The Invercargill Times TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1863.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 2, 14 July 1863, Page 2

The Invercargill Times TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1863.

The next session of the Provincial Council will be the most important one yet held since Southland came into existence as a Province. The action taken then will, iv a great measure, influence either . for good or evil our future. We sincerely trust every member will come to it deeply impressed with the serious responsibility he has undertaken, with a determination to do his utmost to build up such a foundation as will ensure our future progress — sparing no time, no trouble, to accomplish this object. Hitherto too little time has been devoted to 80 sei'ious a matter as legislation. Ordinances, placed for the

first time before the members of Council, have been passed too rapidly to warrant the supposition of their having been thoroughly digested. The next Council will have as much work in undoing what has been done as in passing fresh Ordinances. Amongst things to be done, the proposition to make a railway at least fifteen miles out of town will be submitted for the consideration of the Council. This is a measure of vital importance ; it ensures our securing the Lake diggings' trade beyond the chance of competition from Otago, as also any fresh diggings to the westward of the Whakatipu, of the discovery of which there is every probability. Setting aside the absolute necessity of obtaining metal for the roads and streets from the Mokomoko, the importance of a railway to either that p'ace or die Bluff is secondary to a railway . into the Ulterior. Experience proves that we can obtain goods fast enough, even with our present defective communication with the porr. All the bonded stores are crowded — all the business premises full — the difficulty being to get them emptied again To opea up communication with the interior is the one thing most needful — a corumun cation which would so cheapen the cost of transit, that, with our natural advantages iu poitit of distance, the possibility of our being outbid in what nature has destined to be our market is precluded- Nor i3 the transit of goods the only benefit to be derived by making a railway to the inierior. If it is made as far as the limestone quarries on the North Road, we shall be ablo to obtain iirstclass lime at trifling cost with which to manure the, at present, sour land in the vicinity of Invercargill, which will materially alter its productiveness, and the face of the country for miles round the town. This stone is also well adapted for building purposes, and, could it be procured sufficiently cheap, would doubtless be in considerable demand for that purpose. The project of Messrs. Davis and Clarke to construct a wooden railway possesses for us, at the present moment, an inestimable advantage, that of quickness in execution. This is of greater momeut even than the cheapness of construction. "If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly, 1 ' possesses for us more thau ordinary significance. Speed — speed is everything ; the tide must be taken at the flood. Another summer of inac • tion, and farewell the prospects ol Southland,; we trust every member of the Council will see this, and seeing, act vigorously. Among the Ordinances which require amending, none calls more loudly for it than the present Licensing Ordinance. This ordinance, as far as it goes, is well enough The granting of licenses at any ! time an application is made is a decided improvement ; but it is not sufficiently comprehensive — does does not embrace our wants. The time has now come when licenses to sell by the bottle should be granted. Such sales are now daily effected The Province is defrauded of a source of revenue. The persons effecting such sales are liable to punishment, while they are precluded from legalising their actions by the law, which we feel sure that they would willingly do if permitted. Eating houses or restaurants ought also to be licensed, and enabled to sell wines and spirits. The keepers of such are bound to do so by the nature of their business. That they would willingly pay for the privilege there can be little doubt. This would increase the revenue, and would afford a fair protection to them. We understand that there are numerous informations about to be laid, yet it seems hard that a man must be punished ior doing what he does not wish to do — that he must, owing to the State of the law, either not pursue his calling, or by force of circumstances pursue it illegally. Now, we have no hesitation in asserting, and the public will agree with us, that restaurants, ! coffee, and eating houses — call them ; what you will — are a great public convenience — in our present sJate, a public necessity ; our hotels are crowded, and those who prefer a quiet dinner to engaging in a scramble at the table d'hote, absolutely require such places ; but in addition to viauds they require wine or beer, and the proprietor must furnish it. Willing to pay a license and do so legally, he is prevented by the act, and has to do so illegally or shut up h ; s house. We trust therefore that the government will bring forward an amended Licensing Act, suited to our present wants. The Education Ordinance seems also to have proved rather unworkable — too cumbrous in its machinery — too heavy in its impositions — and will probably require modification, notwithstanding the assertion in the Council of that astute (?) politician, the late member for the Waihopai, that the Education Ordinance which he fathered, or rather wet-nursed, was believed by him to be so well adapted to our requirements as likely to remain unchanged for years. What is most wanted is that the whole cost of erecting school buildings in each district should be borne by the Government, instead of half, as under the present ordinance. In a country so sparsely populated the first expense is the most oppressive ; so much so, indeed, that, refusals to pay th • assessment are sufficiently common to prove that the act is not one which meets with that general approbation and ready concurrence which all acts to be workable should do. Extending the size of school districts, doubtless has done something ; yet, owing to the large blocks of land held by each individual, the total po-

pulation of even the larger districts is small, while their being located so far from each other renders side schools necessary at once, if any general system of education is to be carried out, — if the rising gent-ration is to be really benefitted by that inestimable boon. The liberal reserves of laud being now made by the government will at some future day doubtless materially lessen the c st of taxation ; but at the present it undoubtedly comes heavy, with a weight which many cry out is not to be borne ; to compel these recusants to pay, recourse must be had to law, which is to be deeply deprecated. The present Electoral Districts Ordinan c will also require amendment. Some of the older districts have received, and are daily receiving, considerable additions to the population, more particularly the Waihopai ; part of this district may be now considered less as a rural than a town one, the numbel' of properties in the vicinity, in some cases at a considerable distance from town, have been so sub-divided and settled on by a population having no direct agricultural interest, that they may be said to be unrepresented by those returned as meaibers for the rural districts ; their interests are more analogous with those of the town, and would be more satisfactorily represented by town members. We fancy, therefore, that, an Invercargill suburban district might judiciously be made, extending for a distance of from two to three miles in e;ich direction round In-verc-iirgill. This would enable the suburbs to have their interests represented. As to the Waihopai District, as it at present exists, it is simply absurd, the individual interests of the Eastern portion of it are not only not identical, but in a great measure diametrically opposed to the Northern portion ; while the Sjuthern part, though small in extent, is not identified with either. In fact, it is a district- of such peculiar form that, it would be difficult so to sub-divide it, that each portion should be fa rly represented. Of this we may speak at some future time. At the present, we wi 1 content ourselves with suggesting such an alteration in the Act, as will uivc a fairer representation to the vari us interests and classes of the community — a suggestion which must be patent to all. Above we have noticed the plan of constructing a wooden railway, submitted to the Government by Messrs. Davis and Clarke. Apparently it possesses great advantages for us, situated as we are ; but bel Ore committing ourselves to this experiment, We sincerely trust the Council will thoroughly sift the evidence brought bef re it; we cannot afford a f;.i uro. Doubtless Mr. Davis, ou his return from Australia, will be able to produce sufficient proof that his scheme will answer — bo able to prove that it has been practically in operation in Australia, and has succeeded. We hope litmay; but we would warn the Council to satisfy themselves thoroughly before deciding. The scheme, we understand, has been noticed some time in Victoria has hern submitted to the consideration of railway companies there — there must, therefore, be some printed evidence on the Subject, with the opinions of the most eminent engineers in Australia on it. These papers might be obtained, and thus we should have the evidence of its success or failure, where it has been mooted and tried for some years. Above all, we sincerely trust that the Government will distribute to the members all the Ordinances which are to be brought before them, a sufficiently long lime before the Council meets to enable them to get some idea of the subjects on which they are called upon to legislate, la the last two sessions the late member for the Waihopai, on behalf of the Government — in language which might well be termed flippant — repudiated the idea of such condescension. We trust his successor in the Executive will adopt a different, a more dignified course, and, instead, of sneering, condescend to argue.