The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 545, 23 January 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

..J . > . Saturday, January 23. The present Session of the Provincial. Council is not likely to be very tedious. Neither the address of His Honor ;the Superintendent nor the statement of the ■'■ Provincial Secretary on Wednesday give, promise of any lengthened business. • The. address does not introduce any subject of; a debatable nature; it is rather the refleb--tion' of a time when there are fewi grievances or difficulties to contend with/

Notice has been given of but three Government Bills. The Canterbury Associa-; tion's Reserves Amendment Bill is to enable the Superintendent to convey by way of free grant certain portions of the Christchurch Town Reserves to the Church of England, the Church of Rome, and the Wesleyans, as sites for places of worship and schools. Such grants are necessary to meet the requirements of! the enlarged town. It seems, however, but just that these grants should be made in proportion to the numbers belonging- to; the different communions; it appears by the schedule to -the present-bill.'that; three acres are to, be given to each of the above-mentioned j bodies. It was understood by many that two sites were to be appropriated to 1 the r Church of England,—one on the north! side of the :town, and; another orithe^ south. Why should the grant be the same' to the Church of England) which, accord-? ing to the last census numbers 4,455 mem-1 bers in the Province,; and to the Church of ; Rome, which only numbers 233 ■?■■< ' i The Waste Lands Regulations Amend-, ment Bill is by no means so important as, it sounds.' It is introduced on account of, some alterations which have become neces-, sary to facilitate the technical working of the Regulations, and to clear up an obscu-; rity in the original enactment; with i reference to the exercise 'of'(Pre-emptive [ Itiglits. There is no intention of tamper-* ing with the! general.principles .of;-.tfief, Regulations.* The main provisions of :thss Bill will be-found: in vthe speech of .th' 4 Provincial Secretary on its introductions | \.. The Custom House Reserve Bill, of which notice has been given^ is1: not yet in/the hands of Members; ; It is .simply to!'enable

the Superintendent to^cdnye£the Custom House Reserve in .Lyttelton td the General Government^ on; condition, we upresfime, that a Custom <• House, he built .thereon without delay. •.^ * . -\ • r The only private Bill that, we have heard of as about.to.be 'brought forward js In wood's Mill Bill, which was disallowed by tlie Governor, on, the .grounds merely < of a technical informality. - •_ i . > 1 -It will be seen that there is but , Jittle before the Council in the way of legislation. The Estimates for, the, half-year from April 1 will 1 occupy most of, the time of the Session., The most .essential votes of <money, viz.; on Public,Works,*are rto .first considered by ,«• Committee to,,be called the • Public^iOrks Committee.,. .As the Public Works Estimates probably ,the most importarit question sto- be considered during the Session, ' w;e hope, that the Committee appointed to inquire,,iftto them will not consider that its decision is _^ to be binding on the Provincial' Council. Last year, it, will be i > remembered, tjhe Public Works Committee appeared. }to. think that the Council ought to be bound, or nearly so, by the report it'sent up. Now, without in.any w.av wishing to Undervalue the opinion „o£ the gentlemen placed upon this year's .Committee, ; we cannot look' upon it as t representing the whole community sufficiently; to .prevent the Council from-departing if > neipessajy from the course it may recommend. W& conceive that the duties of the Committee are to'investigate* the" evidence brought before them, and to lay it, together with the results they haveiarrived at, in a. tangible form before the Council. We could nave wished to have seen one of the. Members for the.outlying districts placed;upon the Committee: it > appears. as ' it: stands too exclusively composed. Tof. Members whose interests lie in the towns .andrj/h^ir vicinity; Would npt Mr, Cass,* the , only professional man in the Council, occupy a seat in the Committee to the advantage of the public? "< We must postpone any further remarks upon the Works proposed until the Estimates are in the hands, of the Council.