GENERAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 346, 25 August 1849, Page 2

GENERAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Wednesday, August 22. Present :—Tho Governor.in-Chief, llic Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Colonial Treasurer, the Surveyor.General, Mr. Merrimin, Mr. Barstow, Lieut.-Colonel Hulme, Major Matson, and Mr. Knnpthorne. Prayers were read by the Colonial Chaplain, and the minutes were read and confirmed. Mr. Merrinoan said, that Mr. Polack not flaring furnished him with any petition, he had none to present Irora that gentleman.

Appropriation Bill. The Council returned in committee on this Bill, when Major Matson proposed a §urn of money, of not less than £200, for the purpose of erecting a market place* He thought that sum would be sufficient to begin with, for the erection of sheds, which could be augmented from time to time, as the increase of business would require. The establiihrnent, which would not be a great one, could, p«rhaps, be regulated by a non-com-. missoned officer of police, and two days in the week would be enqugh to have the market open. He would.

also propose that an Inspector of Brandt should be appointed. Mr. Merriman would second tbe first motion, relative to thej market ; and when that was disposed of, would be glad to support the other for the appointment of an inspector of slaughter houses and cattle brands. If it was intended to continue the office of Superintendent of Government Stock, he thought that office might be combined with the former. The Governor thought that £200 would hardly be sufficient to cover the cxpuues of establishing the market, hut a good denl would be saved by employing the road parties for a short li-ne in levelling and pacing the ground on which it would be erected. The office of Superintendent of Government Stock would likely be abolished ; but as the Slaughter House Ordinance gave them power to appoint an inspector, he would take care to make provision for such an officei, ns the Council .seemed to wish it. The sum of .£2OO for the maiket was agreed to. t Colonel liulmp, ncrordiner lo notice, proposed that a Bum should bo voted for the re-erection of Govern* xnent Ilouhe. He begged that Ilia Excellency would give up the idea of turning the Hospital to (hat purpose, for he did not think much of the {'legibility cf lhat edifice— besides, it would cost a considerable sum to alter it into anything fitting even for a temporary Government House. He would rather see a suitable building, although a temporary one, erected on the old site, for he certainly had a veneration for it. The Governor said that, in thinking; the mailer over agoin, he found that perhaps the plan ho hud suggested would be attended will) more expense than might be iiicm red in erecting a house upon the old site, which a; peared to be the one most favourably thought of. He hehevrd that the sum of i,2000 would build n. tolerable lionise, which, in after tunes, when the colony could afford to build a permanent one in the domain, might be turned into Council Rooms and offices for the several departments of the Government — leaving the surrounding space for public pleasuregrounds. After some further conversation, it was resolved "that in the opinion of th's Council, the earliest opportunity should be taken of rebuilding a Government lion c at Auck'and upon the old sito, care being talen that the expcnditnic for such a building should be on a scale suited to the cireumst nccs of the colony." While on the subject of Government House, Mr. Merriman suggested that plans for that and for the new wharf should be called for by the Government, and premiums offered for the best that would be sub. initted. He off-red this suggestion owing to what bad dropped from a practical man who had inspected the plans of the new whaifon the table, who had remarked that a quicksand exiled about the place where it wis intended to drive the piles for the outer construct ion of tbe wharf, and that j erhaps the Engineer Department were not awaie of it. The Governor said he should have no objection to call for plans as mggrsted, if it were not foi the delay that it would occasion. The plans 'hat were submitted by him to the Council were only some of those which had been prepaid, and were aftei wards completed by the Engineer Department, the officer commanding huving kindly undertaken to do it Several plans had been prepared, and the ground well examined, brfoie lhai either was decided on. Mr. Barstow thought that whatever plan should be agreed on it should be the one most practicable to be carried into immediate operation. Nothing could be of great'T importune* to the poit than a piopcr 1 miling place, which might be considered ns a road for all nations to appro ich us. Uo thought th.it a jetty fimilnr to that ut the Cape ol Goo 1 Hope might be made at a small expense, and, from its cheapness, might be carried on at once. The Governor said I bat plans and estimates of a jetty, such as the honourable member had alluded to, had been prepaicd. Le^s than 150 yards projection Would not have made it available, and that would have cost £1000. The advantages of it would have been considerably small, for the sides would not havp been accessible. The proposed whaif would not cost so much ns tbe jetty, lhat is if the laud reclaimed shoul 1 be sold so advantageously for the publ.c as might be expected. The, filliiig in might wry well be -avert, for as the wa'er would be shut out ilie land might bu preferred wi hout the filling in, beoiuieof i' being available for cellars underneath the buildings. He thought that the total cost would not tar exceed aC3OOO, and the land recovered would lessen tuc ulti mate exppiue considerably. Mr. Merriman suggested that watering places for vessels would be a great advantage to the port. A similar resolution to the one for the crectien of | Government House was then paswd for the new wharf. Mr. Meriman then proposed that the Council should pass a resolution empowering the Governor to o< ntribute > sum from the revenue, if he should deem it expedient, in support of steam communication between the settlements of the colony. The Governor would rather that a sum for the purpose, should stand upon the estimated, so that it might convey to the home Government the willingness of the Council to contribute towards such an object. He looked upon it as a matter of Imperial as weli as of local concern. Were such a communication established, the transit of troops within the colony would become less expensive, and more speedy— in fact, it might be said to augment the number of the troops, and would decidedly add to their efficiency. Jtasides the local benefits would be great, foi he knew of nothing that would be productive of a greater increase of revenue. His Excellency then proposed that the amount of j£looO should stand as oiiginally upon the estimates, as the share to be contributed by this Province towards steam communication. Mr. Merriman said, that if the appearance of the sum on the Estimates would lead to the payment of it by Parliament, he had no objection to iccond the motion.— lt was then ngreed to. The Gorernor then moved that the sum of ;£2oo f ) should stand upon the Miscellaneous Estimate 1 ? as compensation to Mr. J. S. Polack for loihes sustained at Kororateka. His Excellency then divided the Council, and the gallery was cleared. When strangers were admitted, it was announced that the motion was lost by a majority of the whole Council. The Committee then adjourned, and the Report was brought up. Mr. Merriman then brought up the Report of the Sub-Committee appointed to prepare an address to the Governor, requesting him to intioduce some mea sure to enable the Natives to lease their lands to Europeans. The Governor pointed out one or two sentences in the K-eport lhat he hUggested iliould be altered before theiffcport was received, and Mr. Moiriman unck-r-tctfdno bring it under consideration on the following uay.

Pensions Bill. On the motion of the Colonial Secretary this bill was read a tecond lime and committed, and one or two amendment! introduced; the piincipul one, proposed by the Surveyor-General, that the petitions, iiutead of being at the tame rate »s that allowed to soldiers, ehould be uot exceeding double that amount. Tho Committee then adjourned.

The Governor laid on the table two returns of the number of Flour Mills erected, or in course of erection, by the Natives, which, on the motion of Mr. Morriman, were ordered to be printed. The Council then adjourned until two o'clock on Thursday.