THE REMITTING OF THE PETITIONS FOR RECONSIDERATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 135, 8 September 1870, Page 6

THE REMITTING OF THE PETITIONS FOR RECONSIDERATION.

On the 24th August Mr. Creighton moved, " That the report of the Goldfields Committee on the petitions of certain settlers in the province of Otago, residing in Tuapeka, Blacks, and Lower Manuherikia, be remitted to the said Committee for reconsideration."

Mr. Driver moved as an amendment, " That the petitions be referred to the Waste Lands Committee."

Mr. Creighton agreed to the amendment, and in reply, said they found that a petition was referred to the Public Petitions Committee, which reported on it ; that report was held to be not exactly in order ; the petition was then sent to another committee, which referred the petitioners to the Provincial Council of Otago, a Legislature which the petitioners did not petition, and which could not afford them redress, however desirous ; and now an honourable member proposed that the report should be referred to another committee for consideration. An interim report was presented, and a resolution was passed which almost had the effect of preventing these petitions being considered on their merits by the House. It was against that procedure which he desired to protest by his motion. He had also another reason. He thought that the report of the Goldfields Committee ought not to appear on the journals of the House. He thought it would be recognising a very dangerous principle to say that Provincial Legislature should legislate for the waste lands of the colony. On that ground alone it would have been well for the House to have sent back the report to the Goldfields Committee, with the view of their bringing up some other report which the Hoube might properly have entertained and entered on the journals. The honourable member for Roslyn had very fairly stated one of the main reasons which he (Mr. Creighton) had had for moving the resolution. But that honourable member had told the House that he was not aware that such a report was to be brought up to the House. He had a copy of the minutes of the Goldfields Committee, dated the 12th August, 1870, before him, where he found that it was moved by Mr. Macandrew, " That the subject of this petition, involving, as it does, both a retrospective and prospective reduction of the price of land in the province of Otago, ought to be submitted, in the first instance, to the Provincial Council of that province, and that the petitioners be advised to that effect." That was a resolution which he would expect to be moved by the honourable member for Clutha. He found that a division was taken upon that resolution, and that there were six " ayes " and one " no." Mr. Bradshaw was the only dissentient, and the ayes were Messrs. Gillies, Macandrew, Mervyn, Swan, Kynnersley, and Driver. This was followed by another resolution, to the effect that the Committee should make an interim report to the House, embodying the foregoing. He supposed the honourable member for Roslyn was engaged on other committee work, and did not understand the full effect of the resolution. He held the minutes of the Committee in his hand, and it appeared that not only was the honourable gentleman a consenting party, but also that the honourable member for the Thames Goldfield, and the honourable member for Manuherikia, who was the champion of the small agriculturists of Otago, were consenting parties. Mr. Driver rose to explain. He thought he had stated the reason fairly enough, and the honourable member should not have made use of it in the way in which he had done. He had explained that he was sitting on the committee, but several of the members left the room before the resolution was written out. It had been talked over, and it was decided what resolution should be recorded, but he never saw it written. He supposed the honourable member for Clutha drew the resolution up rather hastily, without thinking that he was referring the petition to another Legislature. Mr. Creighton thought, after the explanation of the honourable member, that the House might possibly do well to make an exception with regard to the resolution which he had proposed, and refer this report back to the Goldfields Committee. He could not conceive how it was possible for a committee to make such a report, and to have their proceedings conducted so loosely as appeared to be the case in that instance. There was no excuse for committees committing any breach of order, because the Standing Orders regulating the proceedings of Select Committees were exhibited in each committee room. He thought,

after the explanation of the honourable member for Roslyn, that it would be well for the Goldfields Committee, for its own sake, to request to have the report sent back for reconsideration. However, he was quite content with the debate, and would accept the amendment.

Amendment carried, and motion as amended agreed to. Mr. Mervyn wished to make a personal explanation, as he had been referred to. When he assented to the proposal which was brought forward by the honourable member for Clutha, he did so under a misapprehension, and he caused that to be inserted in the minutes of the next meeting. He might say that at the same time as the meeting of the Goldfields Committee, there was also a very important meeting of the Waste Lands Committee, of which he was a member, and he was desirous, as a question affecting the Province of Otago was under consideration in the Waste Land Committee, to be presented, and he assented to the resolution of the hon. member for Clutha rather hastily.