May 3.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 223, 9 May 1872, Page 6

May 3.

A few notices of motion were given. Amongst them one by Mr Sumpter— that on Monday he will move that the Council adopt a congratulatory address to Her Majesty on the recovery of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. RETURN. In reply to Mr Mervyn, The Secretary for the Goldfields said he had made inquiries respecting the return of expenditure on the goldfields. A good deal of time had been devoted to its preparation, and it would be laid on the table when completed. The Sub-Treasurer reported that ten or twelve days wholly devoted to the work would be necessary to its completion. INVERCARGILL RESERVES MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE. On the motion of Mr Bathgate, the Invercargill Reserves Management Bill was postponed to Tuesday. SHIRES BILL. The Provincial Secretary, on moving the Shires Bill, said large powers were intended to be conferred on shires by the BilL He explained that it had been introduced in ac^] cordance with a resolution of the Council last / session. The intention of the Government / was not to interfere with existing road / districts, but merely to throw upon the / hires the maintenance of main roads. / After a few remarks respecting the pro-/ visions of the Bill, he said so far a3 endow-/ ment was concerned, it might be a wise; course, under certain circumstances, to* endow them with small portions of landj People commenting upon this subject said they would have a Bill from the General Government. But the Co'onial Government . waa in no better plight than the Provincial 1 Government to assist them, excepting that J the latter could not borrow moncy.^Jßat^ that was the only advantage. Excepting that the Colonial Government could bestow greater powers, he saw no advantage. In regard to rating powers, it had been provided to limit them as much (as was consistent with the functions they were expected to fulfil. The Bill provided a light voting qualification, which he thought fully justified.

Dr Webster thought one fault in the Bill was that public roads were not to be handed over to the shires, and that the Government, after providing the means, should remit the roads to the shire councils. With regard to endowment, some territorial revenue was necessary. He commented on a few of the clauses of the Bill, and concluded by seconding the motion. Mr Thomson thought it would be better to postpone the measure until it was found how the Roads Ordinance worked. Though he had not had time to go through the Bill, it seemed likely to be a very expensive arrangement. Mr Shepherd objected to the BilL because it did not provide for the establishment of shires on the goldfields and in the pastoral districts. The Provincial Secretary's Provincial law must be very rusty when he said the General Assembly was no more powerful than the Provincial Council. He hoped next session such a measure would be introduced.

Mr Tolmie recommended the withdrawal of the BilL Mr Holmes moved the adjournment ofthe^ debate to Monday next, to give newlyarrived members an opportunity of considering the BilL This was seconded by Mr Basstian. / " The Provincial Secretary consented to the adjournment. Dr Menz'es considered the resolutions of the last session, with tbe exception of endowing shires with territorial revenue. What tbe Colonial Government might probably propose might be gathered from what was proposed last year. . In those Bills it waa proposed in the Assembly that the

would be of great value to give a statement of the number of children within five miles of each school, who are not receiving education. . We- have a great parade abouf the number who are being educated, how many learn sewing, how many learn singing,, how many learn drawing; but we hear nothing about the many hundreds which are being taught. absolutely nothing. This remark, is specially apjpropos of the Switzers grievance, where, we are informed, the number not receiving education is slightly in excess "of those attending school. * The new Education Bill, if passed, will provide for compulsory- education, and probably.the attendance at manj country schools will be increased thereby, when they will be entitled to the larger subsidy, and the increased receipts for fees will remove many difficulties frpm the path of the local committees. In conclusion, we would suggest that in scattered localities some means might be provided for conveying to and from the school pupils who reside some distance, off. The district of Switzers', as we understand it, consists of at least four or five different nudei or centres of population, all within a radius of five miles from a central point, *but each too small to support a school. The result is that the- most populous centre gets its children educated, all the others are " out in the cold." The energy of the promoters of the Catholic School here in Lawrence in establishing a conveyance to run regularly to carry children to school might be very advantageously imitated in some country districts, and possibly the Education Board might subsidise any effort in this direction.