NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 810, 9 May 1871, Page 2

NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

FittDAY, April 29. CHAIRMAN of committees. ' Mr Donne re-opened the motion, that the Council proceed to elect a Chairman of Committees, in terms of the Standing Orders. Mr Gibbs referred to a statement industriously circulated bv an exmember of the Council, Mr Dreyer, to the effect that the Executive were going to make him (Mr Gibbs) Chairman of Committees, at a salary of £IOO per annum. If it was the wish of the Council that he should perform the duties of Chairman of Committees, he should certainly decline to receive any salary, and he should oppose most strenuously any proposition for attachiug a salary to the office. On the motion or Mr Collins, Mr Gibbs was elected Chairman of Committees. Monday, May 1. telegraph to the ahaura. Mr Donne moved, " That His Honor tho Superintendent be requested to make arrangements with the General Government for an extension of the line of electric telegraph from Greymouth to the Ahaura." Mr Mackley seconded the motion. The motion was agreed to without a division, TELEGRAPH TO MOTUEKA. The Provincial Treasurer moved, " That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to make arrangements with the General Government for the extension of the line of telegraph from Nelson, via the proposed Fox Hill railway, so far as Eichmond, and thence to Motueka, subject to the construction of the said railway." Mr Luckie seconded the motion, whicb was opposed by Mr Gibbs. It was subsequently agreed to without a division. STATE OP WAIROA BRTDOE. The Provincial Secretary, in reply to Mr Baigent, stated that the necessary repairs to the bridge should be undertaken. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. Mr Wnstney, in the absence of Mr Macmabon, moved, " That this Council is of opinion that it is undesirable to attach a salary to the office of Chairman of Committees, either at present or hereafter." Mr Gibbs seconded the motion, but expressed an objection to the last word

in the motion, because it professed to bind future Councils, which was a thing that was irregular and unconstitutional. Mr Eeid made a similar objection to the motion, and proposed the adjournment of the debate until tomorrow, which was agreed to. Tuesday, May 2. CHAIRMAN OP COMMITTEES. The adjourned debato on the motion of Mr Macruahon, " That this Council is of opinion that it is undesirable to attach a salary to the office of Chairman of Committees, eitlter at present or hereafter," was taken up by Mr Tarrant, who moved, " That the words in italics be struck out." This was done, and the motion so amended passed. RAILWAY TO THE BBUNNEK COAL-MINE. The Provincial Secretary moved, " That in the opinion of this Council it is highly desirable that the line of railway from Cobden to the Brunner Coal-mine should be constructed without delay." Mr Wilkie seconded the motion, which, after a short discussion, was agreed to. RAILWAY EROM NELSON TO EOX HILL. The Provincial Treasurer moved, " That in the opinion of this Council it is highly desirable that the line of railway from Nelson to Fox Hill, should bo constructed without delay." This, he said, was merely to be looked on as the first instalment of the line, which in some future years would connect Nelson with the West Coast. It would open the country and settle it, and bring English capitalists into the country. A railway to Fox Hill would practically bring the country round about that district as near to the port of Nelson as Stoke was at the present moment. The produce would be brought nearer a market ; and the mining and settled population would be more cheaply and easily supplied, while the railway itself would make traffic. The rent ot the Waimea toll-gate was nearly £7OO a-ycar. Making allowance for Collector's profit and leakage, it might be said, roundly, that about £IOOO was taken in tolls. This showed a considerable traffic, and would ie present at least £SOOO of railway traffic; while with a railway both goods and passenger traffic would largely increase. Alter narrating various facts and figures, and the stoppage of this scheme in the Upper House last year, on the proposal of Mr Robinson, of the Amuri, Mr Shephard again read the resolution. Mr Wastney seconded the motion. The railway would do a great deal of good to the Province. Mr Kelling supported it, referring to the interest he had taken in this matter nine years ago. Mr Rutherford said he rose to oppose the motion. The proposed Fox Hill railway was part and parcel of the Vogel scheme, ostensibly the key-stone of that scheme is the peopling of the country. A railway to Fox Hill would open-up no new country; the country beyond Fox Hill being about the most miserable he had ever seen in his life—too poor even to grow Scotch thistles. There was no traffic on the Fox Hill road to support a railway. He believed the whole twelve months' produce of the Waimeas might be conveyed to Nelson in one trip by rail. With regard to peopling the country, he thought he might divide the proposed immigrants into two classes : —Those who were essentially working men, and those who were capitalists. Respecting the settlement of poor people in the Province he thought they had but to look round the outskirts of this settlement to see what a miserable failure that had been so far. There they would see miserable little tenements with scarcely an attempt at cultivation, the land being of the most sterile description. These peopel eked out an existence by working on the adjacent goldfields. Peopling the country was all " rot"; there were far too many people here at present. Of the other class capitalists Nelson people have a pious horror. Personally, he thought them a very valuable class. It was true that most of them had an unhappy knack of getting into financial difficulties, but they spent a deal of money here. This class was becoming unhappily very rare. As colonists they were unlimited failures. How often had they seen men come to this Colony yea, to this Province—in scores, he might truthfully say in hundreds, men possessed of capital: men possessed of high educational attainments: men possessed of ability: men possessed, one would imagine, of every requisite for forming successful colonists: men who know how to physic a horse, and can tell you all about the lost books of Livy ? Yet how general was it to find these men reduced, after fifteen or twenty years' abject poverty, or, at any rate, to politics for a living; but when these men entered the political arena how glibly they could talk about settling the people on the land, apparently utterly oblivious of the fact that they themselves were living illustrations of the fallacy of the doctrine which they were endeavouring to inculcate. He ridiculed the idea of a railway to Fox Hill. The expenditure of some money in the neighbourhood of Nelson on the " sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" principle seemed to he the inducement to the Nelson people to support it. That was a miserable position to take up, and he would be no partv to it. Mr Reid, Mr Luckie, and Mr Baigent supported the motion. Mr Gibbs opposed the resolution, as ho could not bring himself to say that it was highly desirable that a line of railway should be commenced on a road on which the only daily coach that ran was frequently without more than one or two passengers. Mr Wilkie opposed the resolution, as there neither was now, nor was there likely to be, sufficient traffic to support it. Mr O'Conor also opposed the motion, as no good grounds beyond general arguments had been adduced. The motion was carried, on a division, by a majority of 13 to 5. Ayes, 13: Provincial Solicitor, Provincial Secretary, Provincial Treasurer, Messrs Donne, Luckie, F. Kelling, C. Kelling, Collins, Reid, Tair.int, and Macmahon. Noes, 5: Messrs Mackley, O'Conor, Wilkie, Gibbs, and Rutherford. THE ESTIMATES. The Provincial Treasurer moved, " That the Council resolve itself into Committee for consideration of the Estimates." Mr F. Kelling seconded the motion. Mr Gibbs moved, " That the consideration of the Estimates be delayed till Monday," which motion was negatived by 12 to 6. Mr Collins moved, " That they bo considered.on Thursday," to which MrShophard consented, and tho Council adopted tho proposal. Mr Tarrant moved, " That his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £3OO, for extending the dray road up the Motueka river to the Dove, and the sum of JE4OO for extending foe Orinoco dray road to Thorpe, the said sum having been voted by the Council last session, but not expended." Mr Macmahon seconded the resolution, which was agreed to.

Mr Wustney moved, " That the Estimates bo respectfully remitted back to the Executive for consideration, with a view to enablo them by reductions, allocation of offices, or otherwise, to effect a saving to at least 20 per cent, on the total amount. A discussion ensued, many members stating that they objected to the wording of the resolution, although, agreeing with the spirit of it. Opinions were also freely expressed that the salaries of Government officers should be rednced in proportion to the falling off that had taken place in the prices of produce, but it was thought that the debate on this question should be adjourned until the consideration of the Estimates, when.the matter referred towould be sure to crop up for discussion. Ultimately, Mr O'Conor moved the previous question, which was carried on the voices. MOUNT EOCHFOET COALFIELD. In reply to a question from Mr Eeid, the Provincial Secretary stated that the Government was not at present prepared to submit to the Council any proposal calculated to develop the resources of the Mount Rochfort Coalfield, or the construction of a railway from the coalfield to Westport. GOLDFIELDS LICENSING ACT. Mr Eeid asked the Provincial Solicitor, "Is it the intention of the Government to introduce during this Session of the Council a Bill to amend the existing ' Goldfields Licensing Act ?'" The Provincial Secretary replied in the negative, adding that a Bill on this subject was intended to be brought in by the General Government.