The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1868 PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 136, 11 June 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1868 PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wednesday, June 10. The Speaker took the chair at 5 o'clock. All the members were present except Mr Baigeut. Some notices of motion having been given, Mr F. Kelling called the attention of the Council to an article which had appeared in the Colonist newspaper on Tuesday last, aud the Clerk having read the article hi question, Mr Kelling went on to express his opinion that it contained language of which the Council was bound to take notice, and moved the following resolution : — That in the opinion of the Council the language used in the Colouist newspaper on the 9th of the mouth now current, towards Mr Donne, a member of the Council, is deemed a breach of this Council's privileges, highly insulting to the member for the Grey district, and the Council generally, and if permitted to pass unnoticed would tend to check a free and full discussion of questions which may come before this Council. The motion was seconded by Mr Burn. Mr Home said that how an article of the sort alluded to could interfere with the business of the Council passed his comprehension. A member of that House had no right to go out of his way, screening himself under his privileges, to say things that he would not dare to utter out of doors. The hon. member for the Grey, on the occasion alluded to, had charged the Government with the improper use of the public funds in order to support the Press, and he was much mistaken if that was a legitimate style of discussiug matters in that House. Had that hon. member any right to come there and discuss the stability of mercantile speculations ? If he did so, he ceased to be a member of that Council and should be treated accordingly. A little reflection would show that the Council might be made the arena of destruction to private interests, in order simply to gratify private feelings by attacks on the Press, and the Council would thus become a most mischievous assembly. The hon. member had had his fling at the Government for wasting the public money, and if be believed this to be true, he had a right to say so, but he had no sort of right to state in that House that, but for the Government advertisements, the three local newspapers would ' crumble' into a state of bankruptcy. If such language was permitted, no private business was safe, and a more mischievous assembly than the Coun,cil would become, could not be conceived. He would call back to the memory of the House their own feelings when those words were uttered, and when Mr Donne alluded to the * dodgery ' going on in newspaper offices, thus attacking a body of respectable men for the mere gratification of private pique. Was it wonderful that they . should turn round on the party who had thus attacked them ? And was not the language used towards the Press quite as severe and unwarrantable as that which had been employed reference to the honorable member ? He submitted that the privileges of the House had not been in the slightest degree interfered with, and that Mr Donne had himself lost sight of his liberty of speech on that night, for if any one chose to stand up and drag private interests before the House, he must take the consequences of such conduct. If the^Council had been called upon to sit as jurymen in such a case, their verdict would assuredly be that the hon. member fully and completely deserved the castigation he had received. He maintained that the papers were perfectly justified in defending themselves, for, after all, they were only commercial speculations, having their credit to maintain, and he did not know what merchant or firm in this city would be free from the consequences of a bad tongue, if this con-, duct was to be approved by the Council.

Mr Wigley said that although he ad" tnitted that the Press had every right to criticise the speeches and ' proceedings of the Council, it should not be done in the style adopted by the Colonist. No gentleman would comu to that House if he was to receive such treatment. Mr Akcrsteu said that the editor of a paper, who assumed to lead public opinion, should show forbearauce, and he considered the article unnecessarily severe and very reprehensible. Mr Sunrnonds opposed the motion, remarking that editors were only human, and that the language used by Mr Donne was most irritating aud such as called for a rejoinder. He had stated that if the Government advertisements were withdrawn from the three papers, they would die out. Mr Donne called the speaker to order, and contradicted this statement ; he had never used such language. Mr Home to Mr Donue: — If you had any decency left in you, you would be' quiet. The Provincial Solicitor could not vote for the motion, and thought it was one which the Council should not entertain. If the hon. member who thought himself aggrieved, or his friends chose to drag this subject before the Council, they must not, in viewing it, open one eye and shut the other,but must look at the provocation received. The Press might have gone rather farther than may have been desirable, but the remarks made by Mr Donne were most injustifiable aud reprehensible, and he must take the consequences of them. The resolution had alluded to a breach of the privileges of the Council ; he (the Provincial Solicitor) would like to k,now what those privileges were ? The article in question would never prevent or tend to prevent free discussion, as stated in the resolution. It was quite rio-ht that personal insinuations and abuse in°that House should be checked, and if the Council did not do it, the Press should. There was too much of this sort of thing going on in the Council, and there had been more this session than usual. If hon. members took advantage of their places in Council to attack the Press or any other private interest, they must expect to be attacked in their turn, and no member was justified in making use of such slanderous expressions as Mr Donne had done. Mr Kelling then replied, asserting that Mr Donne had used no language which was worse than that used towatds the Government by Mr Home, in accusing thorn of wasting large sums of the public money, to which Mr Home retorted, submitting that such remarks were of different order to those used by Mr Donne, for he had never traduced private character in that House. A division then took place, Messrs Pitt, C. Kelling, Wigley, Donne, F. Kelling, Bentley, and Burn, voting with the ayes, and the Provincial Solicitor, Provincial Secretary, with Messrs Thompson, Home, Smith, Macmahon, and Simmon ds with the noes. Messrs Redwood, Gibbs, Sparrow, Dreyer, Beitt, and Akersten declining to vote. The numbers being even, 7 each, the Speaker gave his casting vote with the ayes, observing that the language complained of was of an exceptionable and highly reprehensible character A message, No. 10, was then announced from his Houor the Superintendent, transmitting the Supplementary Estimates, including the items recommended by the Council. Mr Sparrow's motion that a sum of £ 100 might be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of lowering Birch Hill, on the Motupiip-road was lost on the voices. Mr Donne's motion that a sum of £200 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the erection of a Custom-house at Charleston, was also negatived on the voices. The adoption of the report of the select committee appointed to consider the petition of Mr W. White, moved by Mr Pitt, was carried by 9 to 2. Mr Donne's motion requesting the Superintendent to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £2000, for the purpose of cutting tracks into. the interior, on the coast-line between Razorback and the Mokihinui, was withdrawn, in order that the subject might be discussed when Supplementary Estimates are considered. Mr Dreyer's motion for the discharge of the Select committee appointed to consider Mr Balfour's Report on Nelson Harbor and for the appointment of a new committee, was withdrawn.

Mr Beitt withdrew his motion relative to the grant of £100 to the Nelson Jockey Club. Mr Pitt's motion, seconded by Mr Redwood, that the petition of Mr C. M. Karsten be referred to a select committee» consisting of the Provincial Secretary, Messrs C. Kelling, Macmahon, Akersten, Burn, and the mover, to report on Friday next, was carried by 16 to o. The Proviuciiil Secretary, seconded by Mr Pitt, then moved that the resolution of the committee of the whole Couucii on Message No. 6 be taken iuto consideration, which was carried. The Provincial Secretary said that the question had been very fully discussed on the previous evening but it was very important that the sense of the whole Council should be taken upon it. Mr Parker then moved the adoption of the resolution carried iv committee on Tuesday night : — That in the opinion of this Council it is inexpedient to appropriate to other uses any moneys set apart for the liquidation of the 'Provincial Debentures,' which was seconded by Mr Macniahon. Mr Simtuonds, seconded by Mr Gibbs, moved as an amendment, to insert the words •at present ' after ' inexpedient.' Mr Pitt hoped that the amendment would not be adopted, as it did not touch the real question at issue, which should be decided before the meeting of the General Assembly, and argued, in reference to the statement that the honor of the province would be imperilled by the refusal to pay over the £12,000, that the same argument would compel the paymentof the entire sum of £29,000. What was the use of the much vaunted system of frugality pursued by former Governments, if its fruits were to be thus presented to the General Government? The Premier, in his letter to the Superintendent, only advanced a moral claim to the money, which he regarded as simply ridiculous. The General Government already took half our provincial revenue, and had a great deal to do with the handling of the rest. If the question was allowed to tide over the coming session of the General Assembly, it would be too late to take action on it. Messrs F. Selling, Akersten, and Wigley having addressed the House, the amendment was put, aud lost on the voices. The Provincial Secretary then moved as an amendment, to strike out all the words after 'that' in the resolution, and insert, 'In the opinion of this Council it is not desirable or expedient to apply the £12,000 deposited in the Bank as a fixed deposit towards the payment of the Provincial Debentures falling due on the Ist of July next.' The Provincial Secretary ridiculed the idea that the honor of the province was at stake, it was merely a question of a claim made on the province by the General Government ; not a question between the bond holders and the province, but between the Provincial and General Governments. It was never intended that this province should not come under the provisions of the 2nd clause of the Act. - If we were compelled in honor to pay the £12,000, we were equally bound to pay the £29,000. Mr Bentley seconded the amendment, which was carried on division, amidst much excitement, by 13 to 11. The Provincial Solicitor, and Provincial Secretary, with Messrs Eedwood, Pitt, C, Kelling, Kingdon, Donne, F. Kelling, White, Bentley, Smith, Akersten, and Burn, voting with the majority, and Messrs. Gibbs. Sparrow, Dreyer, Wigley, Thompson, Home, Beitfc, Simmonds, Parker, Macmahon, and Wastney, with the minority. On the motion of the Provincial Soli-, citor, the House went into committee for the further consideration of the Scab Bill, Mr Burn in the chair, eight clauses of ; which were passed, and the House then resumed. Mr Burn brought up the Report of the Select Committee appointed to draw up an address to his .Excellency Sir G. Bowen, which was read and laid on the table. Mr Dreyer for Mr Akersten, brought up the report of the Select. Committee on Mr Balfour's report, which stated that although the suggestions contained in Mr Balfour's report were valuable, the magnitude and costliness of the improvements recommeuded prevent their adoption. The committee recommended that the space between tho Government Wharf and the Admiral Napier hulk should be filled in, for a distance of about 150 feet seaward, with solid earthwork enclosed

within a stone wall; that the Haven Road be widened where it is now dangerously narrow, between the Albion Wharf and Gibbons' Wharf, to make the road one chain and a-half wide, to be faced with a stone seawall, and that thje incline of the boat landing be improved. The removal of the Buoy Rock and the filling in north of the Wharf, recommended last session, are recommended to be deferred until next year. Some notices of motion were given, and the Council adjourned at 9 o'clock until 5 this evening.