Thursday, 30th May.

Southland Times, Issue 1587, 4 June 1872, Page 3

Thursday, 30th May.

I On the motion of Mr Beid, the Council j went into Committee of Supply. He I explained, with reference to the item ; Southland Eailway Arbitration, £3059 7s | j lOd, that he wished to ask for a slight i addition, it having been recommended by I the Select Committee that some public expense should be incurred for transcribing the reporter's notes, so that they might be made available on some future occasion. But in order to effect that object, it would be necessary to vote money to cover the expense. There was also a sum of £G4i6 which had not yet been provided for, and which waa due to one of the solicitors employed in connection with the arbitration. The item was not inserted in the vote when the arbitration was concluded, because the solicitor, who was anxious for a settlement, offered to take payment in land. The Government had no vote from which to make payment in cash, and seeing that the work had been carried out by land payments, they considered they would be justified in paying the gentleman in question for his services in land, if he chose to take payment in that way, He asked the Committee to increase the vote by a sum of £700. The Hou. Mr Holmes said that as this had been a very expensive matter, some additional information should be given concerning it. He understood, for instance, that there was one item for attendance, although adequate service was not rendered. It was considered that the submission to arbitration and. everything connected with the Winton Railway matter, exhibited an amount of incapacity, and want of attention to the public interests, on the part of the Provincial Government, that was perfectly inexcusable. In fact, there were many people who imagined that something worse than incapacity and want of attention to the public interest underlay this affair, and therefore it was necessary that the whole matter should be brought to light. The Committee that was appointed could get only a portion of the necessary documents, and it was impossible to bring up a distinct report that would have been valuable in considering this question. The remarks which he had made were not solely applicable to those gentlemen who now occupied the Treasury Benches ; all he could say was, that whoever was blameable, the Province would lose, not only £11,000 more than it ought to have lost on the contract, but also the money incurred in connection with the arbitration, and lawyers' fees. Therefore the motion ought not to be passed, until more information was given. The Hon. Dr Menzies also addressed the Council on the question. The honorable member, who was indistinctly heard in the gallery, referred to tlie conditions of the contract,the action of the Southland Government, the memorandum of the Superintendent read to the Council on the previous day, and to the probable intention of the Government in entering into the agreement of the 18th February. Mr Gillies, as a member of the Executive who consented to the arbitration, detailed at some length the circumstances which led to that step being taken. He said that looking to the urgency of the request of the Superintendent — to the urgency of the people of Invercargill — and the decision of the Magistrate, he failed to see what other course they could have pursued. They had tried the exercise of the powers under the contract, and failed to get protection in the Magistrate's Court, and the only thing that could then have been done waa to allow the matter to go to the Supreme Courb, where it was exceedingly doubtful, as advised by the Provincial Solicitor, whether they could have maintained the Engineer's position, or the powers given to him by the terms of the contract. Mr Lumsden thought that, as the liabi lity was now incurred, the sooner the claim was settled the better. He could not say that the honorable member who last addressed the Council had very clearly exonerated the Executive from at least a charge of childishness in the way this matter of arbitration was gone into. To him it was remarkable that when the affairs of that Province, and those political authorities — on whom the public and the Press of Otago were wont to cast obloquy on account of their supposed stupidity in the management of public works, "and especially railways — were taken over by Otago, the latter Province committed the greatest blunder that ever was committed in the Colony, not to say in Southland. The G-overnment had been dealt with in a most masterly manner, and completely sold, the result being the enormous cost which had been added to the construction of this work. After some remarks from Mr Bathgate, the item was passed as amended. Mr Eeid moved — " That this Council specially recommends, in terms of the 3(3th section of the ' Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865,' that a grant of land not exceeding ten thousand acres be made for works and other expenses in connection with the completion of the Oreti and Bluff Harbor and Invercargill Eailways, in that portion of the Province of Otago lately known as the Province of Southland." The motion was carried on the voices, after another animated discussion upon the submission of the dispute to arbitration by the Provincial Government.

Mr Basstian moved — "That an Address be presented to His Honor the Superintendent, requesting that 1000 acres of land be set apart under the Southland Waste Lands Act, 1865, to assist in repairing the road from Wallacetown to Riverton." Carried. Mr Daniel moved — " That the Government be requested to give effect to the recommendations of the Private Petitions Committee, in the case of the late James Reid, as contained in the Interim Report No. 8, from the said Committee, viz. : — Ist. That the sum of £200 be paid to the widow and children of the deceased James Reid, by way of compensation for losses sustained by him in the matter of the Traquair Hundred. 2nd. That the Government be requested to apply to the General Government for a reimbursement of the outlay in connection with the said Hundred." At the request of Mr Reid, the addition was made, " That the money be, paid to the trustees under his will, to be expended for the good of his family in such way as they may think fib." The motion as amended was carried.