NELSON.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 683, 12 July 1870, Page 2

NELSON.

PROCEEDINGS IN THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. (FEOM OlTIt OWN COBEESPONDENT.) June 30. The Provincial Council. has closed its session—a long, wearisome, and seemingly fruitless session, but not so absolutely destitute of good fruits as the outside cynic, and the inside sinner, would lead people to believe. The work of the session has, no doubt, in some particulars, been more meretricious than meritorious, but commend me to some of the incidents as exhibiting the existence of a high and healthy spirit on the part of some of our probably incipient public men. Commend me to other, and probably purely accidental circumstances, as exhibiting " frightful examples " of what it is desirable incipient politicians should avoid. Commend me, as your correspondent, not to moralise on these subjects at present, but restrict myself to telling a plain unvarnished tale of t!ie closing proceedings, leaving the said tale to be adorued, and its moral to be pointed, by those of your West Coast members who may be speedily expected to rush into speech or print. And your correspondent, as in duty bound, hereby begins to do as you commend. The mixed report whicb was last seut to you brought up the record of proceedings to Monday, June 13. On Tuesday much was dune in debating and in increa ing |items of road expenditure in this, the well-favored side of the country, and little was done in relation to matters of West Coast interest. Acting upon some statement by Mr Wilkie, Mr Gibbs had put a motion on the notice-paper about the propriety of police acting as bailiffs without fees, but it was withdrawn in consideration of the matter not being quite a legislative one, and of the fact that a Select Committee was inquiring into Mr Wilkie's charges against the West Coast pom?© generally. On the motion of Mr Donne, a Select Committee, consisting of the Speaker, the Provincial Secretary, Mr llsid, Mr Tarrant, and the mover, was appointed to consider memorials from Addison's Flat and Charleston with regard to the formation of a road between these two places. The memorials, were something magnificent in size, and in the number of names they bore; and, when first produced, were mistaken by the uninformed, or by Mr Donne's dearest friends as being, probably, requisitions to him from the electors of Westlaud North; but requisitions of that sort, do not always i-ome so spontaneously.

GOLDFIELDS' LICENSING BILL. On Wednesday evening the Provincial Solicitor moved the second reading of the Bill for the amendment of the Goldfields Licensing Act. This Bill had been initiated by a motion of Mr O'Conor at an early stage of the session, and was understood to have been drawn up, in partial compliance with the report of a Select Committee, of which I believe he was an active member, but, on this evening, and on the evening following, when the Bill was committed, he was somewhat conspicious by his absence. On Tuesday, when the second reading was proposed, Mr Donne said he entertained doubts whether it wouid be possible to lick this bill into sba.ie in committee; but in the ope that that might be possible, he would support the second reading. The bill had been prepared on the recommendations contained in a report of a select committee, but the opinions expressed in committee were exceedingly various. He objected to the wholesale and bottle licenses, on the ground that the former was not in existence in other parts of the* Province, and that the latter was also objectionable. The bill also ignored the recommendation of the committee that licenses should not be issued to single women, except under special circumstances —a recommendation which was intended to be prospective in its action. On a division, by a majority of 6 to 5, the Bill was read a second time. Next evening, when the Council went into Committee, the Bill was not proceeded with further than the second clause. The clause was to this effect: —" Licenses issued under this Act shall be classified under four heads, aamely, Ordinary Licenses, Accommodation Licenses, Bottle Licenses, and Wholesale Licenses."

Mr Donne proposed the substitution of the word " two" for " four," and the omission of the words "Bottle Licenses" and " Wholesale Licenses." He repeated his reasons for the proposed omissions. The wholesale license, so long as it was not applicable to the whole Province, was simply an instance of class legislation, and, with regard to the bottle license, he thought the storekeepers ou the goldfields were already sufficiently burdened without having to pay £2O a year for such a license ; unless the Act gave them the power of recovering, by suit iu the Resident Magistrate's Court, the value of liquor sold under the provisions of that license. The result of the Bill, if passed as proposed, would be that, in a majority of instances storekeepers would have to pay a total of £3O, namely £lO for the wholesale license, and £2O for a bottle license, besides the £1 already paid to the General Government. Mr Heid said he was in a difficulty as to how to vote with regard to these proposed licenses, seeing that not a single word had been said as to why these licenses should be issued, or aa to

how they were to be applied. He could see no alternative under the Bill but for the majority of storekeepers on the Coast to pay for licenses to the amount of £3O, and, as each publican also paid £3O, there would be an aggregate of £OO to be paid in licenses, in addition to the duty on wines and spirits. The amendment proposed by Mr Donne was carried. The Provincial Secretary suggested that, as these two licenses were struck out it would be better to leave the existing Act in force. He preferred the existing Act. Mr Donne replied that, apart from these proposed licenses, there were some merits in the new Bill which justified it being parsed, with amendments. Mr lleid feared that it was a hasty .and crude piece of legislation altogether, and he suggested that, if withdrawn, copies of it should be forwarded to Resident Magistrates and Justices of the Peace on the Goldfields, with a view to an expression of opinion as to its propriety and practicability. Mr Donne said it was for the Council, and not for judicial officers, to legislate on the matter. Mr Reid said that both the revenue and the interests of a certain class of J trades had to be protected. They were not to sacrifice legitimate revenue for the interests of a trade, nor to sacrifice the legitimate interests of a trade for revenue. Whatever opinion might be given by judicial authorities the Council was always there to represent and protect the popular interests. The Provincial Secretary agreed with some of the suggestions made; and he proposed that the Chairman should leave the chair. The motion was agreed to —which was equivalent to quashing the Bill. THE ERUNNER COAL-MINE. On Wednesday evening, Mr Wilkie moved " That his Honor the Superintendent be lequested to furnish this Council with a return showing the expenditure in salaries and of other disbursements in the Brunner Coal-mine during the past year." He animadverted strongly upon the extravagant cost and extraordinary mismanage ment of the mine, attributing deaths of miuers to Dent's carelessness. The Provincial Secretary, in reply, hoped a committee would be appointed, and said he would insist upon a full inquiry. A committee was subsequently appointed.

WEST COAST PUBLIC WORKS. In Committee of Supply, on Wednesday, the various items for "West Coast public works were disposed of. As originally placed on the Estimates, the proposed Buller Valley works were to cost £3,500, and those in the Grey Valley £O,OOO, but to the former the purchase of the Orawaiti Bridge was added, along with the item " Protective Works and Wharf, £2,500," which had stood as a separate item. This made the sum for the Buller Valley £7,000, and the sum for the Grey Valley, at first very liberal, and chiefly for prospective works, was made £9,350. The following are the items agreed to:— Buller Valley—Road to Lyell, including rocky side-cutting round Ohika Hill, £800; road to' Northern Terraces, repairs and purchase of Oro. waiti Bridge, £1,200; Inangabua Road improvement, £100; road up Lyell Creek, £3OO ; punt and cuttiugs above Lyell, £300; bridge over New! on River, £2OO ; road up Maruia —horse road extension, £300; road up Matakitaki, repairs, &c, £300; North and .South Buller Roads above Lyell, £1,000; protective works and wharf, £2,500; Total, £7,000. Grey Valley—road from Mathews's to Napoleon's, 8.C., £1,400; road, Ahaura Township to Arahura Plain, E.C., £350; Totara Flat to Ahaura Road, E.C., £350; from Totara Fiat, up Duffer's Creek to Noble's, £300; road, Notown to Twelve-mile, horseroad, £1,500; track to Moonlight, £3OO ; road over Little Grey Saddle, £500; road Napoleon's to Upper Grey, £500; horse-road up Nelson Creek, £BOO ; Amuri Road, Ten-mile Bush, improvements, £500; Cobden Wharf, £2000; general maintenance and repairs of roads, &c, £Bso; Total, £9350. Coast roads, including Nile Bridge, £1,500; streets and local improvements, £400; branch roads to new diggings, and exploring tracks, £I,OOO ; harbors, signal stations, and removal of snags, £BOO ; buildings, £1,500 ; cemeteries, £SOO ; Charleston Reservoir, £700; road from Charleston to Westport via Addison's Flat, £2,000. This last mentioned item was put upon the Estimates upon the motion of Mr Donne, and in compliance with the report of the Select Committee appointed to consider the memorials to which I referred, which memorials had been sent to the Superintendent, and were by him transmitted to the Council. The item was not agreed to without some discussion ; but for it, and for the item "Charleston Reservoir, £700," Mr Donne was a persistent advocate, contending that his district had not received that consideration to which it was entitled.

lUCKEASED KEPBESENTATION. On Thursday, in compliance with a report of a Committee which had been brought up by him in various shapes, but which had been postponed in consequence of informality, Mr o'Com>r moved, "That in order to place the electoral rights of the different dis-

tricts, in this Province upon a just and equitable footing, the district of Collinywood, and the South-west Goldfields, should have (each) one additional representative in this Council." There was again a good deal of arguing as to the wording of this motion; and an attempt to amend and improve it was made by Mr Luckie, who after the word " footing " proposed to substitute the words, " another member should be added to the district of Grolden Bay, and also another member be given to the South-west G-oidfields." The discussion revealed that the Council was in no humor, at that stage, to alter the Representation Act of the previous year, and Mr . Luekie's amendment was lost. This was equivalent to the motion being lost. Mr Reid tried to get a fresh amendment introduced, but this was contrary to order in these things, and he gave notice of it for ihe following evening, when it was carried. It was to the following effect : —" That, to secure equitable representation of the South-west Groldfields in this Council, it is desirable that the inhabitants of the Lyell, Maruia, Matakitaki, and Upper Buller Districts should, on the occasion of any future election of members for the electoral districts of the Buller, be afforded an opportunity of recording their votes, by the establishment of polling places at or near the townships of Hampden and Lyell." He explained that experience had shown that, except in one instance—that of Donne—West I Coast members of Council were quite as shifting as the West Coast population were declared to be, and, in the absence of a re-adjustment of the representation, this would meet the fair complaints of the Upper Buller people that they were literally disfranchised. In the first discussion on this subject, Mr Donne, as usual, made a stand for Charleston and Brighton as the districts deserving increased representation, if it were granted, and he deprecated the manner in which he considered Mr O'Conor had, "as usual," brought up the report of a Committee, and thereby jeopardised the success of what might have otherwise been carried.

AID TO PROSPECTINO. There had been appointed a Committee to consider this subject, and they had reported, after several " differences " as to the report being received or adopted, in consequence of informalities the perpetration or paternity of which was due, it was said, to the chairman, Mr O'Conor. Ultimately Mr O'Conor brought up as a motion one of the suggestions of the Committee, thus modified: —" That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £SOO, such sum to be at the disposal of the Government; for the purpose of assisting approved local prospecting committees." Mr Donne objected to the invidious and irregular course taken of bringing up one item only of a report which contained several cognate resolutions. Mr Reid also thought the motion was irregular, while he approved of its spirit and intention. A discussion ensued about the aiding of prospecting parties, in the course of which Mr O'Conor was once again called to order for " very offensive language." The Council then divided. Axes, —6 ; Provincial Solicitor, Provincial Secretary, Messrs O'Conor, Gibbs, Tarrant, and Macmahon. Noes—6; Messers F. Kelling, C. Kelling, Luckie, Wilkie, Baigent, and Wastney. The Speaker voted with the ayes, and the motion was only carried by his casting vote. THE TEREMAKAU DISTRICT. On the motion of Mr Reid, who read the telegrams and memoranda transmitted by the Mayor of Grey mouth as to the anuexatiju of the Teremakau district, the Council went into committee to consider the subject. In committee it was considered that there was such a balance of advantages and disadvantages, that inquiry by a commission or otherwise was most necessary, and the following motion, proposed by Mr Shephard, was agreed to : —" That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place on the Appropriation Bill the sum of £l5O, for the purpose of collecting information relating to the proposed annexation of that portion of the County of Westland situated north of the Teremakau." WASTE LANDS ACT. —PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. On Friday the Council went into committee on the resolutions relating to the Waste Lands Act, submitted by the Provincial Solicitor, and formallv moved by Mr Shephard. Mr Reid, in committee, proposed an amendment upon the submitted amendment to clause 70 of the Act, his amendment empowering the Waste Lands Board to grant annual protection licenses at the rate of £1 per acre for auriferous ground outside of a declared goldfield, the area to be limited to one acre in the case of alluvial ground, and sixteen acres of quartz reef country. The amendment had been drawn up iu conjunction with Mr Donne, and had been based upon an amendment introduced by Mr Gibbs. It was explained that the one acre was equivalent to a treble or prospecting claim under the Goldfields Act, and the sixteen acres were equivalent to the maximum of a quartz-reef claim under the same Act. 1 here was a long discussion, which was concluded by the appointment of a sub-committee, consisting of the Provincial Secretary, Mr Shephard, Mr Donne, and Mr Reid, to draw up full resolutions on the subject; and on a subsequent evening the Provincial

Secretary brought up a series of resolutions, in conformity with the Committee's wishes. These resolutions proposed to empower the Waste Lands Board, on receipt of a fee of £5, to lease to any discoverer, for a rent of £2 per acre, and for a term of fifteen years, one acre of alluvial ground and 165 acres of quartz-reef outside of goldfields, until the Groldfields Act may be brought into force. The resolutions were agreed to, and to a clause relating to timber licenses, which had already been agreed to, the following was added, on the motion of Mr Donne : " Provided that it shall not be necessary to issue timber licenses in cases of miners mining for gold within a proclaimed goldfield." Had the clause been allowed to stand as it had been passed, the Waste Lands Board would have had the power to enforce the payment of timber licenses upon the individual digger. FIBE BRIGADES. Mr Donne moved, " That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place the sum of £75 upon the Supplementary Estimates for the Charleston Fire Brigade." Mr Reid seconded the motion, which was agreed to. Mr O'Conor moved, "That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place the sum of £SO upon the Supplementary Estimates, to assist the Westport Fire Brigade." This motion was also agreed to.