PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 357, 20 May 1874, Page 5

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Monday, 18th May. Petitions were presented from inhabitants of Oamaru, Riverton, and Taieri districts respecting evil effects of Sunday traffic on the Dunedin and Port Chalmers railway. IJIPBOTEMENT OP OTAGO HABBOB. Mr. Stout moved — " Ist. That, in the opinion of this Council, in order to provide for the effective management and improvement of the Otago Harbor, a Harbor Trust should bo formed. 2nd. That such Trust should have, inter alia, the following powers : — (a) All the powers that may be granted by any Ordinance of the Provincial Council, under the authority of ' The Harbor Boards, Act, 1870.' (b) Authority to borrow a sum not exceeding £250,000 for the purposes of the said Trust. (c) Authority to reclaim land, raise embankments, and form docks. (d) Authority to issue debentures. 3rd. That 100 acres of land reclaimed, or to bo reclaimed, should be set aside for the purposes of the said Trust." After considerable discussion on this motion, the debate was adjourned till Wednesday. CLOSING OP EOAD AT MOA PLAT STATION. Mr. Ireland asked ..the Government — •' Whether the portion of road running between Mr. Clarke's Moa Flat Station and his woolshed, and which formed part of the Main Road from Teviot to Tapanui and Switzers, has been closed by authority of this Council ?" Mr. Reid replied that from the information he could gather, he understood that no authority was required for the closing of this road, inasmuch as it was never a public line of road. Like many other roads over the waste lands of the Crown, it was simply a road used by the public, and no authoi'ity was required from the Council to close it. EESEETES MADE BY PEOVINCIAL COUNCIL Mr. M'Eellar asked the Provincial Solicitor — " To give some information as to the reason why the reserves passed last session by this Council had not been sanctioned by the General GovernmiPt ; and what action is intended to be taken by the Government in reference to said reserves ?" Mr. Stout replied that no one in the Council could get at the reason why the reserves were not sanctionee beyond what was given by the Colonial Government itself — that the endowments for AthensDiiins were contrary to law. He himself could not make out why it should be legal to endow racecourses, and yet illegal to endow Athenamms. Such reserves had previously been regerded as lawful. The Provincial Government would take what action it could, and would ask the Colonial Government to explain more fully what is meant by " contrary to law " — as to what Statute had been contravened. Endowments for Athenffiuius had always been sanctioned, and he was not aware why they had been refused on this occasion. BLOCKS OP LAND POB DEFEEBED PAYMENTS. A Message was received from his Honor the Superintendent, submitting for the consideration of the Provincial Council the desirability of setting aside certain blocks of land for settlement under deferred payments, as provided by the Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872. Message No. 7 from the Superintendent desired the cooperation of the Provincial Council in recommending the Governor to proclaim four new Hundreds, tc be named respectively Tuapeka, Lees Stream, Dunback, and Caddon Hundreds, comprising together an area of 51,000 acres. The extent of the proposed Hundreds are Tuapeka, 15,000 acres, being block 4 and parts of blocks 1, 2, 5, and 7, on the map of the said district ; Lees Stream. 20.000 acres, being part of runs 185, 260, and 254; Caddon, 10,000 acres, being parts of runs 151 and 74 ; Dunback, 6,000 acres, being parts of runs 80 and 109. Message No. 8 invited the cooperation of the Council iv recommending the Governor to proclaim the following Hundreds : Kaiwera, 10,500 acres, being part of runs 132 and 131 ; Heriot, 20,000 acres, being part of runs 163, 178 and 212 ; Otaria, 20,000 acres, being run 102; Waipahee, 14,500 acres, being run 78a ; Kuriwoa, 14,600 acres, being runs 24a and 90. Message No.' 9, submitted for the consideration of the Council the desirability of setting aside the following blocks of land for settlement on deferred payments:— 4, Boo acres on ran 111 (M'Nab's) 2,000 acres on 167 b (M'lutyre's), 1,000 acres on 175 a (Logan's) 3.000 acres on 131 (M'lntyre's), 2,000 acres on 102 (Truble's), 2,000 acres on 132 (Islay Station), 2.600 acres on 90 (N. Z. and A. Land Company's), 1,400 acres on 78a (Tolmie's), 2,600 acres on 212 (Herbert's) 2,000 acres on 328 (Fielding's late Gow's), 1,000 acres on 80 (Bell's), 2,500 acres on 349 (Butement's) 2,500 acres on 223 (Glassford's) ; total, 30,000 acres. Message No. 10 submitted for consideration the expediency of enabling the Government to proceed with the construction of the following light lines of railway, viz. : Waipahee to Tapanui ; main trunk to Kaitangata and Coal Point ; main trunk to Outram ; Palmerston to Waihemo ; Orepuki extension to Waiau ; Tokomairiro branch to Coalfields ; Lawrence to Roxburgh ; Otautau extension to Nightcap Coalfields : from main line through Seaward Bush. Annexed was an approximate estimate of the probable cost of the proposed lines ; also a statement of the lines already authorised and contracted for, from which it would be seen that upwards of half-a-million of money would be required to defray the cost of the whole. " The Superintendent, therefore, proposes that applications be made to the General Assembly at its next session for authority to raise a loan not to exceed £500,000 for the construction of the aforesaid works, and that an area of acres of land be set aside as special security for the repayment of such loan. The land so set aside as security to bs dealt with in every respect and disposed of in terms of the provisions of the Otago Waste Lands Act, and the proceeds of sale or lease to be paid into a separate account to be applied towards payment of interest on said loan, and to the repayment of one twentieth in each year of the principal sum." The following is the schedule of length and cost of lines :—Waipahee to Tapanui, 13^ miles, £32,000 ; main trunk to Kaitangata and Coal Point, 10 miles, £27,750 ; main line to Outrain, four miles, £12.000|; Palmerston to Waihemo, ten miles, £25, 000; Orepuki to Waiau. 14 miles, £50.000 ; Tokomairiro branch, 5 miles, £14,000 : Lawrence to Teviot (including bridge over Clntha), 40 miles' £125,000°; Otautau to Nightcaps, 15 miles, £40,000 ; main line through Seaward Bush, 10 miles, £20,000. These figures represent the total cost ready for rolling stock.