PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
•TUESDAY, MAT 28, 1867.
EVENING SITTING. The Council resumed at 7 o'clock this evening when the following members were present:— The Speaker, the Provincial Secretary, Messrs Armstrong, Nurse, Howell, "Clerke, Wood, Clark, Toshack, Crerar, Boyd, Cuthbertson, Lumsden, Boss, Swale, Johnston, and Drs Menzies and Hodgkinson. 1 The Provincial Secretary laid on the table the correspondence between the General and Provincial Governments, respecting the pastoral rents; and moved that it be read. ■■-.■./ Seconded by Mr Armstrong, and read accordingly. TBDS BAILWAY RESOLUTIONS. ; Mr Armstrong-, before moving the . resolution standing in his name, said, no " one could ride or walk from Winton to Invercargill without thinking of the amount of money lying idle in the railway works on the Northern line. In that feeling the -Provincial Government partir cipated, and with the desire of having the line completed, a correspondence had been entered into with the General Go- •■ vemmeiit, and only one stipulation was made,- viz., the appouitment of an officer to see that the works :were properly carried out. He (Mr Armstrong) hardly thought that the resolution required any arguments in its behalf. It .would natu- - rally ba expected- that he should give some reason for the -completion, of that V work. The first was that there had been .over £100,000 spent* on the works, arid .. they could not get any return until they spent more; and a second was the great want at the present moment of population and a means of communication throughout the country. All their experience .went to show that the only road they could depend upon would, be the y iron road, and, with that iron road, they would make then district roads. - A stranger would ' either argue that they were in a hopeless state of poverty, or that their apathy wks- so great as to amount to a state of hopeless imbecility. He had asked in the resolution for 60,000 acres of land. That was more than what would be required. =■ The Government had received two estimates for the-com-pletion of the Northern line -=■ one of £50,000 and the other of .£45,000, including the erection of two stations, brie ,at the. Makarewa and one^at Winton. The difference inthe estimate and the kmount asked for was to provide for compensation for land bought on runs, and •for the necessary plans and specifications. .He would now read the resolution, and leave it in the hands of the Council : "That . thiis Council deeming it expedient that the unfinished works known as the Oreti .Eailway, on which a very large sum of the public money has been already Y ex-' perided, should be completed to Winton, the rails to be of iron throughout; and the guage that of the Bluff Harbor and Invercargill 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." \ ■ . . Mr Nurse seconded the resolution. Mr Wood suggested that the correspondence on the subject should be again read for the benefit of those members not present at the previous sitting. Second ed by Db Hodgkinson, and read. 'BXTEACT FEOH COLOWIAIi BECBETABY's iBTTBBI • TO HIS HOKOB THB SITPEBINTEKDENT.. . Colonial Secretary's Ofece; | ;.."■'"' . Wellington,. 2nd May, 1867. . j ; -The Government is therefore most desirous; to' promote the. execution of these works, and will S approve of any equitable proposal (properly providing" for public interests) for their construction r on the principle of paying 1 for them in land. Ishall accordingly be .happy. to learn that you have •been able in that manner to arrange for thecoma. pletion of the Oreti Eailway to "Wintpn: ...i-;will address you- 5 separately- as -to- the Eastern Eailwav. * -V "■•■ "r '-■:> - . ■■.. y* -y YV' . Xam advised that tiie . proper course to givei effect. to the 36th. section Of the Act referred to, . in respect of such works as those proposed would be for the Provincial Government to enter into V a contract for their construction, such contract •. to be conditional on the Provincial Council ..making, and the Governor in Council confirming a special recommendation that they are to be - paid for by a grant of land which the contractor has offered to take in payment, or so muoh thereof as the Board shall, adjudge, notexceeding one acre for every pound which the Superintendent may certify to be the value of the work done. No contract should be accepted in excess ofthe estimate of the Provincial Engineer. The contractor should agree conditionally to accept certain specified lands or so much thereof as tiie Board shall adjudge, not exceeding one acre for every pound which after completion of the work shall be certified Yby the Superintendent to be the value. of the work done, and the specified lanp should be surveyed, and a plan of the land for-/, • warded to Wellington with the certificate -of the ', Commissioner of Crown Lands, that the shape of the hind selected is in accordance., with the provisions of the "Southland Waste Lands Act." When this conditional agreement has been entered into the "Council should adopt; a ,* special resolution, recommending that a grant of the j lands specified, or so much as the Board shall . award, should :be. granted ih payment bf the work. This resolution when confirmed by the Go- . vernor in Conhcfl, will make the contract absolute. , , r. *": V
■-" After the work has been completed, the Superintendent must certify the value of the work done, the Board then ia to award the land specified, or so much as they shall think, fit, not exceeding one acre for every pound certified. In order to prevent future questions from arising, the land should be valued by tho Board for the purposes of the contract, before the contract is" entered into, otherwise difficulties might ensue if, as may be tho case, a less quantity in acreage than that set apart, has ultimately to be; granted. If the land in the blocks selected is not uniformly of one value, the Board should come to a resolution, that for purposes of the contract, no ono portion^ should be deemed of less value than -'one pound per. acre. '. This last suggestion is however a matter for the consideration of your Honor, and of the Boards with a view to the preventing the occurrence of disputes with the contractors aB to the particular land to be granted. .If your "Honor would preferf it,, a draft of the proposed contract-might be sent to the AttorneyGeneral for his advice, before it is frntdly executed. It should be distinctly stated in any contract, for these works that. before the Superintendent can certify as .to their completion, they must be executed to the. joint satisfaction of the. Pro? vincial Engineer, and of an officer specially appointed by the General Government to supervise their execution. ,' " ' It would also be convenient that certificates from tht-se two officers should be periodically fur? nished in respect of every piece (say two or three miles} ot work done, as well as their final certificate on the completion of the whole work.
I » .Recommend ation bt the agents of the New Zealand and Austbalian. Land Companies, Limited, to .theib constituents "IN BE" RAILWAY SBOM INVEECAB&IHJ to ■Matauba. ' V . 1. That the Company advance to the extent of £ to be expended in construction of eaid ■railway. 2. That a route as near as practicable to that formerly indicated by the Southland Government and now delineated dn map under inspection, be followed. -,■-■' . 8: That the work be begun and finished within ■ a fixed period. ■ 4. That the Company be re-imbursed in land at the rate of one acre per £I. ..*■'""' 5. The laind so to be given to be freely selected by the Company or their 'agents "in blocks of not less than 2000 acres. . ..; . ; -ff6: So soon~as "the Government entertain the Company's proposal the Company to have the power to declare their selection, and the land so selected -to be reserved -by f the Government for that purpose. ' 7. When the line passes through the Company's property,: the Company to .give the land required for the line and station, gratis j the line to be of ordinary width. 8. The railway works to be constructed at the risk of the Government. The plant to be supplied and shipped by our home friends, if agree•able to the Government. : r
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Southland Times, Issue 677, 31 May 1867, Page 3
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1,391PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. Southland Times, Issue 677, 31 May 1867, Page 3
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