Friday, July 18.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 286, 24 July 1873, Page 8

Friday, July 18.

QUESTIONS. In reply to questions, the Government stated that they did not intend at present to open up land for settlement on run 369, north of Coal Creek, Mount Benger. — Government had caused seeds of forest trees and ornamental plants, grown in the Botanical Gardens, to be sent to public gardens, cemeteries, and other places, but no private individuals had been supplied with them. — Government were of opinion that the 700 acres at Maerewhenua, sold the other day to the Hon. R. Campbell, was not auriferous; and it was therefore sold for 10s an acre. BILLS. The following were read a first time :— Port Chalmers Reserves Management, Clyde Waterworks Empowering, Education Reserves. The Licensing Ordinance was referred to a Select Committee, consisting of Messrs Bastings, Davie, De Lautour, Fish, M'Neil, Stout, and Turton. THE RAILWAY PROPOSALS. The debate o» the motion of the Secretary of Lands' resolutions, and Mr Reid's amendment S thereto, was resumed by Mr Cumming, wh<r objected to the whole of the agricultural land, as proposed by the member for the Taieri, being set aside on deferred payments only, as such a provision would only admit of one class of settlers holding 200 acres or less each. Mr M'Dermid, Mr Tolmie, and Mr Bastings also objected to the smaUness of the holdings. Mr M'Glashan thought it would be be better to do away with both amendment and resolution, and simply say to the Government, "We want these railways made, and we must have them." The Goldfields Secretary answered the objection that had been urged that a difficulty would be experienced if the construction of these lines were to be proceeded with at once. He said private contractors had offered to construct the lines, and procure labor not from Great Britain but from the neighboring Colonies. Communications had been sent to Victoria and New South Wales, and it had been ascertained that it would be possible to introduce a couple of thousand laborers if they guaranteed 8s a day. It was also stated that there would be no difficulty in obtaining a large number of laborers superior to those imported by the Messrs Brogden, who would make very good settlers afterwards if proper facilities were offered them. Mr Haggitt did not think it likely that the Assembly would agree to the Province raising a loan. The third resolution of the member for i the Taieri was, he thought, entirely unworkable. The hon. member could never seriously think that any runholder would be so mad as to give up his lease and allow the land to be put up for sale in blocks of 2,500 acres. In deafinjj with the pastoral tenants, they never found them so veiy liberal as to justify the hon. member in assuming that they would consent to such a motion as that. The Hon. Dr. Menzies thought that the main point of divergence between the resolutions and the amendment was that in the one case the Government might do as they liked, and in the other they were tied down to sell the land which was colored on the map, under a system of deferred payments. But he thought it would not be advisable to tie down the Government to a system of deferred payments, because he was inclined to think that it was not the only system under which they might sell land and yet secure, at the same time, an industrial population. He would like to see the quantity of the holdings under the deferred payment system 320 acres or more. The Provincial Secretary thought that the Government should be empowered to construct the lines asked, if the Assembly did not agree to do so, though he did not think that contingency would arise. The Government agreed with the second and third clauses of Mr Reid's amendment, hut not with the first. They were of opinion that blocks of pastoral land might be reduced to 2,500 acres, in order to give small buyers an opportunity of getting those lands if they wished to settle upon them. Of course, if a man wanted a larger quantity, he could buy twice 2,000 acres. In regard to the Mataura Railway, the Government were still of opinion that purely agricultural land should be sold on deferred payments. With regard to the quantity, 200 acres, he could scarcely conceive it possible that any man could exist on 200 acres. He was not prepared to accept the amendment, except so far as the^econd and third parts were concerned. The first portion was incorporated in their views, and with all respect to the feelings of hon. members, he thought the House should concede the alternative he had mentioned, otherwise the question might be shelved for twelve months ; because, if the Assembly did nothing in the matter, it would involve the necessity^ of calling a special meeting of the Council in four or five months from the present time, and which session might last five or six ■weeks. So far as regarded the labor question, he agreed with the Secretary for Lands and Works that it was a question which would not stand in the way at all ; for, if the contracts were let in reasonable lengths there was no doubt, judging from what they saw in connection with the demand for labor, they would get men to carry out the work within a specified time, and who would also give security. It would not much matter where the labor came fiom, seeing that they would be bound to find it. The possibility was that if they offered to pay the passages of men from Australia, plenty of labor would be obtained. Then, again, those men, if they could obtain the land on deferred payments, might take up sections ; what they received from the railway works would enable them to improve the Jand, and very probably they would become permanent settlers in the Province. All the Government would have to do would be to import; wives for the men, and thus, while carrying out public works, they would at the same time give effect to the immigration scheme. He was not prepared to resist any reasonable modification of the resolutions, but thought that if there was a general desire to proceed this season with the work, the alternative to which he had alluded should be conceded. No doubt every word of this debate would reach Wellington before the question came up, and it was no use, therefore, the Council supposing that those in Wellington would not be aware whether such an alternative existed, de must support the original resolutions, with such modifications m would not interfere with their spirit. After some observations by Mr Allan, Mr Shand, Mr de Lautqub, who addressed, themselves to the main question, and by Messrs M'Kellar and Hazlett, who urged the postponement of the debate till the report of the Committee appointed to consider the extension of the Tuapeka railway to Clyde and Cromwell was brought up. Mr Gillies said his principal objection to the resolution of the Government was that they proposed to perpetuate the system of selling large blocks of pastoral land, which had been condemned by a large majority of the people of the Province. He agreed that it was of importance to_ construct the main lines as rapidly as possible, and no stone should be lef ft unturned to have them carried out with ex*