WELLINGTON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 170, 19 July 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(From our own fiorrespondenfc ) [By Telegraph.] Monday. Mr Turnbull has given notice to ask the Government on Tuesday next whether it is their intention to take any action on the following subjects and recommendations alluded to in the report of tbe Inspector of Prisonst— (l) To abolish the schools in the different gaols of the coloDy on the grounds stated in the report, viz, that endeavoring to educate prisoners is a mistake j (2) That each prisoner be periodically weighed in order to test whether he is losing or gaining flesh ; (3) That the present difetary Bcale be altered iv order to check that undue propensity to increase in weight which prisoners at present undergoing sentence exhibit; (4) Appointing a Medical Board as recommended to enquire how little a man can possibly exist on in order that the dietary scale may be adopted for that purpose ; (5) That gaolers shall be permitted to punish prisoners at will without the onsent of the Visiting The Attorney General In announcing in the Legislative Council that telegrams had been received from the Agent General relative to the fai orable report of the London actuaries on the New Zealand Government Insurance Department remarked that pro. bably these gentlemen who have been accustomed to ca7il at the management of the iDsurance Department would learn with satisfaction the contents of that telegram. An interesting return has been laid on the table Bhowmg the mortgages in New Zealand under tbe Land Transfer Act. Canterbury had £5,095 ; 532 mortgages at the beginning of the last financial year, of which £1,067,340 was paid off during the year, but new mortgages to the amount of £1,606,770 were contracted, thus tnakiDg the whole amount on the 31st March last, £5,634 963 The Olago mortgages at the beginning of the year amounted to £2,359,045. Of rhia £449,277 was paid off during the year, and fresh mortgages to the amount of £1,987,310 were contracted, making the present total £3,897,078. Wellington at the commencement of the year bad £1,453,704, paying off £174,573, ad borrowing £453,010 additional, leaving the present total of mortgages £1,732.139. Southland began the year with £544,684, paving off nearly the whole of that turn (£514,792) duiing the year, but borrowing £1,778,851 in the same period, and having now total mortgages of £1,308,743. Hawkes Bay btgau the year with £988J657, paid off £46,007, and raised £158,886, The present total of mortgages being £1,101,536. The transactions of Nelson, Taranaki, Marlborough, and Westland are comparatively insignificant. Nelson began the year with £212,117 on mortgages, paid off £22,933 and borrowed £49,747, making the present amount £238,930. The total results for whole colony are as follows:— At the beginning of the year the mortgages amounted to £11,512,132, of which £2,402,207 was paid off during the year, but £6,727,898 more was borrowed, making the present total of mortgages cmounl to £15,837,828. Of this folal iha mortgage indebtedness of Canterbury, Otego, and Southland, that is to Bay, the provinces of Canterbury and Otago, are debited with more than three-fourths, or £11,340,784. Fresh mortgages to the value of nearly seven millions were contracted during the year, thus bearing ont the Colonial Treasurer's assertion that the property tax had not proved deterrent to the investment of " foreign " or other capital in the colony. The Counties Act Amendment Bill introduced into Parliament by Mr J. B. Fisher, provides for ib.9 electipn of the County Chairman by the County electors in the same way as the Mayor of a Borough is elected by the ratepayers. A County Councillor, if elected Chairman, vacates, the office of Councillor, and the Chairman, if elected & Councillor, vacates the office of Chairman, but the Chairman shall be ex otficio a, Councillor. [The foregoing was crowded out of yesterday 8 issue.]

-, _. This Day. Mr Sheeban's Abolition Repeal Bill will be a very short one containing only three or tour clauses affirming the principle on which he will take the vote of the House. I hear he intends to deliver a two hours' oration in moving the Bill, setting forth the lost glories of Provincialism, and strongly contrasting the present fallen state of the Colony. It is rumored in the lobbies that from 38 to 40 votes may be expected to be recorded in favor of Repeal. Another lobby rumour is that if the Representation Bill is not carried* bd attempt will be made to repeal the Triennial Parliaments Act on the pretext of allowing another chance of redistribution of seats before the general election. As, hoSvever, Nelson and West* land are the only parts of the Colony which lose by the Bill, all other places gaining, some by increased representation, and others by increase dp opulation. entitling them now to representation which was excessive under the former census, I fancy the Dill stands a fair prospect of passing in some form or other. The chief disputes are likely to be about places being grouped together that have not a community of interests, but this probably can be rectified, I understand the estimates are Eot yet ready, and are not expected to be brought down before to-morrow or Thatsiay, Major Atkinson's Road Construction Bill is just out. it proceeds strictly on the lines laid down in the financial statement, co that its contents are mostly anticipated. The Roads Construction Board is to consist of the Minister for Pubiie Works, and three persons annually elected by the House of Representatives by ballot on a day to be fixed by the Speaker. Casual vacancies to be filled up by similar elections, but if Parliament is in recess then the Speaker may nominate acting members to hold office until the session. . Members of the Board are not to be disqualified by. reason of being ratepayers interested, and do not come within the . provisions of the Disqualification Act, even if entitled to payment in respect of services whether as salary or for travelling expenses. The Board, to be a complete body, may elect ' a Chairman and make by-laws subject to approval by the Colonial Treasurer. £150,000 oat of the loan of 1879 is to be credited to theßoard on the main road account. All moneys received from sales of Crown Lands are to be charged with the expense of surveys, and administration of Crown Lands together with all sums paid for rates on Crown Lands under the " Crown and Native Lands Rating Act. 1881."- The Board by resolution published in the Gazette may at any time declare which roads are main roads for the purposes of the Act, but no snch resolution shall have any effect till after a resolution of the House has been passed approving the same. County Councils are to have like powers over the main roads as over country roads. When the Council desires aid, estimates and plans are to to prepared. Estimates, &c. are to be submitted to the Board when application is made, and the Board is to grant the application if it has funds, A poll of the ratepayers is to be taken, and if the result be favorable a special rate is to be levied/ The Council may take up debentures before they are due. After the poll, and the delivery of the debentures the Board iB to pay over the money. If the Council will find one fourth the Board will pay over three ■< fourths without a poll. £100,000 of the loan of 1879 is to be credited to the Board on the district roads and river works account. The Board may borrow for the district j roads acccunt out of the trust fands ot the Post Office Annuities or sinking fund. The Board is togive debentures for the sums borrowed at 5 per cent secured on the consolidated fund. The Board may repay the debentures at any time. Loans may be granted for district roads and river works. Repairing extraordinary damage is to be deemed "construction," also rebuilding of bridges on thg main roads. The Board shall apply the funds at its disposal fully among the local bodies applying for aid, and if there are not funds to satisfy the applications in full the Board may grant aid in such, case pro fata in such manner as it thinks equitable: provided that applications in cases of extraordinary damage shall have priority over other applications for aid to construct main or other roads or | river works, and the Board shall be the sole judge as to the nature of the damage and the necessity for priority. When it appears to any local body that any district road or river work is for tha special benefit of any particular portion of the district in which such local body has jurisdiction, then such body may, by special resolution, define such portion of the district, and the poll above referred to Bhall only be taken of the rate payers of such portion, and the special rate shall only be levied on the ratepayers of such particular portion. The Board shall only refuse* and shall be entitled to refuse, any application made tinder this Act upon one or other of the following grounds! — (1) That there is no money then available; (2) that the applicants have not complied with the terms of the Act} but refusal on one occasion shall not preclude further application at a future date, and as far as may be consistent with the tertrig of the Act all such rejected applications shall have p"rior,ity* if renewed or allowed to stand over. One or oiore local bodies may make joint application for aid under this Act for the construction of a road of which there are portions in each of their districts, and the Board may apportion the advance amongst such local bodies in such way as shall be agreed upon. The amount of special rate may similarly be apportioned where any road, the construction of which is to be effected by moneys provided by this Act, lies lengthwise on the boundary of the district of two or more local bodies and such roads shall be constructed by the local bodies in such equitable manner as the Board shall direct. The members of the Local Bodies shall be personally liable for improper dealing with money. The Board is to report yearly to the General Assembly. There are elaborate provisions for taking a poll of the ratepayers, for making and collecting of special rates; for the appcin'ment of a receiver in case of default of payment of any sums secured as above provided by debentures. Notice is to be ,given by the Commissioner to the Local Body when Crown lands are about to be sold in the district. The coat of roads is to be added to the price of the land. The local body is to construct roads with the moneys so added to the price to be advanced out of the con solidated fund before the whole of the land is sold. The Volunteer Consolidation Bill introduced in the Legislative Council by the Statutes Consolidation Commission consolidates five acts regulating the Volunteer force, viz., the Acts of 1865, 1866, 1868, 1870, and 1874. In the original Act of 1865 there are references to the officers of the permanent staff who have no existence now but the new matter suggested renders the cause more elastic. Special provision is made for constituting districts. In the previous Acts reference was frequently made to " districts " but there was no power to define them. In practice militia districts were recognised as Volunteer districts, and the new clause permits this to continue if deemed advisable Clause 1 5 continues all corps in existence at the date of passing of the Act. A corps has power to vest its property in trustees. There is a conflict between section 3 of the Act of 1868 and section 20 of the Act of 1865 and words were necessary to make it clear that the property of corps shall only vest in"the Commanding officers where there are trustees. Certain clauses from the English Volunteer Act of 1863, and the Amendment Act 1870 are suggested as being useful. Provisions for recovering money due to a ■ corps, and for the protection of its property. The following amendments is suggested :— At present if there is no person who was commanding officer of a disbanded corps a meeting is to be called by the adjutant of the Permanent Staff. There is frequently no such officer, but there always is an officer commanding the district, and to him it is proposed to give the necessary powers in case of need. Provision ia omitted for making Volunteers liable to the Mutiny Act when undergoing inspect on. It appears to have crept in by infidvertence and was eventually found in a provision of the Imperial Act of 1863 putting volunteers for purpose of inspection under a general officer of the regular force. A clause ia suggested to get rid of any doubt as to the application to lljs Volunteer force of the Acts quoted.

Another important Bill drafted by the Commission is the " Lunatics Consolidation Bill," In view cf the prominence recently given to the question, the remaiks of the Ccmmiseioners in their report derive epecial interest They cay :— "ln the Consolidation Bill we have refrained from suggesting any enactments involving a change of the system of administration in the absence of any indication of the probable wishes of the Legislature on the subject, bnt we bave proposed a few additional or substituted other provisions which seem just calculated to carry out more elf ctually the evident intention of the Legislature. It seems very undesirable that the treatment of "habitual drunkards" should be ccnducted in ordinary asylums 07 licensed refuges for lunatics as it is as pre--Bi-nt, and W9 have much doubt about the utility and propriety of the system now sanctioned by law. We bave not deemed ourselves justified in altering the existing provisions on the subject, but we have inserted some new provisions by way of {Continued on Third page.)