PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 67, 22 May 1869, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

(Condensed from the " Daily Times.") Monday, May 17th.

THE TEVIOT BLOCKS. Mr. HAY, in Mr. Brown's absence, asked the Government " Why certain blocks at the Teviot had been thrown open instead of other lands in the same locality which had been asked for." Mr. REED explained that the communication came too late to enable the Government to throw open the land required. *

MAIL SERVICE.

Mr. HAY asked the Government if it were still their intention to employ the police in the mail service.

Mr. MACLEAN stated that in many cases the practice effected a great saving.

IMPOBTJED CATTLE,

Mr. SHAND moved, " That the Government be requested to cause steps to be taken, under the Diseased Cattle Act, 1861, by which all cattle imported into the province, whether pronounced by the Inspector to be diseased or not, shall be driven or conveyed to some quarantine ground, there to remain ' for a period of not less than six weeks."

After a lengthened debate, in which Mr. Shand's proposition was condemned as an attempt to protect stockholders at the expense of consumers, the motion was lost by 13 to 11.

ISLAND BLOOK,

Mr. HAY, on behalf of Mr. Brown, moved, " That an address be presented to His Honour the Superintendent, requesting, that he may be please to cause to be laid on the table all Correspondence having reference to the opening up for agricultural purposes of the land known as the Island Block, near Horseshoe Bend." . , . f The motion, was carried. . ; • COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. Mr. MACLEAN commenced his Statement by explaining the balance-sheet , compiled' by his predecessor. He estimated the revenue for the ensuing financial year at £300, 000,' obtained as follows : — Customs, £83,000,, against which a sum of £29,548, due, by the province to the General Government as iuterest, on the consolidated loans, would have to be set. Next, Crown .lands, £136,000, being, sale of .lands, £80,000, and assessment on runs, £56,000, the latter amount being, he thought/ about, the maximum obtain- , able from that source. ' Gold export duty he put down ,at : £19,000 ; rent of agricultural leases, LSOOQ ; Goldfields revenue L9OOO ; jetty dries, 114,500 ; Larbou*<lues, X3,900j -tolls" Hi,000 ; <log tax, L 2,200 ; licenses, L 13,000 ; schools, •L4OOO. Repayments. :.'.- Hospital, Gaol,' f and Asylum, L9OO ; prison labour, L2QOO ; immigration repayments, L3OOO. Bents,

LSOO ; incidentals,- L 900 0; telegraphic messages, L 100 0; sale of Government buildings and land, being yield of longdated bills maturing before tlie end' of the year, L 2,800, in all, L 901,000. The expenditure he proposed to be as follows : — Superintendent, L 1,275,, 275, a saving of L 10 8; Executive Council, L 3,070, a saving of L 377 (this included Provincial Solicitor) ; Provincial Council, L 2,218, a saving of L 2,157. Police and Escort, L18,1!.O; reduction, L 2,028. Harbour Department, L 4,50 0; reduction, LB7 Is. Dunedin Gaol, L 7,522 ; reduction, L3BB 15s. District Gaols, L 2,650 ; increase, L3BO. Provincial Treasury, L 1,275, 275 ; reduction, L 125. Sheep Inspectors' Department, L 2,967 10s. ; reduction: L 526 10s. Education, L 16,82 0; increase, L 285. - Hospital, L 6,09 0; reduction, L 940. Lunatic Asylum, L 4,620 ; reduction, L 470. Collection of Jetty dues, L 772 10s. ; reduction, L 97. 10s. Immigration, last year, L9BO. It is this year nothing. Miscellaneous, L 1045 ; reduction, 1 1850. Lands and Survey, L 19,600 17s. 3d.:; reduction, L3,27G 17s. 3d. Roads-and Works, L 2,2-12 10s. : reduc-

tron; '£i; 002 10s. Telegraphs, L 1,647 15 ; redaction, L6l ss. Goldiields, L 5,950 , reduction, L 2,050. Looking at the appropriation for last year, L 118,306 ss. sd, this' year wo have, it L 99,428 11s. 3d., being a saving of L 18,879 Bs. 3d. Immigration, Llo,ooo, a reduction of LSOOO ou last year's vote. L 79,195, a sum nearly equal to that obtained by the sale of Crown lands, was to laid aside for roads and supplementary roads. On works and buildiugs it was proposed to expend L 17,245, but this sum included L 5,200 for school buildings. On bridges L 29.43 0; on harbours and jetties, L 24,850. Thus the estimated expenditure was L 378,788, causing an estimated deficiency of L 77,788. The deficiency would not, mall, prove so great as this, as on msmy of the works the full sum set apart could not be expended within the financial year ; and in proof of this he instanced the Waitaki bridge and the Oamaru dock. A loan of L 50,000 was proposed, and this he held to be justifiable. Seeinsr that the 18DG of L 27,600 had been paid off, and a sinking fund of over L 41,000 existed, he thought they were entitled to a loan of L 70,000. lie intended to embody in the loan, LIO,OOO for the .Waitaki bridge ; L 20,000 for the Oamaru dock ; L6OOO for Kakanui harbour ; LSOOO for works at Waikouaiti ; LSOOO for the Clutha lliver Trust, and L4OOO for Shag Valley bridge. The North had been so unfairly treated for some time, that none, he believed, would object to its receiving a, good she'tre ; but he considered that tho South could not complain, when the Clntha Railway was t>> be constructed.

Mr. Maclean having concluded hi 3 statement, the Chairmali reported progress, and the Council resumed sitting, und several Bills, including the University of Otago Bill, were read a second time.