WESTPORT PROGRESS COMMITTEE.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 453, 16 January 1869, Page 2

WESTPORT PROGRESS COMMITTEE.

This Committee met yesterday. The members present were Messrs Tyler (Chairman,) O'Conor, Alcorn, Powell, Humphrey, Milne, and. Field, with Mr Bullen (Hon. Secretary). CEMETERY. The Chairman, referring to the minutes, which had been read by the Secretary, stated that Mr Hughes's motion with regard to a cemetery had been anticipated, a site for the purpose having already been reserved some distance up the river. the municipal reserve. The Chairman read correspondence which had passed between the Provincial Secretary, Dr Giles, and the committee appointed to represent the opinions of the Committee with regard to the granting of an agricultural lease for a portion of the intended Municipal Reserve. The following was the letter addressed by the Hon. Secretary to the Superintendent at Nelson:— Sik, —As Honorary Secretary to the Westport Progress Committee, and acting by their instructions, I beg to enclose to your Honor a copy of certain objections which were made on behalf of the Committee to the granting of an agricultural lease, applied for by Dr Thorpe, on the Westport Municipal Eeserve. The objections have already been placed before the Warden, Dr Giles, but the Committee entertain so strong an opinion as to the importance of the matter that they desire to take the liberty of bringing it also more directly and prominently under your Honor's notice. I am also instructed to request that your Honor will be pleased to take the necessary steps for the early proclamation of the reserve in question as a Municipal Iteserve, according to the original design, and that you will also proclaim the boundaries of the town of Westport, so that they shall include the said reserve. For the further information of your Honor on the subject, I bog to enclose the report of the proceedings of the last meeting of the Committee as it appeared in the Westport Times of the 21st inst. The following was the letter addressed to the Committee by Dr. Giles : Gentlemen, —I have the honor to inform you that his Honor the Superintendent, after considering my report upon the application of Dr Thorpe for an agricultural lease, and the objections made by you on behalf of the Westport Progress Commitee, has declined to grant the lease, and that the deposit of £1 paid by you on lodging your objections will be refunded to you on application at this office. From Mr Greenfield, the Provincial Secretary, the following letter had also been received on the same subject, and was read by the Chairman: — Sib, —1 have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd instant, relative to Dr Thorpe's application for an agricultural lease of a portion of the land marked off on the plan of the town of Westport as a Municipal Reserve. In reply, I have the honor to inform you that the Government had, previous to the receipt of your letter, do Jded not to grant an agricultural lease, but as they consider it de sirable that the Hospital Surgeon should reside near the Hospital, they have consented to allow Dr Thorpe to occupy the land so long as he holds the office of surgeon to that institution, and have agreed to take improvements at a valuation, to a limited extent, in the event of his retiring from that office. In fairness to Dr Thorpe, I beg to state, for the information of the Committee that the application for an agricultural lease was made at my suggestion, in order that the question might be considered by the Government, and it was intended to insert a clause in the lease giving the Government the right to take possession on payment for improvements at any tinio within three years, and after thatdatc Dr Thorpe, if he became the purchaser, would have had to pay the full value of the land. The Executive Council, however, on full consideration of the matter, decided that the land ought not to be alienated. On the motion of Mr O'Conor, seconded by Mr Alcorn, thanks were voted to Dr. Giles for his representations in the matter referred to in the foregoing correspondence ; and, on the motion of Mr Alcorn, seconded by Mr Powell, it was agreed that the Secretary should write to the Superintendent relative to the last portion of the letter sent to His Honor, and which had reference to the proclamation of the boundaries of the township of Westport and its Municipal Eeserve. notices of applications. The Hon. Secretary read the following letter, which had been received from Dr Giles : Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge tho receipt of your letter of the 21st inst., requesting me to cause all parties making applications under the 13th section of the Goldfields Act to give public notice of the same for the information of the residents in this district. In reply, I have to request you to inform the Progress Committee that I concur with tliem in thinking that in most of the cises referred to it would be desirable that some

notice should be given, and that in future I will endeavour to give efl'ect to the wishes of the Committee by requiring, in all -cases in which it seems likely that a public notice might be of any advantage, either the posting of notices, or the insertion of an advertisement in the newspaper, as may seeTi best adapted to each case. BITER PROTECTION. The Chairman read Ihe following letter, which had been received from Mr Greenfield, the Provincial Secretary : Sib, —I have the honor to forward herewith for the information of the Progress Committee copy of a Gazette containing the Provincial Engineer's report on the damage done to the North Bank o? the Buller river, and on the means best calculated to protect further damage. You are aware that while at Westport I engaged the services of Lieutenant Woods, Colonial Marine Surveyor, to examine the river and report to Mr Balfour, the Colonial Marine Engineer, in order that the Government might obtain the latter gentleman's opinion whecher any protective works can be constructed at reasonable cost that would be at all likely to be effective, and resist the destructive action of the river and surf. Mr Balfour is now in possession of that report, and the Government have forwarded additional information, and hope to receive an opinion at an early ate. "When that opinion arrives, the Government will carefully consider the same, together with the Provincial Engineer's report, and decide what course to adopt with the means at their disposal. COUNTY SEPARATION. The Hon. Secretary intimated that> in acordance with the wishes of the Committee, he had written to Mr P».G. Neale, member of the Progress Comi mittee, Charleston, to Mr Fenton, , Brighton, to Mr Wilkie, Cobden,and to , Mr MTereny, Cobden, letters on the separation of Westland North from i the Province of Nelson, and the estabi lishment of the district as a county. The following is a copy of the letters so addressed : Deab Sir, —At the last meeting of the 1 Westport Progress Committee, the subject of • Separation from Nelson was discussed by the { Chairman andmembers of the Committee, and, ■ doubtless, you have perused the copy of the Westport Times which contained a report of the meeting. On behalf of the Committee, I should feel I much obliged if you would ascertain the feel- ■ ing which exists in your district relative to the formation of the District of Westland . North into a county. I need not in any way detail the advantages which the residents in the district will der.ve . from this step, as they are obvious. Trusting you will bring this under the con- , sideration of the Charleston Progress Com- , mittee at your earliest convenience, and coinf nmnicate the rest to me, —I am, &e. • From Mr Neale only a reply had ' been received, aud it was as follows : [ Deab Sib, —I beg to acknowledge your favour of Jan. 5, with a view of ascertaining , public opinion upon the matter referred to , therein. The Chairman of the Charleston Progress Committee called a meetingyester- , day evening, which, either owing to the . short notice or inconvenience of the hour, was very poorly attended. Indeed so few , were present that the meeting lapsed, and ] consequently I am not in a position to hazard any opinion as to what the general views are. The few present seemed to regard a3 undesirable any separation, but on , the other hand wished to see Charleston . constituted a municipality. Another , meeting will be held, probably in a week, ', when I shall do myself the honor of again communicating with you. The Chairman thought it would be . well, before preparing a petition, to ascertain thoroughly the public opin- \ ion in the different places. There was i no immediate hurry, as Parliament : had been prorogued until the 23rd of 1 Fobruary, and, probably, it would not meet then. It would not take much time to prepare and forward a petition : after the public feeling was accurately ascertained. Mr O'Conor thought it very desirable that, in the event of meetings being called at the different places, the services of some person who would represent the matter in a proper light should be secured. It was possible that the matter might not be judged on its merits, but under the influence of local feelings. In order to put the matter fairly before the public, it might be well if two or three members of the Committee should frame a statement of the reasons for seeking Separation. A series of plain reasons made public might have a good effect. On the other hand, if there was a lack of information, and the opinion were to prevail that it was a Westport • agitation for selfish and local ends, it would be very unfortunate. Separa- | tion would be no more advantageous , to Westport than it would be to any . other part of the district, and it would ; be satisfactory if the matter could be represented properly. He suggested that the Chairman, Mr Alcorn, and the , Secretary, might be deputed to pre- . pare a statement of the grounds upon which Separatiouand the establishment of a County should be sought. He , thought it would be well also if the > Chairman or some member could . attend the meetings to be called else- • where. If that could be done, he be- • lieved that they would succeed i« • carrying the object " with flying . colors." • The Chairman stated at considerf able length the reasons which he conl sidered the inhabitants of this district • have for the declaration of the dis- » tict as a County. Mr O'Conor, Mr Alcorn, Mr Powell, and other members of the Committee expressed opinions similar to those of the Chairman ; and, finally, Mr O'Conor's suggestion as to a subcommittee preparing a statement of of the reasons for Separation wes unanimously adopted. With the view of giving fully the remarks of the Chairman and other members, we reserve our report until next number. The next meeting of the Committee was appointed for Friday the 29th instant.