NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 816, 23 May 1871, Page 2

NELSON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Tuesday, Mat 9. The Provincial Secretary in reply to Mr. Eutherford explained the distribution of the £4BOO granted by the General Government for Eoad Boards. The money is to be chiefly, expended in improving the communication between the settled districts of Nelson and the goldfields; £I2OO is to be applied to a tra«k from Flora's Creek to the Kaiamea Bend; £3OOO will be allowed to the Upper Motueka Eoad Board, of which £2OOO is to be expended in improving the horse track from the Hope towards the Lyell, and £IOOO for improving the Wangapeka road. The remaining £6OO is- to be expended on opening up a road between Nelson and Marlborough, via the Bai Valley. The Dog Bill, providing that the tax on dogs shall be reduced from 10s. to ss. a year, passed without alterations. The other business of the Council was formal, and several committees met in the evening. On Wednesday, the Executive Bill was read a second and third time without opposition. On Thursday, Mr. Eeid moved, " That his Honour the Superintendent be respectfully requested to cause special enquiry to be made, by commission or otherwise, as to the circumstances under which the town sections of "Westport were occupied or sold; as to the suitableness of the site for a township, and as to the steps which it is recommendable to adopt, if any are necessary, for the preservation of public and private property." He argued that the land sold had been bought by people on the faith of the Government survey being accurate, when, in reality, no township ought ever to have been placed where the site would be swallowed by the sea. £4OOO to £SOOO had been spent in protecting the banks of the river, and making a sandspit, which was now running out to sea. He maintained that Government should never have sold the land; it was a sandy beach, and he suggested that some allowance should be made by which other lands or scrip for other land should be allowed to the sufferers. Mr. O'Conor seconded the motion.

Mr. Donne said that the people had invested money in the township, which had been laid out on land thrown up by the sea, and was now returning to it. No skilful surveyor could have failed to see the danger from the sea. The site was utterly worthless, as had been proved, and he feared that next year the sea encroachments would do far greater damage. The motion was passed. Mr. Q-ibbs moved, " That the time for claiming the bonus recommended in the report of the Select Committee on the Buller and other coalfields, adopted by this Council on the 25th July, 1867, be extended to the Ist January, 1872." * Mr Tarrant seconded the motion. Mr Luckie moved that the time be extended to Ist July, so that the Council should at its next meeting, still have control of the bonus resolutions, and give the hard-working company at Collingwood, the fullest advantages they could afford. (Hear, bear.) The amendment was adopted, and the motion, so amended, passed. The Dog Bill was read a third time and passed. A motion by Mr Macmahon, providing for the extension of the line of Telegraph to Motueka, was agreed to. The subject of Departmental Expenditure was taken up by Mr Wastnoy,

who moved that his Honour be requested to effect reductions in depart* mental expenditure to the amount of at least 15 per cent, on the total amomt" Mr Gibbs seconded the motion. Mr O'Conor moved the omission of the words in italics, but the motion was rejected on the voices. On a division, the motion was lost by a majority of 12 to 6. Ayes, 6: Messrs Baigent,Macmahon, Wastney, Gibbs, O'Couor, and Wilkie. Noes, 12 : Messrs Reid, Rutherford, Mackley, Tarrant, Luckic, Donne, F. Kelling, C. Kelling, Collins, the Pro. vincial Treasurer, Provincial Secretary, and Provincial Solicitor. The Council then went into Committee on the Estimates, and the various items under the heads " Superintendent and Executive" were passed, except that for " Goldfields' Representative, £500," which was struck out on the motion of the Provincial Treasurer, the total sum being £2llO. The other items of " Land and Public Works, £4762}'' " Justice, £3766 ;" " Gaols, £2902;" "Police, £7378;" ••Harbours, £2353," were passed without dis. cussion, except some talk which took place on some of the items under the head " Police." But they were unaltered, except the item " Constable, Motueka Valley, whose pay was raised from £35 to £SO. The Couneil then resumed, and soon after adjourned. On Friday the Council met at 11 o'clock, and proceeded with the Esti. mates. The following items were passed:—" Scßb Act £725 " ; " Westport Hosptal, ,£9OO "; " Charleston and Brighton Hospital, £750 " ; and " Grey Hospitals £IOOO. Other items were passed down to printing, the only votes altered being that for Nelson College Scholarships, £l2O, which, on the motion of Mr Wastney, was increased to £l6O, and that for Education, £7OOO, was increased to £7200. The Council resumed on Monday, May 15th, when Mr Wilkie moved, " That his Honour the Superintendent be respectfully requested to withdraw the township of the Ahaura from the Goldfields, and offer the same for sale."

Mr Donne warmly seconded the motion, arguing in favor of the pioneers of the country to obtain the benefits of their labour. A discussion ensued, in which arguments on both sides were employed, one being that the sale of these sites frequently led to great speculation, in which the Province lost the advantages to which some of the speakers deemed the Provincial funds were entitled. There was a petition in favour of Mr Wilkie's proposition, and another against it from the inhabitants of the township. On the motion of Mr O'Conor, the debate was adjourned till Thursday. After a proposal by Mr Gibbs to divide the Upper Motueka Valley Road Board into two Eoad Board districts, which was allowed to lapse, the prevous question being carried, Mr O'Conor moved, "That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to furnish this Council with such returns as will show the manner in which the £7OO, voted last session for the purpose of subsidising the Charleston Ee3ervoir Company, has been disposed of, and what are the reductions effected upon the price of water to the miners, in consideration of said subsidy having been received by the company, in accordance with the recommendation of the Select Committee of last session on water supply." Mr Donne seconded the motion, setting forth that there was a good deal of misapprehension, and even of misrepresentation, on the subject, which the production of the return moved for would dispel. On the motion of Mr O'Conor, the petition of the "Westport Volunteer Fire Brigade was referred to the Petitions Committee, and the Council adjourned to allow of going into the business of Select Committees.

On Tuesday, May 16, Government business took precedence of all the notices of motion, and the Council immediately went into Committee on the Estimates. The item " Introduction of Useful Animals, £100," was postponed, in order to obtain from the Secretary of the Acclimatisation Society a statement of the accounts for the past three years ; and upon the following item " Volunteer Fire Brigade, Net* son, £50," being read, Mr Lucfcie proposed that it should be raised to £IOO, and hereupon ensued a lengthy discussion, the principal opponent to the increase being Mr O'Conor, who objected to the increase on the ground that the Nelson people, with all their advantages of water Bupply and insurance, did nothing to support tbeir Brigade, but left it entirely to Government aid or charity- He offered to withdraw all opposition if the vote were made to meet equivalent subscriptions. The figures £SO werestruck out on the easting vote of the Chairman, whereupon Mr O'Conor moved that £55 be voted, which, on a division, was adopted, again by the casting vote of the Chairman. The votes to the Fire Brigades at Westport and Charleston, were on the respective motions of Mr O'Conor and Mr Donne, increased from £25 to £SO each, no opposition being offered to the proposal. On the motion of Mr Tarrant, Bee- j onded by Mr Macmahou, £l5O was j voted to Farmers' Clubs, being an addition of £SO. On the motion of tho Provincial Secretary tho item "Government

"Wharf, £2OOO " was, after a short discussion increased to £3OOO. The item, "Road to Quarantine gruuud, £50," was, on 1 lie motion of |lr Luckie, increased to £IOO. The puro for " Protection of River Banks," W aß increased from £IOO to £l5O. jfr Luckie proposed an increase of £2OO in the item, " Haven iioad and \Vaimea Road, £300," payable to the Nelson Board of Works ; pointing out the large amount of assessment, and tlie cost of t'iese particular roads with the works there made and in procress; but the proposal was so strongly opposed by country numbers that it W as withdrawn. On the motion of Mr Rutherford the item for " Cemeteries" was increased from £IOO to £l5O.

The Committee having arrived at votes for " Road Boards," the Council resumed. The adjourned debate on Mr Baieent's motion was resumed. The motion, which was agreed to, was as follows: —" That his Honour the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £3OO, for making and reparing the road from Waimea "West to Dovedale, the said sum pein<» voted by this Council last session but not expended." The Council resumed the adjourned debate on Mr O' Conor's motion, f That his Honour the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place upon the Supplementary Estimates the sum of £1,500, for the purpose of making a towing track up the Buller rirer from Westport. The motion was agreed to and the Council adjourned. On Wednesday, resolutions for placing sums on the Supplementary Estimates, were agreed to as follow: £SO for the use of the Nelson Agricultural Association to meet equivalent subscriptions, on the motion of Mr P. Kelling; £SOO for the road form Waimea West to Houtere, on the motion of Mr C. Kelling; £IOO for the trunk line of road between the township of Wairau and the Conway Biver, and £IOO for the road through the Four Mile Bush at the head of Lake Sumner, Amuri, on the motion of Mr Rutherford. The " Highway Bill" for promoting the safety of persons travelling on public roads was introduced by Mr Wastney and read the first time.

Prior to the Council rising, Mr Donne said he wished to bring forward a question ot privilege referring to a matter affecting his own personal honour which lie could not allow to pass unnoticed. He alluded to a report which had appeared in the " Westport Times" of the debate on the Executive Bill in which Mr O'Conor was stated to have spoken as follows :—'• It would be remembered that last session a vote of £2OOO was passed which was to be expended on a road between Westport and Charleston with the understanding that this expenditure should not be incurred unless the actual revenue exceeded the estimated revenue. But notwithstanding that many road works of great importance were untouched or unfinished in several districts, this road, useful only for *ocial purposes, was commenced. And that on the eve of a general election at which Mr Donne was a candidate. Placards were affixed in localities likely to favour the undertaking to this effect: —' If you wish the road made between Addison's and Charleston, vote for Donne.'" He (Mr Donne) distinctly asserted that no such words had ever been uttered by Mr O'Conor in that Chamber or he should have felt bound to reply to them. He asked the Council to say whether such words had ever been used in that Chamber by Mr O'Conor, and in order to obtain a reply from them he would move " That the matter purporting to be a report of the speech of the member for Westport, Mr O'Conor, printed in the " Westport Times" of the ilth is incorrect, and therefore contains statements reflecting on the member for Charleston which were not made in this Council either by Mr O'Conor or any other member."

Mr O'Conor said as this matter was personal to himself he wished to say that he was able to prove every assertion made in that report, but with regard to that portion of it referring to the placards he was doubtful whether he had actually said it. He had spoken at the time at some length, and certainly had a reference to the placards in his notes, which he had afterwards sent to the editor of the "Westport Times" from which to report his speech. This was one of those errors that arise in an ordinary ■way, and he was free to acknowledge that the report was wrong so far as concerned this particular item, and he would move an amendment to the resolution stating that such was the case. At the same time he wished to be clearly understood. He admitted that the report as published was incorrect so far as the reference to the placards was concerned, but in every other particular he asserted that it was strictly and accurately correct. He would move as an amendment the insertion of the following words after the word " incorrect" : "So far as refers to the mention of cer«uu placards." Mr Wilkie seconded the amendment.

Mr Reid thought Mr Donne might accept this amendment although he had had just cause of complaint in this instance and was quite right in saying Nat it was a matter that could not be overlooked. This might serve as a lesson to the rr>por'-r for the West*oiit Times, and mit;ht also bo accepts as such by other sections of the r wsa not far from JSclaon which oc-

casionally added the auppressio ve-ri to the suggestio falsi. Mr Luckie concurred with Mr Reid. The amended resolution was then put and carried, and the Council adjourned.