NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 508, 25 May 1869, Page 2

NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

WEST COAST AFFAIRS. By a mistake in a telegram which was received on Friday, and published in our issue of Saturday, the facta with reference to a proposal by Mr Hennelly that =£lsoo should be voted for a dray-road between Westport and Charleston, via Addison's Flat, were entirely misrepresented. The facts were quite the opposite of what the telegram reported. Mr Hennelly'a motion was carried, aud was not opposed, as was stated, by one of the members for the Buller, Mr R. C. Reid. The following were the other motions passed on the same day, (Tuesday), directly or indirectly connected with the West Coast:— INTERIOR TRACKS. Mr Donne moved, that a sum of £ISOO be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of cutting a track at intervals along the coast line, between the Mohikinui and the Razorback, so as to enable miners to penetrate the interior of the country. The motion was amended to £750, and in that form was agreed to. STEAM SUBSIDY. Mr Reid moved that His Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates £6OO, for a steam subsidy for the West Coast. The motion was agreed to. FIRE ENGINE AT WESTPORT. Mr M'Do well moved, that the sum of £IOO sterling be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, for the purpose of assisting in buying a fire-engine for Westport. This motion was also agreed to. MR LIGHTBAND. Mr Donne asked the Provincial Secretary, if the Government had despatched Mr Lightband (formerly Warden for the Grey District) to the South-west Q-oldfields, and, if so, with what object. The Provincial Secretary replied, that while he did not admit the right of the honorable member to put the question, he had no objection to answer it. A committee formed at

Cobden for the purpose of ascertaining! the views of the miners in the Grey district on the question of separation, telegraphed to ask whether the Government would assist the committee ; the Government replied that they would do so. Mr Light band was sent down, not by the Government, but by the Committee, as the miners were likely to be misled by the incorrect statements in the petition advocating separation.

CIEBK OF DISTRICT COURT, CHAHLESSON". Mr Hennelly moved, that his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to recommend the clerk of the Resident Magistrate and Warden's Court to the Colonial Government for a subsidy of salary for that officer's services as Clerk of the District Court at Charleston.

The motion was negatived. CHARLESTON A PORT OF ENTRY. Mr Donne moved, that his Honor the Superintendent be requested to again urge upon the attention of the Colonial Government the desirability of constituting Charleston a port of entry and warehousing port. The motion was agreed to. MR LYNCII's PETITION. Mr Donue moved the adoption of the resolution arrived at and embodied inthereportof the Select Committee appointed to consider the petition of John William Lynch, viz., "That, in the opinion of this Council, the sum of £75 (one quarter's salary) should be awarded to Mr Lynch, as compensation for his sudden dismissal from office." Mr M'Mahon moved as an amendment that the report be referred back to the Select Committee for reconsideration. On a division the amendment was lost, ayes, S ; noes, 11. The motion was then put and negatived, ayes, 7 ; noes, 12. We learn from our Nelson correspondent that there was a notice on the paper for Friday, proposing £SO as compensation to Mr Lynch. MOTIONS WITHDRAWN. The following motions, intended to be proposed by Mr Hennelly, were withdrawn:—That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £2,000, to be expended in cutting and making a track between Charleston and the Little Grey. That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £ISOO, for the purpose of forming a dray roadJptween Westport and Charleston%L Addison's Elat.

"Wednesday, Mat 19. rivvr protection woeks. Mr M'Dowell moved that his Honor tbe Superintendent be requested to place the sum of £4,000 sterling on the Supplementary Estimates, for the purpose of forming Protective "Works and Wharf Accommodation at "Westport. Mr Reid seconded the motion, and after the amount had been amended to £3,000, it was agreed to. FIRE ENGINE AT CHARLESTON. Mr Donne moved That the sum of £SOO be placed upon the Supplementary Estimates for the purpose of improving and renderinij passable the Track from Brighton to Eockfort's Terrace. On a division there were 12 to 2 against the motion for £SOO [but, from the rough memoranda which we have received, there seems to have been some smaller sum passed.] PUBLIC LIBRARIES. Mr Gibbs moved That a Select Committee be appointed to take into consideration the question of the Endowment (by grants of the waste lands) of the various public Libraries and Institutions of the Province ; such Committee to consist of Mr Speaker, Mr Wastney, Mr Parker, Dr Irvine, Mr Eeid, Mr E. Kelling, Mr Luckie, Mr Sparrow, the Provincial Secretary, and the mover.

The Committee was appointed. MR REUBEN WAITE's PETITION. A petition from Mr Reuben Waite was received, and was referred to a Committee. CAPTAIN BEVERIDGE'S PETITION. Captain Beveridge's petition was not entertained. Thursday, Mat 20. west coast expenditure. Dr Irvine spoke at some length on the resolution in his name, but one of the town members (Mr Burn) moved that the debate be adjourned until that day six months, and the amendment was carried, all the West Coast members voting against it, as (in the words of our correspondent) they wished to " have it out." Mr Donne gave notice of a set of resolutions almost similar in effect, but it was, according to the information we have received, extremely doubtful if they would be entertained. The resolutions are as follow : 1. .That the agitation which has sprunoup for effecting a disruption of the Province will be constantly renewed until the "West Coast shall have had secured to it by law the expenditure within its limits, and for its benefit, of a large and fixed proportion of the revenue there collected, after deducting its share of the general expenses of government. 2. That in the opinion of the Council, such an allocation of the disposable revenue is equitable in principle, and expedient in policy; that it would prove advantageous both to the goldfields and the Province at large; and that it is calculated to further the interests of the "West Coast.

3. That his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to cause a bill in accordance with the first resolution, to be prepared and sent down to the Council during the present session. THE EXECUTIVE. Mr Hennelly was to move, on Friday evening, that the West Coast should be represented in the Executive.

GOVERNMENT PRINTING AND ADVERTISING.

Mr Donne called for an abstract of the expenditure under this heading for the last year, and in doing so said that there was an impression that the printing in the Province is much in excess of what it should be, and the production of such an abstract might prove a curious study for members, lie wished to know where the £1225 voted last year for this purpose under the heading "' South-West Goldfields " had been expended, and where that item was embraced, and why it was not shown in the comparative statements for the year. It was tolerably well known that the printing and advertising had been doled out in this immediate district by the Government, and that a fair competition over the province was not afforded. Doubtless this doling out of so much public patronage was beneficial to certain newspapers, but he questioned the motives of such public policy. What he merely desired to know was, how much of this amount was spent in Nelson, and how much in Westport, Charleston, and Greymouth. Mr M'Doweil seconded the motion.

The Provincial Secretary said, probably the member for the Grey would also wish to call for a file of the newspapers. He had no objection to provide the return called for, but failed to see any object to be gained in so doing. All the "West Coast printing was done in this part of the Province. The Colonist had the contract for the Gazette, and the Examiner had that of the printing. Mr Luckie agreed with the Provincial Secretary, and thought it would only be entailing unnecessary labor. Then as to Mr Donne's imputation. The idea of Mr Donne insinuating upon motives of such public policy! The charge was contemptible. Mr Donne denied having made any charge.

Mr. Luckie said there were various ways of making charges. Mr Donne adopted a sneaking kind of way, widen left an impression that the charge was made, and yet he had not the courage to speak it out. It was not gentlemanly—not fair.

Mr Donne called the attention of the Speaker to the term " ungentlemanly." The Speaker ruled that Mr Luckie was out of order. Mr Luckie said he did not think he used the word " ungentlemanly." If he had done so, it was done unconsciously, and he would beg the Council's pardon. He maintained, however, that the proceeding was not a straightforward one, and it was contemptible to think or to hint that the Government would stoop to purchase the support of a newspaper, or that we had a newspaper whose conductor would stoop to be purchased. Mr Donne observed that the Provincial Secretary had made no allusion to the large amount of last year. He (Mr Donne) regarded it as a suspicions circumstance that the amount was not shown in the comparative statements. As to Mr Luckie's remarks, he asked for this return as a purely public question, and he thought it very bad taste of Mr Luckie speaking upon the question at all. He enquired if Mr Luckie appeared there in a business capacity or as one of the representatives of the City of Nelson. Mr Luckie had no right, and it was not decent for him to make business references. He could, if necessary, give a retort, as to the observation of want of courage, on the member for the city. Mr Luckie: Do so. Mr Donne thought also, though it was not his intention to have alluded to such a matter, or to suggest such a view of the case, that it was not decent for anyone to sit in the Council, being at the same time a government contractor. He hoped the Council would support him in calling for this return. The motion was carried without a division being called.