FRIDAY, JULY 4.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 284, 10 July 1873, Page 7

FRIDAY, JULY 4.

EXPLANATION BY THE SPEAKER.

Before proceeding to business, the Speaker made an explanation affecting the Superintendent. He mentioned that on June 19 there appeared in the Tuapeka Times a report of a meeting at Horseshoe Bend, where a Mr C. Nicholson said, in reference to the Island block sale, that "he held in his hand the report of the Commission of Inquiry, which he characterised as incomplete and grossly unfair. The fact of the matter was this : — A party in the district, in conjunction with several others, applied to purchase the whole of the sections. Then he (Mr Nicholson) made his appearance on the scene, and, by applying for the boring rods, endeavored to prevent the sale. But the Government needed money, and at a meeting of the Executive, Mr Reid moved that the application should thus far be granted, viz., that the land should be put up to auction for sale. This motion was carried against an amendment from Mr Gillies that the whole should be sold in one block ; but thanks to the presence of several persons interested in the application being on the Committee, all this was suppressed in the report." On observing that statement, he (the Speaker) wrote that, first, "it was a gross fabrication ; second, Mr Nicholson not being a member of the Executive, I ask who was his informant? third, some, at least, of the commiteee who examined and reported on that Bubject were my bitterest political opponents." On July 3 a letter appeared in the Tuapeka Times to the effect that " Mr Nicholson, at an election meeting held in Ormond's Hotel, Roxburgh, on Saturday night, 21st instant, declared that Mr Macandrew had shewn him certain private letters having reference to the sale of Island block (which had not been published in ihe correspondence laid before the Council by the Government, and had also furnished him with a copy of the Executive minute referring to Mr Gillies and the Island block sale, which copy, he declared, he holds at present in his possession." If that statement were true, his Honor's action could not be characterised as otherwise than highly improper ; but he was happy to say that the letter was a gross slander upon his Honor. He had waited upon his Honor, and shown him the letter ; and he assured him that there was no foundation for the statement, and he further promised to send him a written contradiction. The Speaker has furnished us with the following, which he received from his Honor later in the day : — " Referring to your consideration with me this forenoon, I beg to repeat in writing what I stated to you verbally, viz. : That lam not aware of any private letter either frem you or from anybody eke in re the sale of Island blocks. Most certainly none such has ever been in my possession or seen by me. As regards the statement that I have ever exhibited copies of Executive minutes either on this or on any other subject — the thing is so utterly preposterous and without foundation in fact, that tf seeus almost an insult to oneself to

contradict it, which Ido most emphatically. I write this in compliance with your desire ; at the same time, permit me to say tint I hava long ceased to take any notice of the misrepresentations of which lam constantly the subject, as otherwise I should have rather a severe task before me." PETITION. Mr Eeid presented a petition from settlers in Seaside road bush district. WANT OP CONFIDENCE. Mr Tolmie : Before the House proceeds with any further business I wish to make a statement, and it is this: That no sooner have we disposed of one want of confidence motion, than this morning we find another on the Order Paper.— (Hear, hear.) I may say that these notices ' of motion, these want of confidence motions, are very perplexing to the Government — (hear, hear)— they paralyse their efforts— (hear, hear) — the Government cannot tell the moment they will be ejected from office, and they do not choose to be placed in that position. —(Hear, hear.) They will take a stand, and they will carry on the business, or they will not.— (Hear, hear.) They don't understand the tactics of the other side placing these motions on tha Order Paper, unless they mean to carry out the intention indicated. The Government are prepared to deal with this motion at «nee. I don't see the mover (Mr Stout) present ; but I now make this emphatic statement, that the Government will not go on with the business, so long as such a notice of motion appears on the Order Paper — (hear, hear ; and on, oh) — and if the other side are determined to oust us, we call upon them to do it.— (Hear, hear.) At any rate, we will not proceed with any more business until that notice of motion has been disposed of ; and with the view of giving the hon. member who has tabled it an opportunity of making up his mind, and also with the view of enabling his supporters to do so, I intend to move the adjournment of the House until seven o'clock this evening. The Government are not afraid to meet the Council. In fact, it is best that the matter should come before the House, because we shall be able to show that the action taken has been that of straightforward, honest "men. — (Hear, hear.) If we fail in convincing the house of that, we shall not regret if we receive an adverse vote. — (Hear, hear.) As the hon. member who tabled the motion is mot present, I now move the adjournment of the House until seven o'clock. Mr Reid expressed surprise at the motion. For his part, he Avas not prepared to agree with the motion, in the appearanco of which on the Order Paper he had taken no part, being proceeded with at seven o'clock, unless there was at once laid on the table all the correspondence and papers connected with the case. He also complained of an act of discourtesy on the part of the member at the head of the Government. Having heard it stated that part of the defence of the Government was to be correspondence between Mr Campbell and himself, which it had been said had been the means of committing the Province to the sale, and that the only reason why the Government agreed to the sale was on account of some letter he gave to Mr Campbell, which would implicate the Province ; consequently he proceeded to the Provincial Secretary's office, but that gentleman was absent. He left a message for him that he desired his permission to peruse the correspondence that had passed between Mr Campbell and himself (Mr Reid). He called at the office on two or three subsequent occasions, and just before coming to the Council meeting that afternoon, the Under-Secretary informed him that the Provincial Secretary had left instructions that he was not to be allowed to peruse the correspondence, and The Provincial Secretary rose to a point of order, but was at once interrupted by Mr . Reid, who complained of being interrupted. After a somewhat irregular discussion. The Provincial Secretary explained that the member for the Taieri hjvd (unintentionally, no doubt) misstated the facts. The Undersecretary asked him (Mr Tolmie) a question, and he told him that Mr Reid might see any document he liked, but it was almost unnecessary, as he intended to lay the whole of the papers on the table of the Council that forenoon. Mr Reid did not wish the House to be satisfied merely with his statement : the member for Caversham heard the conversation. He complained that there was a great deal of practical business to be gone on with, but he did not find the Government veiy anxious to go on with it. If the Government were so certain of their strength, they could afford to overlook such trifles as the motion referred to. After Home observations by Mr M'Glashan, the Hon. Dr Menzies, and Mr Fish, The Hon. Major Richardson said he thought when notice of Mr Stout's motion was first given, the Government should have taken the course they were then adopting. With reference to Mr Stout's want of confidence motion, he might say that, so far as he was personally concerned, he had nothing to do with it ; indeed, so far from that being the case, as he passed out of the door with Mr Shand, he said to that hon. member, " Do you intend— after I have asked you, and all the party have asked you to desist— do you intend to persist with your motion ?" The answer was, "I do !" He (Major Richardson) then said if the motion were taken up and prpceeded with, they would never see him within those walls again. Individuals could not act just as they liked when they entered that chamber. The Council was an organised body, and no member had a right to place his party in jeopardy by tabling such a motion. With respect to Mr Stout's motion he would say nothing at present, but if the party with whom he had allied himself, and with whom he was cordially united, had listened to his suggestion, they would have taken issue upon a different ground altogether. To his mind, there were grounds for refusing to proceed to business until the Government gave a decided and most unequivocal expression of opinion— to be followed by action — that the remaining agricultural lands of the Province should be occupied by the people. The Provincial Secretary said he did not think an adjournment till seven o'clock that evening would be sufficient, and therefore moved that the House should adjourn till Monday. The Council was accordingly adjourned till Monday (this day), at 2 p.m.

In the Provincial Council on Monday, a Message was transmitted from Ms Honor the Superintendent respecting the Southland land sales. The Message contained a tele- < gram from the Hon. J. Yogel, in which it was intimated that should the Superintendent and Executive desire it, 500,000 acres | of land would be reserved as security for the construction of railways. The Government would not agree to any temporary advance in the price of land, but would recommend raising the price to L 2 or L 3 an acre, should the Superintendent and Council desire it, to prevent the alienation of land in blocks to speculators. In Message No. 5, his Honor suggested proceeding with the construction of light railways from ftiverton to Orepuki, and from Riverton to Otauto— together 32J miles. Proposals had been made to construct Buch railways, including working plant, for LBO,OOO, payment to be made in land in the Western District, at the rate of LI per acre. By such a plan, it was considered, a large expenditure In road making would be saved; possibly were the work competed for, it might be done for less money. Message No. 6 transmitted for the information of the Council the Provincial Engineer's estimate of the cost of constructing a light railway from the main line, a distance of fifteen miles up the valley of the Waireka (L 31.000 ); also estimates of the cost of construction of a light railway from Palmerston up the valley of the Waihemo, a distance of ten miles (L 20.250 ); the said works to be proceeded with at once ; in case of need, the necessary funds to be provided by "land sale under section 150 of the Land Act of 1872. Message. No. 7 transmitted for the information of the Council an estimate of the probable cost of reclaiming 100 acres of the mud flat at the head of Dunedin Bay ; which estimate, assuming it to be correct, woulctein his Honor's opinion realise a profit of probably L 20,000. Seeing the great scarcity of land suitable for manufacturing and building purposes in Dunedin, his Honor expressed the hope that the Provincial Council would concur in giving effect to this proposal ; the work of reclamation, and the

disposal of the land as reclaimed could be so arranged as that the temporary use of say LIU,OOO would suffice to complete the same. His Honor proposed further that whatever profit may result from the proposed operations should be applied as an endowment for a Harbor Trust, and go towards a reduction of harbor dues — a reduction in which consumers and producers throughout the Province are more or less interested.