Thursday, 23rd May.
Mr Basstian asked the Secretary for Works, if the Government would instruct the District Road Engineer to visit the roads from "Wallacetown to Eiverton, and thence to the Otautau, during the months of July or August next, and report thereon ? Mr Bradshaw —The officer who resided at Invercargill had a very wide district to look after, extending from Invercargill to Cromwell, and he received instructions from the Engineer from time to time concerning visits. If nothing occurred to prevent his doing so, he (Mr Bradshaw) saw no reason why the request of the honorable member could not be complied with. j Mr Clark moved —" That a respectful address be presented to His Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to set apart four acres of the Government property known as the Police Paddock, Tokomairiro, as a reserve for the Tokotnairiro Agricultural Society, in accordance with general resolution passed 13th May." Carried. The Hon. Mr M'Lean moved—" That in the opinion of this Council it ia desirable to introduce the principle of voting by proxy at the elections of Koad Boards and County Councils into the ' Otago Boads Ordinance, 1&71,' and the ' Otago Counties Ordinance, 1872,' and that the Government be requested to consider the matter during the recess with the view to amending the said Ordinances, and giving effect to this resolution at the next meeting of this Council." Mr Sumpter moved, as an amendment, that after the words " principle of," in - the motion, the words " residents in the Colony" be inserted. The amendment was agreed to, and the motion, as amended, was carried. Mr Daniel moved —" That, in the opinion of thisCouncil,additional wharfage accommodation is required at Biverton Harbor, and that the Government be requested to take the steps necessary to secure the early completion of the work." Negatived. Mr Hickey moved that an address be presented to the Superintendent, requesting that he would cause the sum of £1000 to be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of procuring commonage for Cromwell. -The Speaker stated that the honorable member for Oteramika (Mr Bell) could now propose the amendment of which he had given intimation. The Hon. Mr Bell said he regretted that he should have to move his amendment on a motion which asked for money for the purpose of procuring commonage for Cromwell; but as it happened to be the first motion on the list of those to which his amendment referred, he had no hesitation in moving it. He did not wish it to be understood that he objected to any particular motion on the Supplementary Estimates; but the Council should seriously consider the nature of their financial position. They knew that the Estimates .would not amount to more than a certain sum, and that the money voted in the direction of government would more than absorb what would be available. Therefore, in getting sums of money placed on the Supplementary Estimates, they would be doing that which they knew to be a complete sham, namely, voting money which really did not exist, with the view, perhaps, of making it appear that they were anxious to get as much money as possible for their constituents. He did not say that the honorable member for Kawarau was 00 actuated; but it really was necessary, seeing that the revenue was more likely to decrease than to increase, that they should act "cautiously. Again, if there should be any surplus, it would only be &ir that the various districts should .. share,equally, not that one district should receive a large sum of money, and another receive no. assistance whatever. It should also be remembered that there was a large overdraft at the Bank, and before they proceeded to vote away money in the manner indicated, the Council should pay off that overdraft, for it really was not creditable, nor fair to the Government, that they should be kept under the thumb of any Bank, or that they ■bbuld get such threatening letters as , were received last year. —(Hear, hear.) ..._BTe moved the following amendment: — v Provided always that the actual revenue •ball exceed the amount estimated for the
current year, by an amount sufficient to enable all supplementary votes to be expended ; and provided further, that no payment be made on account of any such I vote on the Supplementary Estimates until after the expenditure of the votes i on the regular Estimates, and then only in the same proportion as such supple- ' mentary vote shall bear to the total | amount of such Supplementary Esti- ; mates." The Hon. Mr Holmes also spoke on the question, dwelling on the necessity of facilitating the construction of public works, and particularly the erection of bridges over rapid and dangerous rivers. He believed that there were many people who, if they could thereby secure the construction of public works, would not hesitate to take up land. The great want throughout the Province was ordinary means of communication facilitated by the construction of bridges. For himself he might say that he would think nothing of taking up even a thousand acres of land, although he might not require it, to enable the Government, by thus giving pecuniary assistance, to erect bridges ; and supposing that every motion on the Order Paper were for such a purpose, and he were sure that the parties interested would take up land, he would feel fully justified in supporting them all, if it were only to prevent any more lives being lost in the rapid rivers peculiar to New Zealand. Mr Eeid said, that -recognising the necessity which existed for a common at Cromwell, the Government would take steps to ascertain whether they could arrange on reasonable terms with the runholder, and otherwise, for the proclamation of a common there. Having this assurance, Mr Hickey agreed to withdraw his motion. The Hon. Mr Bell's amendment consequently lapsed. : The debate on Mr Clark's motion — " That in the opinion of this Council the ' Aided Clauses' contained in the Education Bill, proposed to be introduced by the General Government at next meeting of Assembly, are opposed to true principles of political economy, and are calculated to place in the bands of Ministers a most dangerous patronage, which may be exercised so as to prove most detrimental to the best interests of the Colony, and to the success of a sound system of National Education ; and that an Address be presented to His Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to forward copies of this resolution to the Speakers and Members of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives" — was resumed by Mr Cutten,, In the course of the discussion which took pJace, Mr Lumsden wished to propose, as an amendment, that all the words after " principles of " should be deleted, with the view of inserting the following words : —" A sound system of National Education, which in the opinion of this Council ought to be purely secular — from which all kinds of religious education should be excluded ;" but the Speaker stated that that question had been already disposed of. The only question before this Council was that of the Aided Schools Clauses, to which the discussion or any amendment must be confined. The resolution was amended so that instead of " to place in the hands of Ministers a most dangerous patronage," it was made to read " to place in the hands of the Minister of Education a most dangerous patronage." The resolution, -was then put and carried on a division by 21 votes against 3. The following is the division list: — Ayes: Messrs Aljan, Bathgate, Bradshaw, Clark (teller), Cutten, Henderson, Holmes (teller), Innes, Moliison, M'Arthur, M'Dermid, M'Kenzie, M'Lean, Eeid, Eeynolds, Shepherd, Smith, Sumpter, Thomson, Tolmie, and Webster. Noes: Messrs Barr (toller), Daniel, and Hickey (teller). Mr Barr said he wished to explain the position he had taken up in regard to this division. He saw very many honorable members who were opposed to the motion run out of the House; and he thought it only due to the House that they should have a division on the question. Although bis sympathies went with the mover of the motion he called for the division in order to have their opinion recorded. In moving the second reading of this Bill, Mr Bathgate explained that it was simply an empowering Ordinance to enable School Committees to levy rates in aid of their ordinary revenue, and otherwise to amend the existing Ordinance. If the Bill were read a second time, the honorable member for Mount Ida could withdraw his Bill upon the subject of Education, and the Committee might add a clause to this measure, carrying out the object desired by the honorable member. The Bill was then read a second time. After discussing the question of adjournment at once, or proceeding with the business on the paper, a division was taken thereon, and the House, by a majority of 19 to 11, adjourned at five minutes to 11, till Monday at 2 o'clock.
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Southland Times, Issue 1585, 31 May 1872, Page 3
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1,496Thursday, 23rd May. Southland Times, Issue 1585, 31 May 1872, Page 3
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