LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 136, 9 June 1874, Page 2

LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL.

The Council met at 5 o'clock. On the motion of Mr Tarrant it was resolved, That in the opinion of this Council it is highly desirable the sums voted for Road Boards should be paid over to these bodies as early as possible. Mr Donne moved, That the Estimates be recommitted to enable him to move under the heading "Executive Establishment," to strike out the words, " Clerk to Superintendent," nnd substitute tbe words, " Under-Secretary, Clerk to Treasury." Debate adjourned until Monday next. — Mr Donne moved That the Estimates be recommitted for the purpose, under the head of "Justice" of prefixing the word " Three " before the words " Wardens," in the first line, and to strike out the figures " £1450," with a view of substituting the figures, " ±.1250." To insert in the next line the words and figures, " One Warden, £200." To prefix to the word, " clerk?," the word " four,'' and to strike out the figures, ■« £750," and insert the figures, " £900," ond, after the word, " Reefton," to strike ont the figure, " 2," which appears in brackets. Debate adjourned until Monday next. — Mr Ivess moved, That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £100, for the purpose of clearing a horse-track from Black's Point to Rainy Creek. Debate adjourned until Monday next. —Mr Maclean moved, That his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place ou the Supplementary Estimates tbe sum of £547 63 6d., to be paid in land scrip to the Buller Towing Track Company, in accordance with the recommendation of the Petitions Committee, as embodied io their report upon the matter. Carried. — Mr Ivess moved, That his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place upon the Appropriation Bill the sum of £10 for each ot thoae members of the Provincial Council who are resident in the City of Nelson, and who do not otherwise receive remuneration for tbeir attendance at this Council. He did this in justice to the members referred to in the resolution, some of whom represented distant constituencies and had occasionally to go to some expense in visiting those districts. What he intended was merely that they should receive some recompense for their actual outlay. In Westland the town members received £15 for tbe session. Mr Greenfield opposed the motion as it was never the intention of tho Council that members should receive payment for their services. He felt that as a town member he could oppose it with better grace than tbe country members. Mr Wastney, the Provincial Solicitor, and Mr Adams also opposed the motion. Mr Donne thought the whole question of honorarium could be better dealt with by Act, and he should be prepared with a Bill at the uext session. He might cay that even the country members did not receive sufficient to cover their actual expenditure, and that attending the Council had, during the time he had been a member, cost him £300 more than be had received as honorarium. He moved the previous question. This was seconded by, Mr Shephard and carried. — Mr Shephard moved, That in the opinion of this Council it is desirable that the construction of roads in the Buller Valley, to be paid for out of funds agreed to be advanced by tbe General Government, should be at once proceeded with. He brought forward this resolution in consequence of the annoucement made by the Provincial Secretary tbat the Government did not intend to avail themselves of the advance provided by the General Government. Last session resolutions were passed authorising the Superintendent to borrow £60,000,. but this had been abandoned with theezceptionof £20,000 which was advanced by the General Government for the purpose of connecting the existing dray roads as far as tbe Mariua, and opening four blocks of land for special settlements. Certain portions of those roads were made but they would be useless unless there was a further expenditure upon them. It was unfortunate that tbe Executive should have resolved, now when labor was available, to discontinue the work. Tbe reason which operated with them in refusing to make use of the advance WBS that tbe General Government might require repayment, but that Government knew perfectly well that the province would not be in a position to pay the money within a certain time, and also that it was asked for in anticipation of a loan which it was hoped would be allowed by the General Assembly. To refuse the money lest the General Government should in bad faith exact repayment would be to exhibit such a distrust of them as would seriously impair our chance of obtaining the larger sum through their agency. It was quite impossible that the Government would impound a portion of the revenue in repayment except by a vote of the Provincial Council, and bad they intended to do so they would have desired the Council to provide for it in the Appropriation Act. At present there were a number of people ready and willing to undertake the work, and if it was not provided for them they would probably leave the province and go elsewhere. It vyould be far better not to wait until there were numerous public works in hand, but to proceed with tbe roads bit by bit as they would thus get them made more oheaply. It would show a want of faith in the value of

tbe land to be opened up, if we refused to accept the ndvance, and would be the most suicidal net of which we could be guilty. The more we got done now the greater chance we should havß of securing the larger cum. He wished to abstain from importing any personal feeling into the question, but desired that tbe Government would reconsider their decision, and he felt sure that if they accepted his suggestion they would . greatly increase their popularity. He felt he had a right to claim the votes of three of the members of the Government, two of whom had been in the former Executive when it was decided to borrow the money, and the third the Secretary of the Inland Communication Committee, whose special object it was to open up the country. Mr Adams seconded the resolution. Mr G_eenfield could go a long way with the mover of the resolution, but did not altogether approve of the wording of it, as in its presort form it was certainly hostile to the Government whether tbe mover intended it to be so or not. If the Government would only proceed with a portion of the road from the Hope to the Owen, he believed' it would give great satisfaction to the people in this port of tbe province. He would move aB an amendment : — That in the opinion of this Council th*. Government should reconsider the question of the construction of roads down the Buller Valley to be paid for out of funds agreed to be advanced by the General Government, especially with the view of the immediate widening of that portion of the bridle track between the rivers Hope and Owen, so aa to make it for traffic without delay. Mr Wastney seconded the amendment. The Provincial Secretary said that the Government had arrived at their decision not from any desire to delay the opening up the country, but because they were not going to risk the provincial revenue being impounded by the General Government in order to pay for a work that would only benefit one part of it. There was a large overdraft at the Bank, and the whole revenue was appropriated for current expenditure, and how were tbey to provide for the repayment of tbe £20,000 if the Government chose to demand it? Apart from the injustice to the rest of the province by pledging the revenue for a work which even when finished would be incomplete, they were asked to do it at an exhorbitant rate, namely, one-sixth over the engineer's estimate, that being the lowest fonder, owing to the work having to be executed in the winter. The Government were not prepared to adopt the ruinous and reckless policy of borrowing money to be repaid out of current revenue. He was sick of the special settlements scheme of which they had heard bo much, and which was to benefit new arrivals at tbe expense of old colonists. Tho Government would bo prepared to proceed with the work so soon as the loan had been sanctioned by the Assembly. It would then be commenced at a more seasonable time of the year, when money would go at least one-sixth further. The resolution was tantamount to saying that the province had plenty of funds, and was prepared to state that this was the most important work that could be undertaken. He should oppose it. Mr Gibbs had opposed the resolution of last session to borrow £60,000, and he would certainly oppose this one. Mr Ivess would oppose the resolution although the proposed road would benefit a portion of his district. The money was only to be obtained, on such stringent conditions that it would plnce the province in a very precarious, position. The chance of obtaining the loan was now so close that there could be no objection to waiting a few weeks longer. The Provincial Solicitor said that Mr Shephard had claimed his and Mr Shapter's votes on the ground that they, as members of the late Government, were parties to the arrangement made by the Superintendent, but although technically speaking they were certainly parties to it, they were on the West Coast at the time the correspondence took place, and on reconsideration they quite agreed with the Provincial Secretary. He strongly approved of carrying the Hope road right through, but did not believe the mere widening of the track would be sufficient, but even if it were, the advantages to be gained would be nothing as compared with the risk of having tho revenue suspended. It would he far better to wait until the Superintendent and Provincial Secretary had hod an opportunity of conferring with the General Government.-Mr Greenfield's amendment was then put and negatived on the voices. The Goldfields Secretary, in reference to what Mr Shephard had said about claiming his vote, said tbat hia advice had not been sought in the matter at all, and he knew nothing of any arrangement having been made until Mr Shephard casually mentioned to him on his return from the Coast that they were going to get £20.000 out of Yogel. Mr Rout moved as an amendment that the following words be added to the resolution :— " when the proposed Loan Bill baa been assented to." Mr Shephard had claimed his vote aa Secretary of the Inland Communication Committee, but in that capacity he had never advocated opening up the country by money payable on demand. He would prefer to see the Grip road carried on. Mr Maclean would support the original resolution, for he felt sure that the Government would never act harshly and unfairly with a province that had hitherto been so careful as had Nelson, It would be found that,

as a rulo, those provinces had succeeded best which bad dared most. Mr Shephabd felt sure they could implicitly rely upon the General Government not enforcing the repayment of tho money out of current revenue. With regard to what had been said l>y the Provincial Solicitor and Goldfiel.ls Secretary, he would slate that the wbole question of borrowing the money had been settled before thoy went to the Coast, and it was merely the formal correspondence that took place in their absence. They were both in Nelson when the details were settled. The excess of tender?, £300, over the Engineer's estimates was so trifling that it was not worth while to decline to proceed with the work on those grounds. The delay proposed would be a matter' of months, as the work could only be proceeded with after the Loan Bill had been passed and assented to. The General Government had acted most handsomely, and to refuse the money would be giving them a slap in the face. Mr Parker did not wish to see a probability of the revenue being impounded as it would be if the loan were refused by tho Assembly, and did not think it worth while to risk such a contingency merely for the sake of saving a few weeks iv the commencement of the woik. He would support the amendment. Mr Boase would support the amendment as he did not think that with the sitting of fhe Assembly so close at band it wna right fo jeopard ise the provincial revenue Tbe Provincial Solicitor wished to state emphalically tbat although he waa aware arrangements were being ma-ie with Mr Yogel for an advance of £20,000, be did not know until his return from the Coast what the conditions were. Mr Adams thought that in opposing the resolution members would be pursuing a very short sighted policy. He felt sure that the Government and their supporters were magnifying the danger of accepting the advance. The Matakitaki was the heart of the Buller, and it was the wish of a majority of the inhabitants of the province that communication should be opened up wilh the Buller as speedily aa possible. For £4,000 to be expended between the Hope and the Owen iv widening the truck it would be quite possible to have through communication to the Matakitaki, and this would render useful the previous expenditure of four or fivo times tbat amount, which rt present was of no avail whatever. In summer they all knew that wages were far higher and labor was scarce, although of course lesß work could be done io in the wiuter. It had been said that there was but a small number of settlers in the Buller Valley, but tbat number would never increase bo long as the Government was half hearted in opening up the country. Tho agitation for inland communication had had the effect of inspiring Mr Yogel and the General Government witb faith in the province, but that faith would be shaken if we showed that we ourselves were frightened of borrowing £20,000. Mr Kerr addressed a few remarks to the Provincial Solicitor and Mr Greenfield which it was difficult to follow. The Provincial Secretary said that Mr Adams bad made a loog speech which only went to show that he had not studied the matter about which he had been speaking. He must look upon this as an opposition movement, and would answer for it that the same names tbat were that evening fouudon tbe division list as voting for the resolution would ou a future occasion be recorded, and perhaps with greater Buccess, against the Government. The object was merely to cast. a slur upon tbe Government and to render them unpopular. To render the road available would require the whole of tho £20,000, and the Government were not now prepared to recommend this, but thty would go to work carefully to open up the country. Mr Shephard said that the Government had not confidence in themselves, but he thought that the refusal to accept the advance showed the very contrary. It had been objected tbat in summer hands were scarce, but they would have to look to the goldflelds principally for labor, and it was in summer that it was most easily obtained, as the want of water then prevented the miners following their usual avocations. Mr Shephard, he believed, had brought forward this resolution because he wanted to occupy a seat on the Government benches, and Mr Adams supported it because he wanted to be Provincial Solicitor. The resolution was tantamount to saying that the Government had come down with a policy that waß not safe. A cry would no doubt be raised about stopping public works, but the Government looked upon it as au absolute necessity, and were prepared to stand or fall upon the decision tbey had arrived at. Mr -Celling would support the original resolution, as to proceed with the work would show that we had confidence in ourselves and our resources. He did not regard it as a Government question. Mr Donne said it was a mistake on the part of the Provincial Secretary to suppose there had been anything like concert among members on this question He had not seen the resolution until it appeared on the Notice Paper. He intended to vote for the original motion. The amendment was then put with the following result: — Ayes 12:-— The Provincial Secretary, Provincial Solicitor, Goldfielda' Secretary, Messrs Gibbs, Baigent, Ivess, Wastney, Parker, Rout, Boase, Maguire, and Tarrant. Noes, 6 : Messrs Shephard, Kerr, Kelling, Donne, Maclean, and Adams.

Mr Shephard, in reply, wished to say that he hud never intended hig reaolution as a no-confidence motion, for he wfi3 quite prepared to give the Executive, a fair trial. He felt glad that he ha:l brought it forward for, in the face of a Westport Executive having as its lender one who bad alwayß tried to stop expenditure in tho Upper Buller, it wbb something to have obtained a distinct pledge that money should be spent there. Mr O'Conor had thrown out insinuations regarding himself (Mr Shephard) with reference to tbe books not beiug handed over until after some delay, but he might Bay thai the accounts were closed and sent in with tbe greatest promptitude. He hnd tried to mislead iho Council with reference to the Lunatic Asylum, nnd when the error was pointed out said that he did not understand the uccounts. At this he (Mr Shephard) wna not surprised, for ho did not think that Mr O'Conor ever would understand accounts, except perhaps tho day-book of a petty huckster's shop. He was glad to find thut tbe Government would abstain from any reckless and ruinous policy, but it would be well if tbey did not go back to ihe old state of things. It was lhe fear of debt that had brought the province so low, and yet they appeared to bo still actuated by that same fear. — The resolution as amended was then put and carried. The Appropriation and Loau Bills were then passed through all their stages, and the Council ndjourned until this morning.