LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 122, 22 May 1873, Page 2

LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL.

The Council met at 5 o'clock. Mr Guinness moved : — " That with the view of promoting and securing the prosperity of this Province, and giving Nelson its proper place among the Provinces of New Zealand, it. is desirable to effect a loan of £300,000, for the following purposes, via, —(1.) The sum of £150,000 to go towards the construction of the railway connecting • the Foxhill and Greymouth lines, the remainder of the cost of such railway (estimated at £450,000 in all) being paid in land. — (2.) The remainder towards the construction of such roads as may, with the advice of the Provincial Engineer, be recommended by the Executive Council, and sanctioned by the Provincial Council. — And, (3) Towards the formation, of water-races and reservoirs in the goldfields. — That bis Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested immediately i to communicate with the General Government on this subject, to obtain its sanction and co-operation." The hon. member, in a lengthy and carefully prepared speech, first of all showed the great advantages that must accrue to the province by opening up railway communication with the interior, and connecting it with the other provinces of the Middle Island, and then proceeded to argue that it was far better ' that this should be undertaken by the Government rather than by a company. If the former borrowed money for the purpose tbey would devote a portion of it to constructing roads wbich should act as feeders to the main line, and this was hardly expected to be from a company. There was reasonable ground to suppose that the General Legislature would lend a favorable ear to the proposal since it was to carry out part of the general scheme of railway communication. If this portion were not undertaken, the main line wos likely to stop short at the Hurunui, while there* would bo three short lines unconnected with the arterial line, namely, .'.* the Nelson and Foxhill, Brunner and Greymouth, and Picton and Blenheim. There was this also in favor of supposing that the General Government would render its assistance, that it was part of their scheme ■to develop the coalmines of the colony, and this could not be done more efficiently

than by constructing this liue, as, in addition to the Brunner mine, there was

every. reason to suppose that other important coal discoveries would be made in the valley of the Buller. It had been said that the General* Government had not the power to sanction borrowing by the Provinces, but in reply to this he would quote from a recent speech by Mr Fox. He was asked — " From your knowledge of the feeling in the Assembly, can you say whether, if the (Wellington) Provincial Government asks for a loan, it is likely to get it?" Mr Fox — "The Assembly has agreed to let other Provinces, and even Corporations, borrow on giving security, nnd it will be for ifc to decide whether Wellington shall be allowed to do so on those terms." Question— •' Has not this colony already pledged all its lands to the public creditors at home as a security for loans?" Mr Fox— "No, it has not pledged an aero for such purpose. When the creditor lent money, he did it, as is the case everywhere else, on the general credit of the colony, and with faith in its general resources for the future." This showed that the lands of lhe province were not pledged, and they now might be given as security for the sum proposed to be borrowed, while the interest might be paid out ofthe aunual revenue. At 6 per cent, the interest would be £18,000. The sum proposed to be set apart for public works was £38,000, and this would leave £20,000 still available, while for the £18,000 greater public works would be secured than we couid ever hope for from our revenue alone. Of the water-races he would say nothing at the present time. Their value was too well known to need comment. He hoped the Council would favorably entertain his proposal. The money, he believed, could be raised, and, there was no doubt, could be profitably invested. Unless something of this kind were done, the province could not advance, and if it did not advance it must retrograde, Mr Donne seconded the motion entirely pro forma, as he did not think there was the slightest chance of the General Assembly agreeing to such a proposition. Mr Reid thought Mr Guinness should have waited a few days until the return of the deputation. At present he thought his resolutions were premature. Mr Guinness then asked and obtained permission to withdraw the resolutions for a few days. — On the motion of Mr Guinness, it was resolved : — That his Bonor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place the sum of £1000 on the Estimates for the construction of a dray road from Hatter's Terrace, Nelson Creek, to the main road to Ahaura. — Mr Ivess moved : — " That, in the opinion of this Council, it is desirable that the name of every person whose tender has been accepted by the Provincial Government for Supplies or Public Works, with the amount set opposite to the particular work tendered for, should be published in the Gazette immediately after the acceptance of every such tender." — -The resolution was amended until it assumed an unintelligible *.forro, and then negatived.—Mr Donne moved: — " That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on tbe Supplementary Estimates the sum of £700 for- the completion of the Dray- road from Charleston to Westport, via Addison's Flat and the Shamrock Lead."- — Negatived on a division by 10 to 6. — On the motion of the Provincial Solicitor, a Bill to amend the Highways Act 1872, was introduced and read a first time. — On the adjourned debate upon the Estimates being resumed, Mr Gibbs brought up the report of the Retrenchment Committee proposing certain reductions. Report read. —Mr Guinness demurred to the estimate of the revenue for the current year. He thought the capitation allowance would probably be reduced on the meeting of the General Assembly. The Land Fund was likely to be less as the gold yield was falling off, thus rendering the capital available for investment in land less. The Gold Duty would probably be reduced by the Assembly, and the estimate of the returns from the Brunner coalmine was, he thought, in excess of what they would prove to be. On the whole, the revenue would probably fall short by £15,000 of the amount at which it waß estimated. Mr Shephard thought the Council had fallen into an exceedingly bad habit of voting sums each year in excess of the revenue, the result being that the Superintendent and Executive were unfairly blamed for not earrying out the wishes of the Council, whereas it was impossible that they could do so, and it was left entirely to them to say which of the works approved of by the Council should be executed. He could not agree with the gloomy predictions of Mr Guinness with regard to the revenue. He did not think there was any chance of the capitation allowance being reduced unless at least some corresponding reductions were made in the charges upon the province. The land fund was more likely to increase than be reduced, as it depended chiefly upon rents, which were annually increasing, rather than upon sales. The gold duty was of course problematical, but there were sighs of a steady rise in the yield of gold, and if a reduction in the duty took place, it would only affect one quarter of the current year. The past year had , been unexceptionally unfortunate for working the Brunner mine, and he did not think the probable receipts from that source were at all exaggerated. On the whole he did not think the estimates would prove at all in excess of what the actual revenue was likely to be. Mr O'Conor was afraid Mr Shephard was taking too hopeful a view of the probable revenue, as one item, the gold duty was likely to be reduced, at least, £3,000. The amount raised by the education rate, he thought, was so small in proportion to the expenditure that it was time that the rate was raised. It was a slur on the province that people in good circumstances, some of them making their thousands a year, should send their children to the State schools.

The different Boards should be vested with a discretionary power . to double the rates upon; children attending, unless it cdujd: 5 be : proved that the parents cofild not afford to pay more than the present charge. It was never contemplated that those who could afford to pay for seuding their children, to , School should make .Use -of the 'Govern- ■ ment schools. He thought the receipts ; from the Brunner mine were overestimated, as the Ngakawau would come into competition with it, and cut out the trade from Greymouth. f The Provincial Secretary having replied* the Council went into Committee on the Estimates, Mr Gibbs in the chair. On the item *■ Superintendent £600 " being put, Mr Ivess moved the addition of tho words " including travelling expenses." Mr O'Conor, and Mr Acton ; Adams supported the amendment, which was oppose! by the Provincial Secketary, Mr Shephard, and Mr Guinness. Adivision was taken as follows: — Ayes 6— -Messrs Ivess, Wastney, F:Kelling, A. Adams, Bai-* gent, O'Conor, Noes 11 — The Provincial Solicitor,Provincial Secretory, Mr Speaker,^ Messrs Shephard, Reid, ;= Guinness. C. Kelling, Pinkerton, Tarrant, Burn, and Donne. Mr. Wastney proposed that tbe figures 500J be substituted for 600/, Ayes 7: Messrs Macmahon, O'Conor,Baigent, Wastney, F. KelliDg, A. Adnms^ and Ivess. Noes 11: The Provincial Solicitor, the Provincial Secretary, the Speaker, Messrs Pinkerton, Donne, Tar-., rant, C. Kelling, Reid, Guinness, Shephard, and Burn. On the item "Provincial Secretary and Treasurer 5007 " ; being put, Mr O'Conor moved that the figures "450/" be substituted. Ayes 7: Messrs Reid, O'Conor, Macmahon, Baigent, Wastney, Guinness, and Ivess. Noes 8: The Provincial Solicitor, the Speaker. Messrs'" Burn, C. Kelling, Donne, Tarrant,' As" Adams, and Pinkerton. Several other,; items were then agreed to, and the Coun-< eil resumed and adjourned.