural settlers the utmost possible encouragement should be given for their use for pastoral purposes. It cannot he too often or too stronirly-'asserted that the interests of the pastoral and agricultural settler are not opposed to one another, but are identical, for whilst as I have said the settlement of the lands in the hands of bona fide occupiers aud cultivators is the main aud ultimata

object to be kept in view, that object is largely promoted, not retarded, by the temporary occupation of the Waste Lands by pastoral settlers. The cultivator of the soil benefits at least as largely as any other class in the community by the prosperity of the squatter. The introduction of capital, the importation of stock, the cheapieuirig of animal foodj the creation of a large export trade in a commodity of all others the most readily produced^ and the consequent stimulus given to the importation of the necessaries and lu_uries of life; these, the results of the squatter's enterprise, add largely to the wealth and prosperity, not only of tlie settlement generally, but especially of the agriculturist by extending his market for his produce, v The prosperity of the squatter cannot then justly become an object of jealousy to other classes of the community unless it lie gained at their expense. And the limit to the encouragement which tbepastoralinterest should receive,may be defined ;by this principle, that it should never be per-; initted to stand in the way of the permaneut settlement of the country by the cultivator of otbesoil. And in the filial disposal of the land for permanent settlement, a; leading 'principle seems equally.-obvious. I mean that the settler should be enabled to acquire it on the easiest possible terms. Not indeed at the lowest price; for terms which would admit of the land falling into the hands of large capitalists * for speculative purposes, would be not the easiest but the hardest of all terms to the settler of limited means. I mean the easiest terms consistent with all the conditions and circumstances of the case. lam aware that it has been proposed to set aside certain parts of the country in which the sale of the land shall be limited to the bona fide occupying settler '-by. affixing to^the sale conditions of occupation ; • stich as theexpenditure of a certain suni of ihoney in improvements^ and withholding the Crown grant" until those conditions are fulfilled^ I -hopeno such system will ber adoptedby your Council. A system which involves, an inquisitorial inspection of every maa's property, which places the settler at the mercy of the opinion or caprice of an official of government who is to determine the nature and value of his^improvements-— which prohibits for several years the sale and interchange of property—which - compels tbe in-" Testmeiit of labour upon a precarious title, and iby preventing the settler from borrowing money ,for purposesOf improvement., virtually dissevers: cajpital from the land ; and more than all a systemwhich would impose these hard terms upon the pbornian whilst it leaves open) a great part oof the country to be bought by rich men witheut any such conditions or restrictions:—-this seems tor me to be a system not only repugnanto theTcharacter and habits of the English people but entirely opposed to all soundecononiical principles. ■ The problem, gentlemen, which is offered to your practical solution, is"firstori what terms can the agriculturalsettler be enabled to acquire land with the greatesUfacility. Secondly, to what extent can you encourage the)temporary occupation Ofthe unoccupied portion of the province for pastoral purposes without in any degree impeding the advance of its permanent .settle-: ment- ■/.•I'>-b. a,)l--glad!y-;junte'-wiih yon in recommending to his Excellency any plan which will accomplish these objects. . [We are unable to give the remaining por tion . of His Honor's address and the proceedings after Wednesday, as our correspondent's packet has not reached us.] A iter the retirement of His Honor, Mr. Hall stated that he should to-morrow move an Address to His Honor in reply to the speech they had just heard. He would aleo propose certain aherations in the Census Bill, in accordance with the suggestions of His Honor. Mr. Brittan said he would to-morrow ask a question in reference to the appointment of the Colonial Treasurer, and also would move for ihe production of any correspondence which had taken place upon the subject. The Speaker rose to announce his intention to ask thy house to relieve him from the duties of his- office; he regretted that the demands upon his time would render it impossible to retain urn office longer. He had to thank the House for the indulgence it had shown to him, and tea it was due to them to announce his intention _ t this early period of the session. ! Mr. Hamilton gave notice of his intention to ask what a r ran laments had been made in reference to the consiruciioii of roads, and to the appropriation of the votes oflart session, in ree renpo to the. Governor's Bay Road, the Sum-

ner Road, the Lincoln Road, and the-! South Road; also what contracts had been entered into in reference to the^New Council Chamber, and further, if no expense had been incurred, he should propose to the house the appointment of a j Committee, in order that immediate measures j be taken for the accoramodation_aud convenience of members. » t~< Several other returns were moved for by Mr. Tancred, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Thomson, Mr. Brittan, Dr. Donald, and Mr. Ollivier. On the proposition that the bouse adjourn till 6 o'clock on Thursday, Mr. Hamilton rose to object: it was an inconvenient hour for the Lyttelton members; he would propose as an amendment that the- house meet at eleven o'clock. Mr. Packer objected to this proposition, and drew the hon. gentleman's attention to the Standing Orders. ' Mr. Hall objected to the alteration ; if there had been no other reason, he thought the pressure of business which had so suddenly come upon them would render the later hour necessary for the members of the Government to acquaint themselves with the terms of the notices, and the answers to be given to them. Mr. Sbwell asked what was the order in which the Government proposed to take the business of the house. Mr. Hall said he should to-morrow move an answer to the address, and also an alteration to the Census Bill; on Friday, he should propose to suspend the Empowering Ordinance; early next week he should move for a Bill for providing the machinery for the construction of roads; and also a Land-rate Bill; and as early as pos-. sible after, the Government Waste Lands' measure. Mr. Hamillton asked how soon the Estimates would be laid before the house; the first of April had passed, and all payments were now ; without authority. Mr. Hall said they were in an advanced ...stated and would be laid on the table as soon as possible. The house then adjourned till 5 o'clock on Thursday.