PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 119, 21 May 1868, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wednesday, May 20. The Speaker took the chair at 5 o'clock. Present, all the members, except Messrs H. Redwood and Thompson. Immediately after the mintttea of the last sitting of the Council had been read by the Clerk, on the entry of the Provincial Solicitor, Mr Donne called the attention of the Speaker to the fact that strangers were present. The Provincial Secretary at once moved the adjournment of the House for a quarter of an hour, which was unanimously adopted. When the House reassembled, Mr Home moved the suspension of Standing Order "No 141, which permits that any of the other standing orders may be suspended, on motion duly seconded, without notice, provided two-thirds of the whole-number of members be then present. Mr F. Kelling seconded the motion. Mr Donne again drew the attention of the Speaker to the fact of strangers being in the House and strangers were ordered to withdraw. On the readmission of the reporters, Mr Donne was moving the suspension of Standing Order No. 139, which provides that any stranger who shall , in any manner interrupt the orderly conduct of the business of the Council, shall be taken into custody by the proper officer of the Council, to be dealt with as to the Council shall seem meet. The motion was seconded by Mr Beitt, and strenuously opposed by Mr Home, who accused Mr Donne of wishing to turn the Council into a bear garden. A ' scene ' now ensued, Mr Home putting a hypothetical case to the Council, the application of which was evidently well appreciated by the members, in which he put it to them to say what treatment would be awarded to the member of any club or society, who should become a public nuisance, to which several voices replied • turn him out/ and concluding by saying that if they were to carry on the public business they must act like men, or if they were to do as the honorable member now asked them, they had better shut the Chamber up and go home. This scene, which was several times interrupted by Mr Donne calling the ton. member to order, in which he was not supported by the chair, was terminated by Mr Pitt stating that if the discussion was pushed any further, he would call attention to Standing Order, No. 138, which provides that any member who shall wilfully jiisobey any lawful order of the Council arm any member who shall wilfully or vexatiously interrupt the orderly conduct of the business of the Council shall be held guilty of contempt. Mr Donne having appealed unsuccessfully to the Speaker to decide whether he had wilfully disobeyed a lawful order of the Council, his motion for the suspension of Standing Order No. 139, was put and unanimously rejected. The Provincial Secretary then put and gave notice of a motion for Friday, to the .effect ' That the Speaker shall order strangers to withdraw, only at the request of a majority of the members present,' which was received with decided marks of approbation. Mr Burn brought lip the report of the select committee on the claim ofMrDreyer to be paid for certain losses alleged to have been sustained by him in consequence of the Government having taken possession of a wharf at Westport, recommending that as the committee have reason to believe that Mr Dreyer met with considerable injury by the transaction, the sum of £70 be placed on the Estimates as part remuneration of his losses. The Provincial Secretary brought up the report of the select committee appointed to take into consideration Paragraph No. 14 of his Honor the Superintendent's Address, relative to destitute children, recommending that on the vacation of the building at present used as a Hospital, it be devoted to the reception of these children, that a master and matron be appointed to take charge of the institution, and that the Superintendent be requested to place a sufficient sum on the Estimates to give effect to these recommendations. Mr Wastney brought up the report of tha select committee appointed to prepare and bring in a bill to amend and consolidate the law relating to country roads, to the effect that it would be useless for the Council to make such an attempt, as no bill passed by it containing certain clauses of the present Act relating to appeals against assessments which the committee deem • necessary to the proper working of any Act for the management of the country roads, would be sanctioned by the General Government at the present time. They therefore recommend deferring any alteration in the present law until it is ascertained what action will be taken upon the subject in the next session of the General Assembly, and that the Council should call the attention of the General Government to the positioa in which it is now placed, and request that the necessary powers may be conferred to enable it to pass such laws as may be deemed necessary for the purpose. Mr Gibbs brought up the report of the seiect committee appointed to consider whether any or what reduction can be made (departmental or otherwise) in the Goverment of the province, which stated that they had examined the heads of the various departments, who were all of opinion that no reduction canbe made in the number of their employas, with one reception, the Wardenship at Charleston, which might be dispensed with. The committee come, to the conclusion that considerable reduction is possible in departmental expenditure, bat find it inexpedient to recommend at this late period of the session to advise, as they at one time contemplated, the recommending the reconsideration, of the estimates

by the Superintendent, with a view to economy under the various headings. The committee also expresses an opinion that the system of including the allowance for travelling expenses and salary in one sum in the case of some officials has not proved satisfactory. Mr Pitt's motion to place on the Supplementary . Estimates a sufficient sum of money for the erection of a cartbridge over the Maitai, in Bridgestreet, which was seconded by Mr Akersten, was supported by Messrs Parker, Kingdon, Wastney and by the Provincial Solicitor, and opposed by • Messrs Bentley, Simmonds, and Donne. Mr White's motion, seconded by Mr Baigent for a sum of £600 for the completion of the dray - road to connect the districts of Motueka Valley and Stanley Brook with the Waimeas, was carried ; Pigeon Valley, on an amendment by Mr F. Kelling, being included in the districts to be so connected. Mr Wigley's motion, seconded by the Provincial Secretary, that a sum of £50 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of fencing in the Cemetery in the "Wai-au township, was corried, an amendment by Mr Dreyer, seconded by Mr Kingdon, to increase the sum to £75, having been lost on division by 11 to 9. Mr Simmonds moved that a sum of £1000 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of lowering the hills on the trunk line of road from the city of Nelson to Greig's Hill, ast voted last session, and the resolution, which was seconded by Mr Burn, was carried, after some observations from several honorable members, the following words ' or otherwise|improvingthe communication between the city and the Waimea Districts,' being added, as an amendment, by the Provincial Secretary, who, with other speakers, expressed himself favorable to the formation of a new road to the city, branching off near the turnpike, and passing down Vanguard -street and Toitoi Valley. Mr Home's motion, seconded by Mr Dreyer and supported by Mr J. V. Smith, that a sufficient sum be placed on the Estimates to remunerate the original prospectors of the CharlestonGoldfields was lost. The mover quoted a letter signed by very influential residents at Charleston, supporting the claims of the four applicants, but the grant was opposed by the Government as being without precedent in this province, and as affording an example which was likely to prove very troublesome in the future, and was lost on division by 12 to 5. On Mr Pitt's motion, seconded by Mr Bentley, the use of the Provincial Hall was granted to the stewards of the Volunteer Ball od Monday next. Mr Donne's motion for a Select Committee to consider "the petition of Mr. J. R. Frazer, was carried. The placing^ of the sum of £30 on the Supplementary Estimates, to meet equivalent subscriptions, for the erection of a public reading-room in "the Moutere District, was moved by Mr C. Kelling, and assented to. Mr Burn's motion, seconded by Mr Simmonds, for a Select Committee to prepare an address of welcome to his Excellency the Governor, was carried, as was also Mr Parker's motion, seconded by Mr Macmahon, for the production of copies of the correspondence between the contractor for the Buller Wharf and the Government, with a copy of the contract and the specification for its erection, the mover stating that a rumor waa abroad that the contractor had been paid before the work was finished. The Provincial Secretary having stated his readiness to go on with the consideration of the Estimates in Committee, its postponement was put to the House and carried, and .after several notices of motion had been given, the Council adjourned at half-past 8, until 5 o'clock this evening.