NELSON.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 654, 5 May 1870, Page 2

NELSON.

PROCEEDINGS IN THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

(fEOM 01 t B OWIf COBBESPONDENT.) Saturday, April 30.

I presume that, by the steamer Kennedy, you would receive copies of the Superintendent's speech at the opening of the Council. I dare not presume that you printed it in its entirety, for the bulk of it is a labored defence of his Honor's own personal action, and the action of others in relation to the Wangapeka land sales, and, strange as it may seem, the: interest in that matter on the West Coast is not so violent as to constitute the Superintendent's strictures on the subject very readable matter for your subscribers. But, if you have done so, good and well, I hope his Honor's West Coast constituents appreciate his explanations. To his Honor's other references to mining matters somewhat significantly numerous, by the way,—l need not now allude. They have not been referred to in the reply to the address, if the six bald lines which the committee have brought up as such can be dignified with the name, but they will, no doubt, become the subject of discussion by the introduction of separate motions. I speak particularly of the suggested combinative appointment of Mr Kynnersley as member of the Executive, Commissioner, Resident Magistrate, and Warden. Upon this there is some feeling. Country members —I mean rural and rustic members, in contradistinction to those from the mining districts —contemplate this commissionership with something like dread, or, at any rate, distaste ; and, to a certain extent, this is even sympathised with by some who, in their relations, are more mineral than rural. It is sufficient to say that there will be a diversity of feeling among the West Coast members themselves—not because any disapprove of extra attention to the Goldfields, but because they conceive that it is simply the institution of a second Superintendent, whereas the existing Superintendent should do the duty. Others think thus —have the duty done, at any cost. But lam anticipating. The reasons for the reply being so meagre are, I suppose, that the Council are so dissatisfied with the address that they preferred to treat its contents contemptuously rather than enter into a detailed notice of its propositions. At least in the interest of the Committee, we shall charitably suppose so. It is, no doubt, highly inconvenient for a Committee to represent the Council, but it is usual to be more explicit than this reply, which is as follows :—■

" "We thank your Honor for your opening address, and assure you wo will give our earliest and most serious consideration to the matters referred to in your Honor's speech, and trust that our deliberations will result in measures con«j ducive to the prosperity and good; government of the Province." Of the members who were absent at' the opening, the first who turned up was Eeid, It appears he was to havfl come by the regular Buller road,whichii; shorter than one by a tributary river,? the Mangles, but, as it was described: as almost waist-deep for miles upon) miles, he did not come by the former] route. He "shied" also at the] Mangles road, as there is no accoinmo-j dation at one stage, and considerably chance of a rude reception from s! would-be squatter of the name ofj Macgregor, and he went round by tboj Matakitaki, passing the house of tli. descendant of Bob Eoy in day hgbfcj Another day was partially lost in coin sequence of a snow storm on tbsj ranges. Mr Mackley arrived on thaj same day by the Charles Edward, and] both put in their appearance as mutej spectators on Thursday evening. Mrj I)onne came by the Murray, experien&j ing the agreeable accompaniments of) the north-west gale, which, I hear, bMJ so much further encroached upon tbej shores at Westport. By the time thin

reaches you, probably Mr Franklyn I w ill have arrived, and Mr Baigent is j s hortly expected from the North Island, to complete the compliment. So far, any proceedings in the Council have been so much "nibbling."' The time for " biting" has not yet come. Eegarding the West Coast, there have been a few motions passed, and the intention of moving otherß has been intimated. Mr Gibbs moved two —first, a motion for a return showing the number and causes of accidents at the Brunner coal-mine, and the cost and condition of the coke ovens there; second, for a return of publicans' licenses issued under the Goldfields Licensing Act. Mr O'Conor has given notice of three motions or questions one as to Hawk's Crag, another as to the Mount Rochfort coalfield, and third on some subject I at present forget. On the grounds of deficiency of information and dissatisfaction, he also moved, " That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to furnish this Council with a return, showing the cost of maintaining the prisoners in the various gaols on the South-west Goldfields, and also the amount of work done by them during the pa3t year," which was carried. Mr Reid has given notice of three questions—one as to a road to the Lyell reef, another as to a bridge or punt across the Buller at the conflux of the Lyell, and a third as to the purchase of Jones's bridge at the Orawaiti. Of course tbe questions are only preliminary to propositions on each subject, should satisfactory answers not be received from the Government. The only division which has taken place has been on a small matter introduced by Mr Luckie nther prematurely for its favorable reception—a bonus upon the introduction of one of Thomson's roadsteamers. It was lost by 9to 6. Mr Mackley and Mr O'Conor voted against it; Mr Reid for it. Probably he had seen enough at the Upper Buller to make him favor any project for cheap conveyance even from Nelson, when it is from Nelson only that supplies can possibly come. Various very lengthy and elaborate reports relating to West Coast matters have been laid on the table. Messrs Eynnersley, Giles, Broad, Lowe, Whitefoord, and Turnell (Collingwood) contribute, as Wardens, some hundreds of pages. Tour Harbor Master, Capt. Leech, sends some sixteen stiff pages on his department. And the Provincial Engineer has his general report, and a special one on the sea encroachments a,t Westport. Probably they will all, or most of them, be printed, but I may be able to let you have resumes of them by next steamer, with abstracts of such returns as are printed and are interesting. The plan of making only four days in the week, which is the rule for the present, seems not to suit the temper of the West Coast members, who are as yet new to those seductive amenities of Nelson which, before the session is over, may induce them to wish it prolonged. It, indeed, appears ridiculous to separate on mid-day on Friday, to meet again only in the evening of Tuesday, but this is not likely to continue beyond, this week which, to a new Council, has necessarily been more one of introduction and icebreaking than of actual business or of hotdebate. It has also to be remembered that alarge amount of work has to be done in committee, and the delay is thus more apparent than it is real.