The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1867. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 160, 11 July 1867, Page 2

The Nel son Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1867. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wednksday, July 10. The Speaker took the chair at 5 o'clock. All the members were present, except the Provincial Solicitor, and Messrs Redwood, Thompson, and Dreyer. Mr Simmonds moved that this Council is of opinion that a Dry Dock is the most suitable structure for repairing vessels in Nelsou harbor. He remarked that there was no doubt that the majority pf the members would agree that a dock was the best. The Provincial Secretary said that the Council would stultify itself by agreeing to this resolution, inasmuch as it had already expressed its opinion ou this subject in the Act which it had passed this session; and moreover it was not competent to decide on the question, as it devolved- upon the Executive to obtain information on which they might decide which was preferable, a dry dock or patent slip. This was the opinion which had been generally expressed by the Council, and many of its members felt disinclined to vote at all, so as not to hamper the action of the Executive. Messrs McMahon, F. Kelling, and White opposed the motion, and re-echoed the sentiments expressed by the Provincial Secretary. Mr Donne said that he considered that the Council was competent to express an opinion on any measure which involved the expenditure of the revenue.* Mr Pitt was opposed to tying the hands of the Executive by any vote of the Council such as was now proposed. He considered that £25,000 would be insufficient for the purpose, and felt confident that if it were made known throughout the Australian colonies that such an Act had been passed for the construction of either a dock or slip, that there would be no lack of contractors for it. Mr. Baigent said that the Committee on the Harbor Improvements could not decide which was most suitable, and it would be better to await the report of Mr. Balfour. Mr. Simmonds accused the Council of being chary of committing themselves to any expression of opinion on the subject, and could not see why, if members pronounced an opinion on the erection of a bridge, they should not do so on this subject. If £25,000 was not sufficient, why not vote a larger sum ? He should call for a division, if only to record his own vote. A division took place. Ayes 5 and Noes 5, the following members declining to vote : — Messrs. Pitt, Gibbs, Wigley, White, Burn, Parker, Baigent, and Wastuey. The Speaker gave his casting vote with the Noes, and the motion was lost. Mr. C. Selling's motion that his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to send a surveyor, with the least possible delay, to look at and report upon a proposed deviation from the .present road leading over the hills from WaimeaWest to the Moutere district, seconded by Mr. Parker, was agreed to. /£., Mr Akersten, in moving that the Council is of opinion that the watermen and ballastgetters of the port of Nelson should be licensed, said that it was the express wish of the watermen that they should be iicensed. The Provincial Solfcitor had last year expressed himself opposed to such a measure, but had since stated that he was favorable to it. A great deal of

trouble was also experienced, through vessels going away with insufficient ballast, and by the absence of any means at present of determining the quantities of ballast put on board vessels, which pointed to the advisability of also licensing ballast-getters. If licenses were required for cabmen, they were so much the more necessary for watermen, and such a measure would have the effect of always securing the services of able watermen and good boats. Mrßuru seconded the motion, observing that he was under the impression that the Marine Act required that watermen should be licensed. Mr F. Kelling objected to the imposition of any fresh taxes on the population. Mr Bentiey supported the motion, but thought a scale of charges should be fixed. Mr Pitt said that, iustead of imposing a tax by this measure, it was one of protection both for the public aud the watermen. The Provincial Secretary, in explanation, said that there was no necessity for passing such a measure, as the Marine Act empowered the Superintendent to license watermen, but did not make it imperative on him to do so. Still the Council was competent to recommend such a step. Mr. Parker enquired why the Government had not done this, if they thought it necessary ? He felt himself in the same predicament as on the consideration of the Dry Dock question. The subject had been brought before the Council last session but nothing had been done. Iu reply to a question from from Mr. McMahon, the Speaker said that such a resolution would be regarded simply as an expression of opinion by the Superintendent, to be acted on or not as he chose. Messrs. Donne, G-ibbs, and Baigent having spoken to the question, Mr. Akersten briefly replied, and the motion was carried. On the motion of the Provincial Secretary that the House go into committee on the Estimates, Mr. Donne proposed as an amendment, that the Estimates should be referred back to the Government for revision, aud in a lengthy speech said that it was fortunate that the gold-fields had been discovered at that particular time, or the province would have been in a very depressed state, and read an extract from the late Superintendent's speech in support of this statement. Whether his amendment was carried or not, it would have the effect of placing the relative financial affairs of the province fairly before the country. He then went through the various headings of the Estimates, showing that out of the total amount of probable revenue, viz., £115,750, £78,550 were derivable from the gold fields, whereas it was only proposed to spend £48,404 on the West Coast district ; and including sums already ordered to be put on the Estimates the order of things would be practically reversed, and thus nearly £67,000 would be spent in the opposite direction. It had invariably been assigned as a reason for shelving West Coast questions in the Council, involving an expenditure of the public money, that more money had already been expended than had been received from the West Coast. Mr. Donne showed that, on the contrary, nearly £50,000 had been received from the gold-fields in excess of the expenditure up to the end of the financial year in March, 1867, and attempted to prove that the estimated revenue of the province would be found to be below the probable amouut by £25,000. Should his predictions prove correct, the province would benefit at the end of the present financial by £105,000 by the gold-fields. It was a recognised principle that large contributors to the revenue should have a voice in its expenditure, but

this had been ignored by the Council and the Government, who had refused to increase the representation of the Goldfields. He regretted that such an admirable opportunity had been lost of gracefully recognising the important interests of that district, -while he acknowledged that the Province had expended, up to August, 1864, a sum of £24,000 in making roads from Nelson in the direction of the West Coast. Still it might be fair to debit the West Coast with a part of that amount, and perhaps with £3,000 or £4,000 a year towards the maintenance of what might be regarded as Provincial institutions, and concluded by saying that the Governmeut might, with advantage, take an example from Canterbury, whose Superintendent had thought it wise to spend a considerable time on the West Coast, in order to familiarise himself with the interests of that district, and he recommended to the Council the perusal of the Report of the Westland Commission, appointed by the Canterbury Government, which contained very valuable sug- , gestions. The Provincial Secretary, in reply, combatted the varion3 arguments brought for., ward by the last speaker, declining to recognise the gold-fields revenue as such, and asserting that the probable revenue of the gold-fields for the present year had been overestimated. The proposal that the Nelson Government should copy the Canterbury Government was quite a novel one. It was certainly the first time this had been suggested, and the general feeling on the West Coast was certainly opposed to it. Mr Parker said that the Provincial Secretary had replied to most of the arguments advanced by the member forCobden. Now the distribution of the revenue on the principle of population could be deemed unfair, he was at a loss to discover, for though there was a population of 15,000 oq the West Coast, there was also a population of the same amount in the settled districts of the province, and they were heavily taxed beyond the actual necessaries of life. The Government had been put to yreat expense by the gold-fields in each of its departments, and he thought it should not go forth that the diggers' interests bad been neglected by the Council. Thousands had been spent on the West Coast in making roads, and he believed that when these things were put fairly before the settlers in that part of the province, they would acknowledge that they had been equably dealt with. Mr Pitt and Mr Burn supported the Government against the charges made by Mr Donne, and the amendment, which had not been seconded, fell to the ground. On the motion of the Provincial Secrel tary Mr, Akeisten having previously suggested that it should be distinctly defined in what order the public works should be proceeded with, and that the revenues on the West Coast should not be dispensed by one individual as at present, the Council went into Committee on the Estimates, Mr. Kingdon in the Chair. On the first item — The Superintendent — being read by the Clerk, Mr. Baigent proposed to fill up the blank with the sum of £600, which was supported by Mr. Wastney. Mr. Bentley then moved, as an amendment, that the sum of £1000 be voted, arguing that the Superintendents of Otago, Canterbury, and Auckland, were in receipt of £1500 each, and that the responsibilities and labor attached to the Superintendency of this province were as great as in those provinces. This was supported by Messrs. White and Donne. Mr. Pitt moved, as a second amendment, that the salary of the Superintendent be £800.

The first division was taken on the lower sum of £600, for which there [appeared Ayes 4, Noes 14, the Speaker declining to vote. The third amendment on the next sum proposed, —£Boo, —was- then put to the vote, and carried on division by 12 to 6, the Speaker again declining to vote. The item therefore stands at the last mentioned amount. The following,., items: in/ the Superintendent's establishment, viz.r the •Provincial Secretary, £400 ; Clerk, £250; -Messenger and Office-keeper,, £100 ;; and: •contingencies, £35j-were all passed. The vote for the Provincial Solicitor £250, and for the Provincial Treasurer, £150, were both passed, with the item of £10 for stationery in the last department, but the item, £50 for clerical assistance in the Treasurer's office, was negatived on division by Bto 7. The four items in the Land Department —Commissioner, £400 ; Clerk, £100 ; Clerical assistance, £50 ; and Stationery, £50, were then passed. The House then, on the motion of Mr. Gibbs having resumed, Mr. Burn brought up the report of the Select Committee on the management of the Nelson Hospital, and the Council adjourned at 25 minutes to 10, until 5 o'clock this day.