LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 129, 30 May 1873, Page 2

LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL.

The Council met at 5 o'clock. Present : all the members. On the motion of the Provincial Secretary, it waß resolved : — " That, in the opinion of this Council, the occupied portion of the township of Reefton should be sold to the occupiers under the provisions of *•*■ The Nelson Waste Lands Act 1863, Amendment Act 1872." — On the motion of Mr Ivess, it was resolved : — " That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the supplementary estimates the sum of £1000 for the construction of a dray road from Landing Road f-o Gorgetown, Boatman's," —Mr Pinker-ion moved :—- --" That, in tbe opinion of this Council, a water-race should be construcled from Randall's Creek to Napoleon Hill, Grey District, as recommended by the Provincial Engineer in his report on water supply for Nelson South-west goldfields (dated April 15, 1871); and tbat his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to urge upon the Colonial Government the importance of the work, and tbe necessity for its immediate construction." Tbe would prove a great boon to the miners, for a large number of whom it would provide permanent employment. Much had been said about a railway, but tbis was even . a more important work, since it would induce a population to settle down in the district, and the civilising rattle of the locomotive, when the line was completed, would be greeted by the hurrahs of thousands of industrious miners, who would come up to Nelson by the train to spend their holidays, and, what was of more importance to the people of Nelson, their superfluous casb. — The resolution was seconded by Mr Guinness, supported by the Provincial Secretary, and Mr Donne, and agreed to.— On the motion of Mr Shephard it was resolved: — v That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £30 for the erection of a foot-bridge over the Newton river." — Mr. Shephard moved " That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supple-

mentary Estimates the sum of £150 to .complete the rond from Pigeon valley to Stanley Brook." Mr Baigent proposed that the sum be raised to £300, which was seconded by Mr F. Kelling, and tho resolution as amended was agreed to. — The Provincial Secretary moved " That the Council resolve itself committee, for the consideration of ohis;Honor0 his;Honor the Superintendent's Message No. 5, relative to railway communication." The negotiations of the deputation with the General Government had been so successful tbat he hoped the resolutions he -had to propose would be unanimously agreed to. — The Council then went into Committee, Mr Gibbs in tbe cbair —Mr O'Conor said that the resolutions to be proposed had only been before them about an hour, and he was .< scarcely prepared to discuss them. He thought there was too great haßte on the part of the Government in this matter. Mr Donne said the resolutions were merely an echo of wb'at had appeared in the public prints some days ago, and with the substance of which they must be all acquainted — Tho resolutions were as follows : — I. .That this Council is of opinion that the construction of a railway irom Foxhill to Brunnerton, uniting the two short lines already under contract from Nelson to Foxhill and from Brunnerton to Greymouth, is absolutely essential alike to the immediate prosperity and the permanent settlement of all parts of the Province. 11. Tbat the Council earnestly requests the : Colonial Government to recommend to the General Assembly to authorise tho construction of the live from the funds raised, or hereafter to be raised, by the Colony for Public Works on the following conditions :■ — 1. That the work be carried out by the Public Works Department of the Colonj'. 2, That special security be given by the province iv land within the watershed of the valleys through which the line will run, to the extent of ten thousand acres per mile of railway. 3. That the Province shall be subject to the same liabilities as other provinces in which railway works are being carried on by the Public Works Department. The Provincial Secretary said that he would move the first resolution, which had been rendered necessary by the negotiations referred te, the Premier having stated in his answer to the memorandum laid before the Cabinet by the deputation.:— "In reply, I have the honour to state, that the Government have carefully considered the question set forth, and have como to to the conclusion, tbat if the railway is to be made out of borrowed money, it should be constructed by the Colonial Public Works Department in the same manner as other railways are being constructed, the province giving, as special security, the land indicated by you, in addition to the province being generally and ultimately liable, as in the case of other provinces within which railway works are being, carried on, by the Public Works Department The decision of the Government, whether they will recommend the Assembly to sanction the making of the Foxhill and Brunner line on the terms stated, will in a great measure depend upon whether the Superintendent makes the application with the cordial consent of hia Executive, and of the Provincil Council." It was in tlie hope of obtaining that cordial consent that he laid the resolutions before the Committee. The question had already, been, fully debated, and , it- .was generally allowed that immediate prosperity would attend the undertaking of the work, a prosperity that would not be confined to the districts through which the line was to pass, but must extend to the whole province. It had already been admitted by the West Coast members that this was a highly necessary work, but the Company had been objected to on account of 'the proposed alienation of the auriferous lands. That difficulty was now removed, and he trusted the resolutions woulcf.be passed without opposition. Mr O'Conor thought tbat the object of- the Government would < be attained equally as well if they strictly' adhered to the truth. He objected to the exaggerated statements contained in the resolution. 'It was said that' all parts of the province were to be benefited, but so far from having any beneficial effect upon the district he represented, he thought it was calculated to retard it, as it would divert the trade into another channel. „He was willing to allow that it was am essential work, but objected to the word "absolutely." Mr Guinness waa : surprised to bear. Mr O.Conor assert that. the railway would not benefit his part of the province, and still more surprised to hear himobject to the resolution on so selfish a ground, for, if it would benefit the rest of the province, it surely was deserving of his support. He thought the Government were perfectly right in bringing down the resolutions without delay, and would give them his cordiaF support. Mr Keid thought a little strength of expression was allowable on such amoccasidn. Mr Yogel had stated that the decision of the Government would depend in a great measure upon the cordial consent of the Provincial Council, and the words of the resolution only expressed that cordiality which they all felt, and which he hoped would some day be display ed'in their advocacy of an extension of the line to Westport. Mr O'Conor again objected, to tho exaggerated terms of the resolution, fle was not prepared to say that there were not works of far greater importance to the province, and considered that he had a perfect right to ask that the words of the resolution should be altered. If they were not he would vote against it. Mr Donne would support the resolution as it stood, and if it were passed, those that followed would of course be agreed to. The success that had attended the negotiations of the deputation was a matter of congratulation to everyone who was interested in the welfare of the province, and although he had opposed the great railway scheme submitted to the

Council some years ago, it was because he foresaw great difficulties -in dealing with the auriferous lands, all of which would be removed by passing those lands over to the General Government, in whose hands the miners would be perfectly safe. Tho line was absolutely essential, not only to the welfare, of the, ; proyince, but to the success of the; rail ways* at tho two ends, and he was sorry to observe indications of a want of unanimity in the Council, but he hoped that all opposition might yet bo removed. Although the railway was to run on the others side of the ranges from where he lived, yet he was sure his district would indirectly derive large advantages from it, and that it would tend to the prosperity of the province and of the colony ac a whole. Mr Wastney thought that. the line was essentia), not only to the prosperity, but lo the very existence of the province, which would be [blotted out of the map of New Zealand if it did not keep pace with the -rest of colony. He would like to see the resolution passed unanimously, and was sorry to find that any difference of opinion existed now that the land ' difficulty was removed. Mr F. Kelling wns surprised 'to find Mr O'Conor objecting to the resolution on tbe frivolous grounds that tho wording of it did not please him. He could not conceive how anyone could oppose so important a measure oii such trifling grounds. Mr O'Conor said ; that hia object was not lo oppose the resolution, but to give it strength. He wished to eliminate the exaggerated expressions of which he complained, and would propose as an amendment to strike out the words "absolutely," '*- alike," " immediate," and. " all parts of." He did not think that they should ba asked to go beyond a simple statement of the truth, and could assure the Government and the Council that such exaggerated expressions, if agreed to,- would be heard of hereafter. It would be far better not to. give way to any excited feelings. Mr Guinness was not surprised -at Mr O'Conor's opposition, as he was said ;to have been a supporter, in the General Assembly, of the party that - was opposed to aiding the progress of the colony by the construction of railways. He again asserted that the words objected to were absolutely essential tb the utility of the resolution, which would be very lukewarm if they were struck out. Mr O'Conor thought that Mr Guinness' remarks.savoured somewhat Of temper. If he were to confine himself strictly to such strictures as were warranted, and not make, use of; that Hall for ventilating his political opinions, it would be in better taste. No one had any right to attempt to rriake it appear that he (Mr O'Conor) wbb opposed to the Bpirit of the resolution, when it was only to the wording that he raised objections. He could not vote for it a3 it stood, and must insist that it should truly represent the exact slate of the case. . He had always opposed the Foxhill line, because he did not think it would pay, but was prepared to advocate this extension as a means of making it do so, but at the same time was not going to supportevery sentiment that.might be*, advanced by the advocates of the railway, He wished toJsee the resolution framgd as ne.ar.to his .way. of thinking aa possible. •- The Provincial Secretary, although ' desirous of securing Mr O'Conor's vote, ! cculd not consent to alter the resolution, expressing as it did his views that the . railway would tend to the. immediate, prosperity of all parts of the. province. If the district through which the line was to pass' became permanently settled it must beneficially affect that part represented by Mr .O'Conor. The revenue would be con- - sider ably increased by it, and that increase mußt of necessity benefit. Westport. Mr Shephard bad listened to tho discussion with the greatest gratification. For a long time the people of Nelson had been deeply interested in V this .'work, and had; endeavored to carry it to a successful issue, and it was highly gratifiying to find that it carried such complete conviction : < "with it that the only objection raised was ! 1 to tlie wording of the resolution. He thought that the word "absolutely " was unnecessary, and that the resolution would have been •in better English had two or three -words ; been omitted, but he was perfectly prepared to, vote for. it as it : stood. Mr Ivess regr-etted that he could not vote for the resolution in its original form as it was too rstrongly worded. In addressing his constituents at *Beeftbn he had opposed the railway- scheme, and to vote for the resolution would, give him the ... appearance of being too sudden a convert. There, were many strong opponents r to the' railway in the remote parts of the province, as they feared that- it would saddle tbem A witli) Vaflditional ? taxation. He should support the amendment. The Provincial Secretary was astonished to hear Mr Ivess raise any as if there was one part of tha province that would be benefitted more than another by the rail way ,' it was the Inangahua which he repre- , sented, ; Mr Held said that he had done as much as anyone to oppose this railway. . He had written against it, ridiculed it, and caricatured it, too much perhaps, but since it had assumed this new phase he was prepared to give it his warmest support. No milk-and-water resolution should be passed, but they should make it as strong as they could. The Speaker suggested that if the words " the whole" were substituted for "all parts," which perhaps were a little too minute and par-, ticular, it might secure the adhesion of Mr O'Conor, Mr O'Conor. was willing to concede all in his power! to those who were anxious to promote this work, but it waa asking too much to expect him to agree to the resolution as it stood. It would look well on the: part of the Committee if they eliminated the exaggerated expressions, to which be objected. Mr Acton . Adams would, cordially, snpport the resolution if the Government insisted upon "putting it, but he would ask them I whether it would not be better to avoid

any semblance of conflicting opinions by . making come modification in tho phraseology. He did not cavil at the words, but would rather that tho Council were unanimous in their vote. He was exceedingly glad to" see such unanimity with regard to tho principle involved. Mr Burn thought the wording was perfectly Correct and required no alteration, Mr Pinkerton could not understand Mr O'Conor's objections to the words " all parts." The sun of prosperity could not shiue upon one part oi the province without affecting all the otherß. If the railway was to benefit one portion, it must have the same effect upon all. Why should they saddle the resolution with amendments that might lead to misconception ? It appeared to him that Mr O'Conor wanted to knock their house down, und not even give them a shanty in the place of it. He stropgly objected to Mr O'Conor's attempt to rule the Council, and to force them to accept his amendment. Mr O'CONOR did not wish to rule anybody. He had expressed his own opinion, and indicated the course he intended to adopt. He could see that his amendment would not be accepted, but that would not affect his vote, for he could not support the resolution in its present form. Mr Donne thought that Mr O'Conor's technical amendment was simply an attempt to weaken the force of the resolution. A cold, dry, pulseless resolution would not produce the result that might be anticipated from that proposed by the Government. — The question was then put that the words proposed to be struck out stand part of the question. A division was called for, and the result was as follows : — Ayes 16 — Tho Speaker, the Provincial Solicitor, the Provincial Secretary, Messrs Guinness, F. Kelling, Reid, Wastney, Burn, Pinkerton, C. Kelling, Macmahon, DonDe, Shephard, Baigent, Tarrant, A. Adams. Woes 2 — Messrs O'Conor and Ivess. The original resolution was then put and agreed to. The second resolution was passed without remark. — The Council then resumed, and the resolutions as passed in Committee were put and adopted. — On the motion of the Provincial Solicitor the Highways Act Amendment Bill was read the third time. Ou the motion of Mr C. Kelling it was resolved That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to take the requisite

steps to constitute that part of lho Motueka Valley Road Board District known as the Stanley Brook, &c, into a subdistrict. The Council then went into Committee on the Estimater, nnd sat uutil 10 o'clock, when they adjourned until this morning. To-day. The Council met at 1 1 a.m.. In reply to a question from Mr Donne *-*• When the Government wiil be prepared to bring in a bill to givH effect to the resolution arrived at on Wednesday, May 28th, with respecr. to increasing the number of members of the Provincial Couucil." The Provincial Seceetary stated that the Provincial Solicitor had been instructed to prepare a Bill at once.— On tha motion of Mr Shephard it was resolved : — That his Honour the Superintendent be requested to take the necessary steps for forming the Upper Buller and Upper Motueka Valley into separate Roacl Board Districts" — The Couucil then went into Committee oa tho Estimates, and sat uutil 1 p.m. when they adjourned until Monday evening. For remainder of news see fourth page.

. Marbiage of Lady Tichborne. — The marriage is announced of Captain H. j Wickham to Theresa, widow of the late Sir Alfred Joseph Tichborne, llth baronet, who died in 1866, leaving a son who is in possession of the Tichborne estates. The Auckland Star says : — Five tenders have been sent in for building a Mission schooner for the Melanesia but no decision has yet been _ arrived afc. Tenders are now required for the construction and fitting of steam 1 machinery on the proposed new shooner. The Reign of the Servant Gals has J commenced. A gentleman of the city ''"•■-sent 'on Saturday to an office to obtain a .'• young -lady " to look on while his wife did the work. The fair creature who was offered for the place, after asking some .fifty questions whether the "kitchen wer down stairs, " &c, asked how many evenings she could bave " out " in a week. \ ( Well "said the gentleman, " I dont see J how we can let you have more than seven.'' "How many children have you ?" said , the would-be maid. "Only one boy, eight years old, but we will drown hinr*i if you think he'd be in the way." — Otago Witness. The respective debts of the provinces^ in the order of their amountß, are :-— - Otago, £1,332,425; Canterbury, £683,319| Auckland, ' £681,750 ; We 1 lington; £336,706 ; Westland, £207,343 ; Hawke's Bay, £113,343 ; Nelson, £81,372 ; Taranaki, £31,000 ; Marlborough, £13,527 '• total, 3,480,872. Counting three natives as equal in the average of tax-bearing powers to one European, we may state the Provincial debts at per head of population in round numbers : — Otago, £18 i Canterbury, £14; Auckland, £9 10s j Wellington, £12 lOs ; Westland £13 lOs ; Hewke,s Bay, £15 10s ; Nelson £3 : 10s ; Taranaki, £6 ; Marlborough, £2. 1 Os. -Agricultural Statistics. — The official summary of the agricul I ural statistics of the colony, taken in February la6t,i shows the following results:— Number of holdings in the colony exceeding one acre in extent, 15,304; area of land broken "up, but not under crop, 120,032V| acres; wheat, ~ 131,797-5 acres; estimated to 'produce 3,188,696 bushels; oats, for green food or hay, 25,515| acres; for grain, 96,956! acres—2,6lß,oß4 bushels; barley, 15,265 f Keres — 325,101^ bushels; grass for hay, 33,588| acres— 4l,996f- tons; permanent artificial grass (including land in hay), 994^896! acres; potatoes, 12,623 acres— 62,125 tons; in other crops, 19,845 acres; total area of land in crop throughout the colony,. 1,296,900 acres. The returns under the whole of the headings, excepting for oats, show a marked increase upon those for the previous year. Life in Ballarat has lately, it appears, resolved itself into a perpetual picnic in an' eternal summer land. Perhaps the good people there are noi very busy since they; * hatched that solitary and wonderful chick' ,— the local locomotive. There really: ■ seems to be a picnic epidemic on the' ' Sebastopol plateau. In a Ballarat journal of one day last week there are notices of a produce merchants' picnic, of a grocers' and assistants' picnic, of a public picnic in! aid of St. Paul's Church, Clunes, and of a Wesleyan school picnic. The chimney-! sweeps* picnic will presently suggest itself, to precede probably, that of the^ -undertakers and gravediggers, which has 1 been seriously contemplated. The San Francisco Chronicle speaks of the sheep as a public enemy on the Pacific, Slope, and in explanation says : — lt- is a crime against humanity for one man to own 30,0/)0 acres of land which he cannot cultivate, and which he uitlises only by allowing sheep to roam over it, which he is holding for speculation, in the hope that somebody, else's industry and toil will make it valuable. It is neither right nor politic for a small farmer to be taxed at I the rate of 40 dols. per acre for the land made valuable by his labour, while the great land owner escapes taxation because; he prefers. to raise sheep. These lands, great and small, should be taxed at the real value of their acreage, that value to be estimated at what they would be worth if subdivided and sold to emigrants in small lots. This policy would soon depopulate California of sheep and populate it with the more profitable animal— man. \. The story of an "innocent," from the Thames, is. thus related in a Hokitika paper :— A person lately returned from -the Thames disgusted with Green Harps and such like calamities was so overjoyed at finding himself once more amongst simple, honest, trustworthy, and confiding people, that he indulged so freely as to be quite oblivious of his actions. When he recovered himself he discovered that he had lost his watch, which immediately rose in his estimation to the. iValue of seventy or eighty pounds. The police were engaged for some time in

eearching for it, and at length Sergeant B!ane heard news pf it from a watchmaker to whom it had been taken for appraisal, and who fixed its value at twenty-five pounds. "By this" means it was restored to its owner, and it appeared [in the coui'se of the search that it had [been deposited with a publican as security! for certaiu drinks supplied to its thirsty owner, who had also lost a ring, which is probably disposed of in a similar manner but in a different direction.