WESTLAND IN THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

West Coast Times, Issue 370, 29 November 1866, Page 2

WESTLAND IN THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

[ITROM OUU SPECI.vr, ItUVORXUE.] Tuesday, November 20, 18G6. NEW JIE3IBER. Mr Michael Cassius was iiik'oduccd lo tho Spentcr by Mr Bright, and took his seat as one of fcho mcmbci's for Hokitika-,

IIOKITIKA MUNIOHPAL INCORPORATION BILL. Mr Bnra rttf moved for leave to introduce a bill to provido for the incorporation of the inhabitants of Hokitika, and regretted that in consequence of tho untimely adjournment of the Houso ho had been denied tho opportunity of introducing it during tho previous week. Had ho been able to do so, tho measure would now have been printed and in the hands of lion members, and he might have succeeded in advancing it a further stage. Ho could not help expressing an opinion which lie believed was shared by many members of that House, that the business of tho session had been very greatly and unnecessarily retarded by the frequent adjournments from day today and week to week that had taken place — adjournments not, as far as he could see, necessary to tho convenience of the Government, aud certainly not conducive to tho convenience of private members who were deprived of tho opportunity of prosecuting measures of great interest and importance to their constituents. (Hear, hear.) He wished, however, to express his Opinion on this point, with all gentleness and delicacy, as he was anxious to propitiate the favor of tho Government — which by the accession just made to it had become an increased power in the House — and secure their support to his bill. Although the bill was introduced at a somewhat laic period of the soesion, and contained a great many clauses, he thought it was one which tho Council ought to have no hesitation in entertaining. Its object was sufficiently expressed by its title. It was a bill to incorporate the inhabitants of Hokitika. It had been prepared with great deliberation and care by the Town Solicitor and Town Clerk, and had been revised in all its details by the present Municipal Council of the town— the only body possessing anything of a representative character which tho largo population of the West Coast had yet been permitted to enjoy. There was nothing novel about the bill, with the exception perhaps of the method proposed for the election of Mayor, and even this was a novelty only so far as New Zealand was concerned. It was proponed to give the right of electing the Mayor to the citizens at largo, limiting their choice to the moinbers of tho Town Council previously appointed. He was instructed that the uaeasuro was baaed partly upon the Adolaido City Council Act, and partly upon the Dtuwdin Corporation Ordinano*. It had been drafted by Mr I*zar, <sh» $rment T«wn Clerk of Hokitika, -who had for a considerable time filled a wwilM- position in oonnectimi with the Doaedia City Council, and had prerioajly filled for lome y«aw th« offloe of Mayor of Adelaide, and by Mr HarTey, the Town Solicitor, a gentleman af higk reputation, and of gmt legal- experience. He thought the Home might aalWy pan this meature in the form in which it was, under these circumstances, submitted to them. He had been informed byMrßonar, theChairmanof the present Municipal Couucil, that it would bo regarded by tho people of (he town generally aa a great boon. He (Mr Bright) should have been happy to have submitted the Bill to tho Provincial Solicitor for his examination before bringing it down to the House, but he was aware that circumstances would proven) that learned gentleman paying to it sufficient attention to enable him to suggest any substantial amendments.- Tho Government were, however, fully in possession of his intention to introduce the measure. He thought he had said sufficient to induce the House to pass tho Bill through its first stages. It was asked for by the people of Hokitika ; it had been carefully prepared under .their direction ; it only concerned themselves ; and it would afford the first ta*te to the inhabitants of the West Coast of the luxury of self government. Its rejection, he could assure the Hoijse, would occasion feelings of disappointment andirritation, which he was quite certain it was not tho sound policy, and, he believed, it was not the wish of the Council, to provoke. The hon. member concluded by moving for leave to brine; in the Bill. Mr Cassixts seconded the motion. Mr Bakff, in supporting the motion, said that he thoroughly endorsed the remarks of the mover with reference to tho repeated adjournments of tho Houso as being altogether unnecessary and most inconvenient. A very considerable amount of business was before the House waiting to bo disposed of, and that work might easily have been gone on with, although the Government was not prepared to proceed with the Estimates. (Hear, hear.) Tho Provincial Solicitor said that it was not the intention of the Government to oppose the measure, but he did not exactly understand what was meant by the proposal to incorporate the inhabitants of Hokitika. There was also another difficulty, viz., there was already a Municipal Council in Hokitika, and a bill had passed its second reading, to remove doubts as to the validity of their election; that bill would have to be withdrawal before the pro* posed measure could become law. Mr Wylde thought that the hon. mover should have entered more fully into the principles and objects of the bill so as to have enabled members to become in somo measure acquainted with what it was designed to effect. Mr Maude pointed out that this would bo done in moving tho second reading, when the principles of the Bill would be fully discussed. The motion was put and passed, and the Bill was brought in accordingly. Mr Bright, in moving that'the Bill be read a first time said that the title of the Bill— "to incorporate the inhabitants of Hokitika," had been adopted by the Town Solicitor of Hokitika — a gentleman in whose legal ability he (Mr Bright) was disposed to place as much confidence as in that of any lawyer in that House. (Laughter, and hear, hear.) Tho motion was put and passed, and the Bill read a first lime and ordered to bo printed. MEDICAL I'BACTITIONERs' BILL. Mr Bahff moved the second reading of this Bill, aud explained that, as certain lion, members had expressed their conviction on a former occasion, that the Provincial Council could not deal with the principle involved in the Bill, he begged to inform the Houso that a bimilar Ordinance came into operation in the neighboring Province of Otago on the 12th of April, 1865 ; and that a Medical Practitioners' Ordinance had for some time past been in operation in the Province of Nelson, and had been found to work extremely well. The Bill introduced was intended to deal with a very great and growing evil, and one which if not checked by some measure of a similar nature to the one under consideration, would be attended in the future as it had beon in the past, by most disastrous results. (Hear.) The hon. gentleman then moved tho consideration in Committee of tho various clauses of tho Bill. The Bill mot with tlio cordial support of the members generally, and the amendments proposed wcro of a very trifling nature. Clause 7 was struck out, as the ca^o proposed to be dealt with under that clause was already provided for by the common law. Mr Wilson begged to givo notice that he should move for tho re-committal of the Bill at its third reading, not for the purpose of opposing the measure, but for the purpose of further amplifying tho clauses. The Bill, as amended, was then reported to the House. The Bill was then read a second time, and reported to the House, with amendments.