PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Southland Times, Issue 676, 29 May 1867, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

The Ninth Session of this KoviriciaF ? Council of Southland commenced on Moß^y day in the Council Hall, Kelvin-street.:^ The Speaker toot the chikbf shortly after 12 o'clock. - -,•- ' \ J_-^\ Present — Messrs "Wilson (Speaker)^ Blacklock (Provincial Treasurer), Nurses,' Armstrong, Lumsden, Swale, Boy d, Ross, Clerke, Wood, Johnston, and. the Hon^ Dr Menzies. The Clerk having read the proc!ain&~ tion convening the Council, proceedings jwere prefaced by prayer. | - A message from His Honor the Supers intendent having been announced, the* jSpeaker expressed his regret — which he felt was shared by the House— l that indisposition' prevented" His Honor's attendance. The Speaker then read the following ; • /:..■:■. ADDRESS. - MB SpEAKEB AM> GENTLEMEN OP THE PEG|I. TIIfCIAI. CoHNCEDj — . ' V . ' - ! t • . .. • I have called you together at this time for ih© transaction of business, which although not so> jvaried in character as usual, Trill be inpart of 30= iimportant a nature as to merit your very earnest Propositions having "been received hj me from the General Government, expressing ita ' iassent to the completion, of the Oreti line of" ißailway (which has cost the Province upwards of j £100,000), -and to the construction of an. Eastern :Lrae- of, Bailway, your attention will b&. ! drawn to' these projects, and you will be asfced 'io* i affirm resolutions relating to them, it being ia I contemplation to .pay for these public works ia land. '„..... . ; , . ' ... The Educational Ordinance passed by yon e£ the last session, having received the ; assent of !His Excellency the Governor, it will now be yomr duty to elect members of Committee in terms of^ its provisions. ; The following Ordinances passed at the same time have also received the Governor's assent, viz : — " Appropriation Ordinance, lß67," " I iesii6ing Amendment Ordinance, 1867," "Cattle Trespass Amendment Ordinance, 1867,-" "Roads Ordinance, 1867," "Fires Ordinance, 1867." II would have afforded me pleasure had I bees enabled to inform you that the Pastoral Bents due on Ist May last were at your disposal for appropriation, but the greater part of the 1 amount has befen required to pay the compensation claims of those license-holders, on. whose i runs land has been purchased, and -the balance ;has gone to meet the interest due to the General. ! Government " on the amount; of its claim underI the Southland Debt Act. : ; • /; / ■.; i A communication of date, May 3rd, from tee !Hon. the Colonial Secretary, promising that tbjr ; price- of land shall not be reduced until tliei imatter shall have been considered by the General Assembly, will be laid on. the table for yonr I information. Other Provinces not being initerested in lowering the price of our lands, but* jthe reverse, this promise virtually places Southland 'as regards alteration of the price of its i Waste lands on the :same footing as themjselves. ■ ! I congratulate you on the steady advancement ;of the Province, consequent upon the more 'healthy state of trade, and in doing so I express !my firm belief that should the railway works alI ready alluded to by me, be carried out promptly and vigorously, our Province will receive such sa- ; impetus in the right direction, that with ordinary no relapse. need be hereafter apprehended. 1 I now declare the Council open for the transacition of business. : ■ ' ; Mr Lumsden introduced the newly I elected member for Invercargill - (Mr J, ;B.oss), and Mr .Clerke the; member foir |Waianiwa (Mr Boyd). 1 Mr Swjjde moved for. the. appointment !of a committee to consist .of "Messrs Rumsden, Wo6d, Nurse and the mover to draw iup a reply to His Honor's Address. . : Mr Cleeke seconded the motion "vvhich- ' was carried without remark. . ] ' Mr Armstrong laid on the table paper® ; comprising a report on the contract for \ completion of certain works on the Bluff and.lnvercargill Railway, correspondence i relative to the appointment of a Crowni? |Land 3 Ranger, alterations in the South•land Waste Lands Act, Courts of arbitrajtion, a letter from the Colonial Secretary \in re a change in 1 the form of Grovernmenfe ;in tine Middle Island, and correspondence- ;• respecting propositions for the completion of the Oreti and the construction of ithe Eastern Railways. The latter, comprising a long series of letters was on the ; motion of Mr "Wood, read by the Clerk |to the Council. . - I Mr Ltjmsdb n gave notice to ■ move a€. ithe next sitting — I " That a select committee be appointed: : to inquire intbiind report tipon the pilot: ; service for the JSTewjSiyer, to consist of the following members :— Messrs, Ross,, Qlerke, Armstrong, Pr, and tnet jrn'oVer. Three ~ho form a^quorum:" •:.' ■ h e:.. ' I " That there be laid on table tlu* iagre'ement between Mr DavieSy late Railjway Gonfeactor^ 'and the G-overhtfieiity.---junderiwhichj asum ■■>iw compensation <#? j£32,500 was paid to. that gentlemari ); to^s igether wilh'-'tKe rT fepbrts of the Railway •and Consulting having fe^irence to Mr Davies's claim. *f '-, •,- . - ; .- :r ; , ; -_- 5 S , TheJEouse^ then- adjourned to -the nexfe? Iday at^Ll a.m./ r : f , .■■_■ y- ■

; <» _ ■ „_ ..... , Tuesday, -May 28> 1867. - ::y-n \ -;TKe Council ;met: at 11 o'clock, vrkeii jalie following members were present:——The Speaker ( Jas. "Wilson, 1 Esq.) , the ' Provincial Secretary (J. Blacklock, Esq.)/. Messrs Armstrong, JN"urse, CuthberfcsoiV; Clerke, "Wood,-Boyd, Eosa, Swale, Jolin-" ston, Menzies, Clark, and Luinsden.' - : After pi*ayers, the minutes were read and confirmed.

BEPLY TO THE ADDBBESS. Mr Ntjese brought up the reply to His Honor the Superintendent's address, and moved that it be read. Seconded by Mr Abmsteong, and read as follows : — The Council deeply sympathise "with your Honor on your long continued distressing illness, and trust that, under the blessing of Providence, you may enjoy a speedy restoration to health. The proposition' of the General Government ■with reference to tlie completion of the Oretiline, and the construction of an Eastern line of railway, shall receive our careful .consideration. The Council is glad to learn that the "Education Ordinance, and other Ordinances named in your Honor's address, have received the assent of His Excellency the Governor. MThe Council must accept of the disposal of the money accruing from the pastoral rents, as referred to in your Honor's address, as unavoidable under, the circumstances. .... ; We ar& gratified to learn from a letter of the I hon. the Colonial Secretary, that the present upBst price cf land will not be reduced without the " consent of the General .Assembly. The Council, participates with your Honor in your expression of gratification at the improved condition of the. trade and prospects of. the Province, and trusts that your Honor's hopeful expectations may be realised. Mr -Cuthbebtsost would like the Council to consider carefully the disposal of the pastoral rents. He denied that it was " unavoidable under the , circumstances." He admitted it was right that the compensation to runholders should be paid from them, but the balance should be placed at the service of the Province for provincial purposes. He considered the General Government had acted dishonestly in depriving them of that money. If the mover of the adoption of the reply had no objection to alter it to that effect, I'J might save further remark. Mr Wood thought if the hon. member would put hi? suggestion, in form, the Council would consider it. After some conversation among the members, The PbovbtciaiT Secbetaby asked to be allowed to explain that a printer's error had crept into the address of His Honor the Superintendent, inasmuch as a line or two had been omitted. The correspondence on the subject would ex-, plain the matter more fully. He had toped to lay it on the table at this sitting, but the copying had not yet been completed. . Mr Cttthbeetson moved that the fourth paragraph of the reply be substituted by the following : — "The Council regrets to learn from your Honor that the pastoral rents due at this time have not been paid over to the Province, as the Council had every reason to expect." Dr Menzies seconded the amendment. He" did not think that the mistake in the address was a mere printer's error. It was clearly understood last session that those rents were to be absolutely paid over for compensation. Mr Ltimbden said if the mover of the amendment could show that there had been any principle violated, he would support it. Mr JOHNSON thought the land fund should only be applied to the extinguishiftent of the debt contracted- at the time the General Government took over the. land. . Any subsequent debt was fairly chargeable against the current revenue. Mr Abiistbo^g. explained that on the day the address was devised, the Provincial Secretary had met in with an accident, and the other members .of the Executive did not think it necessary to so into the details, and had struck out in the draft several lines of the address. He considered there was no dishonesty on the part of the General Government. Mr -"Wood thought if the General Government were disposed to act in a liberal spirit towards the Province, they could pay the compensation to runliolders out of the land sold in hundreds, and not deduct it from the ordinary revenue, or pastoral rents. Mr Cuthbeetsos" in replying, stated that a promise had been made by Mr Stafford that the money should be paid, and that promise had been deliberately "broken. . He should therefore like to see some expression of regret inserted in the xeply to the address. The amendment was then put and j carried. " i ..MtK'tjesb moved that the reply as amended be adopted. Seconded by Mr Armstrong and agreed to. . ■.■ -■■■■ -■• - ■ '■"■'■ ■■■■ " . - ;.-r. -THE^ EATCWAT: PLANT. " ," Mr Ltjmsden moved " That there be laid on the table the agreement between Mr Davies, late Bailway Contractor,. and the Government, under which a sum in! compensation of £32,500 was paid to that gentleman, together with the reports of the Eailway and Consulting Engineer^ having reference to Mr Davies' claim.'* The object in view in bringing forward the motion was .to ascertain the exact nature of, the agreement referred to, and what amount of property had passed into Mr Davies' hands as compensation. One of the grounds that had been urged was that Mr Davies had been put to a great expense in bringing over an extensive «' plant, . and owing to the works having been suddenly stopped^ that gentleman liad sustained a seiions loss. It was understood that its marketable value was

given and that it passed over to the Provincial Government ; but there was some doubt as to what actually belongod to the~ Government, and it was desirable that the Council should be informed upon those points. Eor the purpose of obtaining that information, he moved for J the production of those documents. Mr JoHNSTOsr seconded the motion. Mr "Wood would like to khow if the hon. member included a description of the property taken over. As r far as he (Mr "Wood) could learn, there was nothing known at the present time as to what property was taken over. There were some documents at one period, but they could not now be found. Mr Lumsden" presumed that some inventory would be produced. The reports of the Engineers would refer more particularly to those practical matters. THE NEW EIYEE PILOT SEEYICE. Mr Lxtmsdest • moved — " That a Select Committee be appointed to enquire into and report upon the Pilot Service of the New Biver, to consist of the following members— Messrs- Boss, T. M. Clerke, Menzies, Armstrong, and the Mover, three to form a quorum." It was contemplated that on the completion of the Bluff Harbor and Invercargill Bailway, it would be advisable to close up the New Biver as a harbor. Last session it was decided that they should not entirely abolish the pilot service for this harbor ; but it was clearly understood that the Government should advise merchants and others in the neighboring colonies, and in Great Britain, that the pilot service had been reduced, and recommended shipmasters to take the Bluff Harbor. Considerable disatisfaction had been created of late, and shipmasters were complaining that they could not get a pilot when they wanted a pilot to be taken into or out of the JSew Biver. If they maintained a pilot service, it ought to be efficient. The question wanted enquiring into. He (Mr Lumsden) would ask leave to amend his motion by adding the words " with power to call for persons and papers." He thought such a report would do good service. Mr Aemsteong in seconding the motion said the Committee would decide whether the port should be closed or maintained properly, and he thought it could be best done in the manner proposed. The motion was agreed to. The Pbovtncial Seceetaet laid on the table a memorial from certain inhabitants of Invercargill, praying that the reserved block at the west end of Taystreet should be thrown open for sale, and moved (seconded by Mr Lumsden), that it be read, as follows :— , To his Honor, J. P. Taylor, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Southland. The humble petition of the undersigned inhabitants of the town of Invercargill. respectfully sheweth — That your petitioners beg respectfully to represent to your Honor that in their opinion founded on the experience of several years residence in this town, it would greatly contribute to tne improvement of the plan of the town, and especially to the advantage and comfort of residents. at the west end of Tay-street, were the northern side oi that block of land situate at the west end of that street, marked on the plan of the town of Invercargill as Esplanade Reserve, as bounded on tho north by Tay-street, on the east by if ith- street, on the south by IForth-street, and on the west by Clyde-street, withdrawn from the purpose for which it was originally destined, subdivided into building sections, and sold for improvement. ■ Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your Honor will be pleased to take this our petition into your favorable consideration, and direct that such steps may be taken as your Honor may deem advisable in the circumstances. And your petitioners as in duty bound, j will ever pray, &c, (About sixty signatures of residents follow.) The Provincial Seceetaet stated for the information of hon. members, that, as regarded business, the session was not likely to be a protracted one. It was the intention of the Government to bring forward a "Municipalities Ordinance," but a great difficulty arose as to how they were to provide for the debt incurred by the Town Board of Invercargill, as, even although the Bill had been passed, no one would ~ take office until that inattter had been settled. ' It was intended to place a sum on the " Liabilities Confirmation Ordinance " ■to cover i the debt of the- Town Board, and bring in the.'Miinicipalities Bill at next session. He intended also to amend the standing rules -and. orders, but- as the Compulsory taking of Lands Act, had not obtained the JaJueen^ assent, they had not been able to proceed with that. There. was a " Sheep 'Ordinance" "Amendment. Ordinanc.e_;".the.Bailway_reßolutions,. and the " Confirmation- of Liabilities^ Ordinance." He thought it due to. members of that House., to ...give -an explanation, so that hon. members who; intended, to ;.call for papers- might do so as early: as possible. - - -The following notices- of -motion weregiven for the next sitting :— ■ ' '- Mr •Aeiisteong' to move— "That this Council deeming it expedient that the unfinished works known as the Oreti Bailway. on which a very large sum of the public money has been already expended, should be completed to Winton, the rails to be of iron throughout, and the gunge that of the Bluff Harbor and

Invereargill Eailway, recommend His Excellency the- Governor in. terms of sub-section two, clause thirty-six, of the Southland "Waste Lands Act, 1865, to make a grant of land not exceeding 60,000 acres." The Provincial Secretary to move — "That this Council being convinced of .the vast benefits that would be conferred directly and indirectly on the Province by the formation of a railway from the capital to the eastern boundary thereof, recommends to His Excellency the Governor that a grant of land of say 150,000 acres be made in terms of clause 36 of sub-section 2 of the Southland "Waste Lands Act, 1865, for the payment thereof." Mr Gtjthbebtson to move — " For the appointment of a committee to consider the propriety of including the unpaid liabilities of the Town. Board in the| general liabilities of the. Province, in accordance with the provisions of the Southland Debt Act. Committee to consist of Messrs Menzies, Lumsden and the Mover, and to have power to call for persons and papers." Mr Gleeke to move—" That the correspondence between the Government and the Colonial Secretary be laid on the table relative to the salaries of those officials of the "Waste Land Board of whose salaries the Council during its last sitting deemed it advisable to recommend a reduction." Mr Nttese to move — " The first reading of the " Sheep Ordinance, 1866, Amendment Ordinance, 1867." Mr CiiEbke— " To ask the Government if they have been refunded by the General G-overnment the amount expended on the occasion of the Governor's reception here, and what steps, if any, the Government have taken to recover the same." Dr Menzies to move — " That a respectful address be presented to His Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to place on the Estimates, the sum of £100, as a premium to be paid to the person who shall first produce five hundred bushels of malt, made in the Province from barley grown therein." Dr Menzies to move — "For a return of the particulars of all sums paid to Mr E. Marchant, as Eesident Eailway Engineer to the Province, in the • years 1863 and 1864." Mr Ltjmsden to move — " That a Select Committee, to consist of the following members, T. M. Clerke, Johnston, and Wood, be appointed to consider and report upon the petition of the inhabitants of Invereargill, having reference to the disposal of part of the reserve at the west end of Tay Street." . Mr LtrMSDEN-was giving notice that he . would ask the Government why tenders had not been called for for the purchase of Davie's patent locomotive, when he was informed by the Provincial Secretary that such had been the case. The Peoyincial Secbetaby in moving — " That the Superintendent be respectfully requested to send to the Council a recommendation to grant the sum of j £335 9s 2d, to meet the unauthorised ex-, penditure to 27tb May, 1867," explained that the motion necessitated no discussion, and he would be quite in order in j making it at once. It referred to the unauthorised expenditure for the last six months in excess of the sums voted. Seconded by Mr Armstrong. Dr Menzies thought it was pushing matters through too hurriedly. There should be some communication from the. Provincial Auditor accompanying the request. The Provincial Seceetaet ; it is on the table. I thought hon. members had seen it. Dr Menzies : I move that it be read : read accordingly. Dr Menzies would like to know the extra excess for the six months. The report certified to the 31st March. Did he understand from the Provincial Treasurer that the excess was for six months, or for the three months for which accounts had been rendered. The Peovincial Secretary -. For the three months. The Speaker : The resolution, stated the 27th May. \" The Peothstcial Secretary : That is a mistake -of mine, Mr Speaker, which I shall alter, I believe it is correct both ways, according to the accountant's statement, but the Auditor m^^ 30th March. The Councirthen adjourned till 7 p.m.

A Novbtt in Pickles.— Ever on the alert for the thousand and one- novelties which are daily corning to lightaniongst. the productions of this wondrous country, we haste to acquaint epicures of- a novelty which' will pWse, the palate and faacy as well. Nothing short of bamboo pickles have reached pur office this week. The new candidate for favor is no beauty, so far as eye judgment goe3j "but those who ought to know" says it tastes well, although neither more nor less than pickled slices from btimboo cane grown in the Brisbane Botanical Garden. Of course the hard old sticks are not the ingredients used, but the young and tender shoots. By a lady of Brisbane these latter have been cut up into nice little slices, which have . been placed in a pickle bottle with vinegar. The result is a pickle which is quite tender, of really pleasant flavor, and which wo ' are ' assured is qtiite wholesome. — Queenslander.