Friday, July 12.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 161, 12 July 1867, Page 2

Friday, July 12.

Our space will or.ly permit us to give a bare epitome of the proceedings of the Provincial Council this morning. The Speaker took the chair at 11 o'clock all the members being present except Messrs. H. Redwood, Dreyer, and Thompson. The Provincial Secretary then proceeded to move, that in the opinion of this Council it is expedient that a bill should be introduced into the General Assembly to authorise the granting of the railway from Nelson to Cobden and "Westport, or a lease thereof at a pepper-corn rent, to the persons constructing the same. The Provincial Solicitor denied the Government had attempted to shirk their responsibilities in this matter. They had only received Mr. Steven's offer a short time before the meeting of the Council, and had had no time to form any opinion on the subject, but had. sent the proposal down to the Council, which had 'immediately taken up the matter, and come to a conclusion, without giving itself the trouble

to investigate it. The present Act did not confer the requisite powers oa the Conncil to enable it to part with the line, and it would be absurd to pass a bill that would not be allowed by the General Assembly. In the meantime, while the proposed bill was passing through the Assembly, the Government would not be idle, and would have the line surveyed, so that no time might be lost. Any contract which might be entered into now could only be a conditional one. If the General Assembly authorised the granting of the land, then the Council might assemble and a measure might be passed which would meet the requirements of the case. After some discussion, in which Messrs Wastney, Gibbs, White, Pitt, aud Donne took part, Mr Donne moved that the fur" ther consideration of the subject should be adjourned until Tuesday next, which was lost, on division, by 12 to 8, and the resolution was ultimately carried. On the motion of the Provincial Solicitor, the Westport and Charleston Railway Bill was read a second time, and the house went into committee, Mr Burn ja the chair, but on the Provincial Solicitor moviug certain amendments on clause 1, an animated discussion ensued, which was terminated by Mr Wastney moving its further discussion on Tuesday next, which was put and carried. On the motion of the Provincial Solicitor the Patent Slip or Dry Dock Bill was read a third time and passed. ■ Mr C. Kelling's motion, that 251. be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the erectiou of a public pound in the Moutere was agreed to. The copies of correspondence between the JNelson and Canterbury Governments, since the 11th May last, in reference to the Hurunui bridge, applied for by Mr. Wigley, having been laid on the table, that hon. member withdrew his motion to that effect. On Mr. Gibbs' motion the report of the select committee appointed to consider the petition of the inhabitants of Collingwood as to the working of the ''Cattle Trespass Act, 1866, was adopted. On the motion of Mr Burn, the House resolved itself into committee to appoint two persons in accordance with clause 1 of the Hospital Act, and Captain Rough having been proposed by Mr. Burn, and the Speaker by Mr. Pitt, the appointment of those two gentlemen was carried unanimously, the Speaker acknowledging the compliment paid him. The report of the Select Committee on the travelling expenses to be allowed to members residing at a distance from Nelson, and recommending eighteen pence per mile one way to be paid to all country members, was, after some discussion, adopted, aud the House adjourned at 25 minutes past 1 o'clock, until Tuesday next.