PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Southland Times, Issue 1345, 9 December 1870, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Thubsday, Ist Decembeb. Mr Duncan proposed that the House resolve itself into Committee of Supply. The motion was carried, and the House then went into Committee. Mr Duncan said he did mt intend to make a financial statement. The Council had been convened for special reasons, one of which was to vote supplies for that part of the new province hitherto known as Southland. The House would see by the. estimates submitted the amount which it was called upon . to vote; he was not prepared to say that from that part of the province the Government expected to get sufficient revenue to make up the full amount which the House was called to vote for the period specified. The first item of revenue was the capitation allowance (£8000) ; that they would get for six months. The next item was Crown Lands, £10,000. According to the l report of the Commissioners they might expect to receive £30,000 during a period of twelve months, but he had himself great doubt about that sum being realised, and therefore, for the remainder of the financial year, he had only placed on the Estimates as revenue from Crown lands £10,000. Indeed, he entertained grave doubts about that amount being raised during the remainder of the financial year. The other items shown as revenue would, he thought, prove to be | correct, all of which items, if the land were sold, would make a total revenue of £22.370. The next item was that out of loan (£50,000), £1541 17 a. It had been put down as compensation to officers of the late province whose services had been dispensed with. If only £50,000 were obtained, it would be insufficient by about £3000 to cover the expenditure ; but he believed that the General Government would allow that sum to stand over until the next meeting of the General Assem* bly, when no doubt an additional sum would be voted. That was the only explanation he could give, but he could not guarantee that such would be the' case. No doubt if it had been expected that the liabilities of SaathUad exceeded £50,000, a larger sum would have been voted. In connection with the revenue anticipated he might say that as large quantities of land had been pushed into ! the market by the contractors for the' railway, the Government, in selling land, could not be so successful during the next four months as the late Government were during the past four and a-half years. In that period there was sold £245,000 worth of land. Hence he had his .doubts about being able to dispose of land realising £10,000, and from the fact that there had not been a great influx of population into Southland lately, the people there were pretty well supplied. The revenue which it was expected to receive from Southland during the year would be much short of the expenditure ; the amount required to pay the interest on loans was considerably over the whole revenue of the province. Unless there were sales of land there would be nothing to expend on public works. The interest on loans amounted to about £30,000 a year ; there, would also be a sum, provincial charges, £6000 a year, and the provincial expenditure for salaries of the province would be about £6000 more; that would make £42,000 a year ; the income from the. sale of land was set down at £30,000 for the year ; therefore, as he had previously stated, they must depend upon the sale of land to effect public works and meet the deficit. The railway would only pay its working expenses ; therefore they need not expect any revenue from that source. About 40 miles were nearly completed, andalbhough

the line was let last year, the rent was required to pay working expenses and for maintenance of the line. Offers had been made to construct a railway from Invercargill to the Mataura for £100,000; the average coat of the railway was about £11,000 per mile* The expenditure had been chiefly- incurred between the Bluff and Invercargill, but the 20 miles how being completed would cost much leas. Before the end of the financial year the Government would be in a position to bring before the House more clearly, the details regarding revenue anticipated from this as well as from other parts of the district. Therefore, the Treasurer, whoever he might be, would be able to make a clear statement as to the position of the United Provinces. He would not enter further into particulars of the first item on the notice paper, non-official members, £50. If that item were passed, the i Government intended to appoint a nonI official member, so that they might have somebody to consult with regarding the carrying out of works in the late Province of Southland. After considerable discussion, the first item, Non-official member, £50, was passed. The following items were also agreed to : — Provincial Council, £1880 ; Crown Lands Office, £267 12s 2d ; Contingencies, £100 ; Survey Department, £1673 15s sd ; Railways— Bluff Harbor and Invercargill Railway, £1268 10s; Oreti Railway, £681 4s 4d ; Education^ £325 ; Contingencies, £125 ; Road Bngi. neer, £145 19s 4d ; Travelling and other Expenses, £70 ; Police, £761 2«; Contingencies, £100; Harbor Department; £487 4s sdj Contingencies and repairs to Invereargill Jetty, £175 8s 4d ; Gaol, £268 15s sd ; Contingencies, £100; Sheep Inspector, £218 19s; Officers whose services have been dispensed with, £235 0s 9d; School buildings, £100; Cemeteries, (sexton), £58 7s 9d j Roads, £3192 14s lid; Jetties, £150; Makarewa Bridge, £1000 ; Railways, £885 ; Buildings, £227 j Telegraph line to Win ton, £540; Interest on Loans, £14,000. # , A long discussion took place upon the^ items Education — Inspector, of Schools, at £500 per annum, 3 months, £125. intimately, Mr Kinross moved, as an amendment, that the item be reduced to £75, making the Inspector's salary £300 a year. The Committee divided on the amendment, with the following result :— Ayes, 10 ; noes, 19. The amendment was therefore lost. Mr "Wood, moved, as an amendment, that the item, £125, stand at £100. The Committee divided on the amendment, when there were found to be— ayes, 16 ; noes, 15. . The amendment was therefore earned. The following items were also passed :— Education— Passage Money, £100 ;.Compensation to officers of the late Province of Southland whose services have been dispensed with, £6,541 17s ; Invercargill Hospital, Benevolent Asylum, and Ragged School, £335; Subsidy to Wakatipu and Mails, £40 ; Works on Oreti Railway, £3000. Grand total, £34,676 0a 2d. Supplementary Estimates— Amount required to liquidate the ascertained liabilities of the late province of Southland. £51,020.