PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 341, 30 April 1863, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

The tenth session of the Council was opened on the 24th by his Honor the Superintendent. All the members were present except those from Wanganui. His -Honor delivered the ’ following SPEECH. some paragraphs of which we have been obliged to curtail. Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Provincial Council, — . • In this piovinee, which contains so large a proportion of the Maori race, and which has distinguished itself by the prominent part it took in opposing a policy which involved a war ot races and the destruction of the weaker, I cannot, in opening this session ot its legislature, pass over without remark the present condition of the Native question. [His Honor expressed approval ot Sir Geo.’ Grey’s conciliatory policy, which, lie felt assured, would in time remove the prejudices and tears at present existing .in the Native mind. He then proceeded,]

Some disappointment may possiblyJju felt at.the result of the land purchasing operations during the past year by those who, ignorant of native character, ot the complications of native titles, and how fatal to success is any teasing, any undue urgency, imagine that a bargain for tuc purchase of their lands can be effected with the same facility as a piece oi lane., the title to which is clear, can. bo conveyed among themselves ; still, the expectations that I held out to you last session, that valuable districts would shortly be freely offered for sale by the natives, have been amply realized. In the Wairavapa a few small blocks of no great value have been already acquired, and other blocks, containing in the ag gregate about .20,000 acres, are under offer, and survey. In the TO mile bush, large tracts —comprising, I have reason to believe, nearly the whole district w ithin the boundaries of this Province -have been pressed, upon mo, and will be purchased without difficulty as soon as they have been surveyed. On tne West Coast the terms of purchase for the Waitotara have recently been satisfactorily arranged. Valuable as tins block is from, its .containing some 20,000 acres of rich agricultural land, it is still more valuable in a political point of view, from its removing the frontier of the settlement of Wanganui some twelve nules furtner to the north.

[His Honor then stated that the chief difficulties in the wav of obtaining 250,000 acres of the Manawatu had been removed. These blocks containing* an inexhaustible supply of timber, it would be for the Council to consider whether they might not be opened up by r Railroads or Tramways. His. Hon or then adverted to Mr. Crawford’s search for gold, aud thought that Mr. Brough Smith’s report on the specimens of rock sent to him justified a continuation of the explorations.

He then referred to the increasing ex port trade to the other provinces, especialy Otago, l airing the year just ended, there had been thus exported 11,0G0 head of cattle, 11,000 sheep, 190 horses, million feet timber, bO tons butter, the value of which with other articles was about £130,000. He then proposed an Immigration scheme, in connection with the Colonial Emigration Society, the province paying them a moiety of the cxpence on the arrival of the immigrants, and looking to them for repayment, and also in the way of assisting settlers to bring out their friends provided they" advance naif ot the monies and give security for the payment of the other half.

...He allowed that there had been remissness on the part ot the Government in collecting* the Immigrants’ promissory" notes, but expected the legal proceedings now instituted would be the means of y'ct recovering a considerable sum. The granting of land with unlimited selection to Military settlers had also been a failure, as it did not tend to settle the country. He proposed that a block of land—for ' example, at Waitotara—should be given for this purpose ]

His Honor then proceeded : While by the establishment of the Lighthouse on Pencarrow Head, you have rendered your port easy of access at all times and in all weathers, and have by the erection of a Deep Water Tv harf and Bonded Warehouse, and by laving down moorings, given every facility for the loading and unloading of vessels, you have still to supply one great requirement;. The difficulty, or rather impossibillity oi getting vessels of any size either repaired or cleaned, has ever been urged as a serious diawback to this harbour But when vott consider the immense increase that has taken place within the last two or three years in the shipping frequenting this port, the returns showing, lor example, that the tonnage has increased from 49, 900 tons in 1861, to 72,286 tons in 1862; when you remember that whereas some eight years ago, the first steamer that arrived ;u New Zealand was on the point of bciiig sent back to England, under the plea that there could not possibly be employment in Hew Zealand during the time of this generation, there is now ploughing the New Zealand seas a very considerable fleet of steamers ; when you look to the development of your Local

Steam Company, to the manner in which they arc extending their operations, in the determination' they evince to make Wellington at any rate the centre of Steam ; ; and lastly, When you' remember that the chief object of the Postmaster General’s mission to .England is to establish the Panama Route, and that he has himself expressed a strong opinion in favour of this port being the port of call and departure, I think you will agree with mo that the. time has come when you must either have a floating dock or patent slip- Far from desiring to conceal the magnitude of the work, to which I thus Unite you, lat once state, that from all the information I have gathered. I believe a floating dock, capable of taking in a vessel of 1200 tons, will not cost less than 1-20,000, and that a patent slip will involve an expenditure of from 29,000/ to I-O,K)0/. But I see no difficulty in providing the ways and means, without in the slightest degree encroaching upon those funds which derived from the sale of lands ought to be employed in openingup the country In a former address I poin-. ted out that nil the works winch (looked at from a narrow point of view) be considered as exclusively for the benefit- of Wellington will be productive of a revenue, which in a few years w-ill' repay the capital expended -on them. Hie .Lighthouse, erected at a cost oi between ZGO 0 and /7000, xvill, when light dues are imposed, as I hope- they will at once be by the Central Marine Board on a moderate scale, yield from £IOOO to 1500/ a year. The Wharf and Bonded Stores, which, with their appurtenances, will cost Z2O, 000 -will, when in full operation, yield.not less than Z 3500. But more than thisthe profit hitherto made on the sale of the reclaimed land has been over 100 per cent The value of the unsold portion is above Z 0,000. and a considerable suni nii.iv at any time be realised by selling the frontage on Lambton-quay, between the Odd Fellows’ Hall and Kuuiutoto. As these funds might fairly be applied to such a w rk it will scarcely be urged against the proposal, especially as a patent slip could not possibly be constructed in loss than two years, that there wxmld.be any diversion of funds from their legitimate purposes, or that there would ! e any difficulty in providing .whatever* amount migh t be required. Whatever doubts may have been expressed as to the necessity of a bridge over the Wanganui i iver, when first nro- osed. none can now possibly be entert lined by those who have witnessed the immense and rapidly incresing traffic over it, a traffic so great that the ferryman has offered to establish a steam feiry at his own expense,—provided he be guurcntced against a 1 ridge being; built, or any' othei ferry allowed for a certain number or years. But as this would scarcely be an improvement upon the existing ferry', I am glad to be able to state that the inhabitants of Wanganui have expressed their readinessto form a company to build the bridge, on condition that the Council will o-ive a sum equal to the amount raised by the company, and will further hand over to the company the tolls of the bridge until the capital of the company, with interest thereon lias been paid 1 his ap_ ears to me so fair and liberal on tire part of the settlers of Wanganui that I shall submit a bill to enable them to carry it out Messrs. Gladstone & Co. having declined to submit the Ann Hi Inn's accounts and other matters in dispute between thorn and the Province to arbitration, but having at the same time expressed their ■readiness to leave their adjustment upon not unreasonable conditions entirely" in ni}" hands. I have, actiug upon the authority you gave me in a resolution passed last session, made them proposals, which I have every reason to believe they will accept, and which I hope you will deem fair and liberal.

[His Honor then suggested that the Council should institute enquiries into the dealing with public resei ves, more especially the grants of a huxe portion of the township of Wanganui and of a portion of ihe Belt of Wellington for industrial schools]. His Honor then went on

.Before laying before you the Estimates of income and expenditure for the current year, I am anxious, in, order to correct some misapprehensions, to call your attention to those of the. past. Charges are, year after year, made against the Government, that the estimated Receipts are not realized, and that your votes are not expended. A. very slight examination of the Audited Accounts for the fiiuancial year ended on the 31st of last month, and which will be laid before you in the course of a lew .days, will enable vou to satisfy yourselves how far these accusations are. well founded. I have already alluded to the difference between my estimate of the proceeds of linrnifTants’ Promissory R otes, and tnc actual receipts. The only other sources of revenue, the receipts of winch, have fallen below my estimate, are the reclaimed Laud, and Land Sa-les. But had it not been for the parties, who purchased allotments of the Reclaimed Land some years since, refusing to complete their .purchase my estimate of the proceeds of tlio Reclaimed Laud would have been slightly exceeded. The Land Sales instead of realizing 26,000/, amounted to 4 , but when I state that at end of the financial year there was unsatisfied applications for above 100,000 acres ss. land-unsat-isfied simply because of the inability of the Survey-stair to keep pace vith the demand, you will recognize that but for that cause the territorial revenue would have been double the amount of my esii mate. On the other hand the Customs Receipts exceeded my estimate by some [ 500/, and the Rovenue-has.been so amply . .sufficient to meet all demands, that we ' have hold back the loan of 25,000 for a ’ year, thereby saving a yrai’s interest

With respect to Pul'lie work-, under the .sole control of the Government, they have all, with one or two most unimportant exceptions, either been completed or . are in progress. The only appropriations untouched are a few for Public works under the superintendence ofeertain Local Hoards, which, instead ot employing their own engineers and surveyors, have preferred postponing the works until they could obtain the services of the Government officers. At the same time I need not point out, that it is unreasonable and absurd to expect, that all the works you authorise are to be commenced the moment the session ends, and to be carried on simultaneously. For in all works 'there are certain preliminary steps to bo taken, and the cost of the works authorized by you is to be defrayed not out of the funds in hand, but out of the accruing revenue of the year ; so that there must inevitably be at the end of each financial vear works incomploted, and unexpended appropriations or balances ; bub, ina ,- much as these unexpended votes are always p/laced on the next year’s Estimates, no injustice is done to any district. .. In framing the Estimates of Expenditure I have ever, in accordance with your wishes to foster the institution of Local Boards, endeavoured with a due regard to other interests, to’place .ample" funds at their disposal, especially lor the construction of district roads. You have for the last few years given to’ District [-lighwi'3 r s Boards grants in aid' double the amount of what they have raised by local rates. And I’propose, not merely to continue this liberal contribution, but. but to give special grants to almost every one of the Local Boards, upon the understanding that both the grants in aid and the special gi’ants are to be expended in the construction and not in the repairs of roads, and with the warning that if my expectations in regard to tlie acquisition of extensive tracts involving the construction of great works to make them available are realised, the Local Boards must be prepared next year to rely more exclusively upon their own resources. With regard then to the expenditure proposed for the current year, taking the cost of the ordinary Departments of Government and Council at £15,941, including the Land and Laud Purchase Departments, you will find placed on the Estimates, foi Surveys, £>ooo ; for Engineer’s department, 11500 ; Education, /1000 ; Council Library, ZIOO ; Observatory, Geological Surveys and Explorations, /900 ; Ferries, 1250 : Steam Subsidy, /1000 ; Insurance and .Repairs, 15 00. Under the head of Bridges—for. the Wangaelui, Z4OO ; Turakiua, 12.50 ; for the 'L’utauui, /150 ; Porirua, 1250 ; at Featherston, 1000 ; and on the Hutc road, ZIOO ; giving a total expenditure on Bridges of /1430. For roads—repairs of the trunk lines, Z4OOO ; widening Porirua, /1000 ; for the road from Eeatherston to Masterton and Te Kopi, /1750 ; Masterton to Castle Point, 1750 ; through the Forty-mile Bush, 11500 ; Muugaroa, 400/ ; widening Riumtaka, 15 00 ; Rangitikei to Wanganui, 12500 ; Wanganui to Waitotara, /100 Q ; No. 3 Line Y/auganui, ZIOOOg grants in aid, 10 000 ; afid special grants to Belmont of /200 ; Pahautanui, Z2OO ; Masterton, Z2OO ; Karori, Z2OO ; Makara, 1200 ; Ohariu, 12 00 ; Ohiro, Z2OO ; "Wai-nui-o-mata, 1500 ; Great Western, Wanganui, /500 ; Materawa, 500/ ; Brunswick line, Z3OO ; Upper Rangitikei to Turakiua, /300 ; Lower Rangitikei, /500 ; giving a proposed expenditure on Roads of Z 27,100. Under the head of Sundry Works—for improvements of Reclaimed Land, /500 ; Piling right bank of Wanganui river, Z 300; Custom-house and Post-office, 1500 ; Supreme Court and and Police-office, /2887 y Fire-engine, 120 additions to Lunatic Asylum,- Z3OO ; Gaol, Wellington, 10 00, at ’Wanganui, /500 ; house for Native Chiefs, 15 00 ; Museum, /300 ; Wharf at Campbell town /200 ; at Wanganui, ZIOOQ ; Courthouses at Turakiua, Rangitikei, Mailawatu, and the Wairarapa, 1500 y Wharf, Wellington, including moorings rails and ocher plant, 79500. Contingencies for Public Works, /4’ooo. Immigration, 15000. Ann II ilso As Immigrants, 71-100. Patent Slip (portion required this year), 5000/. Interest on Loan 10,050.7—-mak-ing the total expenditure, 97,995/. The balance on the first’ of this month in the hands of the ITeasurer being here 1440/, and to your credit in England 2100/, I estimate the receipts as follows : Interest due from Hawke’s Bay, (2500 ; proceeds of Reclaimed Land, 150 30 ; three-eighths of the Customs’ gross re--1 ceipts, 10,000/; Licenses Publicans’ and Auctioneers’, 2000/; Pilotage, 50)/; Assessment, on Sheep, 000/ ; Incidental receipts, 250/ ; Tolls, IoOOZ ; "Wharfage dues and Bonded Store dues, 1500 ; Promissory - Notes, 30007 ; 'Rates on Land and Voluntary Contributions for Grants in Aid, 3000/ ; Pasture Licenses, Rents, and Land Sales, 32,000/ ; and net proceeds of the Loan of 25,000/ —27,000/. Thus giving an estimated, income ior the ' year of 98,390/. His Honor concluded with congratul- ’ ations on the growing, prosperity oi the Province.