PROVINCIAL COUNCIL NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 148, 8 December 1870, Page 5

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL NOTES.

jOctnedin, Dec. 6th. There has been very little done in the Council since my last communication, except talk, and of course there has been a surplussage of that. Mr. Millar's theoretical, or rather electoral, resolutions as to separation, which occupied for so long a great portion of the Order Paper, were not very seriously discussed. On the first occasion they came on, there was an almost immediate "count out," and eventually all were withdrawn except the last one, which was carried upon a very one-sided division. Southland has occupied a good deal of time, and the Members for the late province have developed an amount of boredom which inclines the Council very much to wish that, all these considerations apart, the reunion had never taken place. We can form a very good idea of the dreariness of the Southland Council, for which it was almost as notorious as for reckless prodigality in the administration of the public funds,

whether raised by loan or otherwise. The Chinese question has cropped up, Mr. Haujjhton having niovttJ for a return of the number of miners' rights issued to Chinese, and the number of immigrants belonging to that nation — evidently with the intention of enabling the country to ascertain whether the statement very industriously circulated i 3 true, that the taking out of miners' rights is honoured more in the breach than in the observance by our barbarian brothers. Mr. Reid this day explained that the return had not been laid, on the table because there appeared to be a great discrepancy in the reports received from the various goldfields districts, entailing the necessity of referring again to the Wardens upon the subject. Mr. Shepherd has rushed into the breach, and tabled a motion that the Government should take steps to check the immigration of Chinese altogether ; but he is quite shrewed enough to know that nothing can be done in this direction, although the promise to do things impospossible may serve for an election cry, and serve the honourable member's purpose with the more ignorant of the electors, whose sweet voice he is understood to be wooing at present. The Victorian Parliament did, year after year, pass Acts imposing an import poll tax upon Chinese, but these Acts were as regularly refused assent to by the Home Government ; and in fact, undesirable as their presence may be amongst us, we have only to grin and bear it, for assuredly we cannot interfere by legislation. In many cases I believe European miners have sold out their claims to Chinese, and these, no doubt, have been the first to complain that these foreigners were taking the gold out of the country. I hope that the electors will not be led away by any <uich balderdash to neglect the important questions upon which they should test the principles of the candidates. The report of the Tna peka Petition Committee was this day referred to the Government, upon the motion of Mr. Huughton — Capt. M'Kenzie was the only objector, but he had not very much to say, and what he did say was not very much to the point. He appears lately to have had a bee in his bonnet, and h rabid upon the subject of the present Executive, in abuse of whom all his orations culminate. Mr. Bastings' letter, explaining the course taken by him with respect to the Petition, and disposing most completly of the various misrepresentations made in the matter, was read in the Council, not very well received by the parties implicated, and after a short debate laid upon the table, so that it is now piiblic property, and will no doubt, in due course, appear in print. The Southland members made a grea.fc tight yesterday with regard to the question of the including of a large portion of Switzsrs and Tapanui within the jurisdiction of the Invercargill Waste Lands Board. They were eventually defeated by an amendment proposed by Mr. Reid which, proposes the establishment of a district office at Invercargill, and it may be premised the disestablishment of the Invercargill Board as an independant authority. Tt will clearly be very inconvenient to have two district Land Boards in the united province, leaving out of the question the unnecessary expense, which should be a very important consideration. Mr. Clark to-day moved the reply to Message No. 2 of his Honour the Superintendent. He did little more than read the very long documents he was provided with. Mr. Haughton followed, and expressed his disapprobation of the course pursued by the Government in this matter, as he thought advantage should be taken of the Immigration and Public Works Act, and that no object was to be attained by postponing the consideration of the construction of the public works referred to therein by his Honour. After a long tirade by Mr. Shepherd, chiefly consisting of personal abuse of the memfor the Lakes, the debate was, upon a division, adjourned until to-morrow. The Council refused to sanction the printing of the evidence taken by the Tuapeka Committee, but it is understood that the Government will select the most important portion, and place it in the printer's hands forthwith.