PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 252, 20 December 1873, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

WrDNEvn\T, I) ICKUBI.It 17. ' Mr Dargaville raove<l that the following address be presented to his Honor the Snpeimtendent, in reply to his Honor's sjirecli. " We, the members of the Fiovincial Council of the province of Auckland, thank j onr Honoe for the speecli with which yon Lave opened tins the 29th 9o«sio» of the Council. We nseure your Honor that uc -v\ ill give- our bost consideration, to the mutters referred to in your speech, awl we trust that our deliberations will .result in m ensures conduaivr to tha prosperity and goodgovernment of tlip piovince." Mr W. A. Graham seconded, and referred particularly to the purchase 06 native lands and the Wailato railway. I Mr Header Wood thought il a mistake to have appointed so many gentlemen a.i an Executive, as there was no intentivn of having part) acti< n. He thougLt that hia Honor should hr.ye given them more information about immigration. jffeMvanted to know in whose hands were the Onehungn. railway. Mr Sheeh\n said Iheie was an immense amount of work to b* done in the way of opening the- country for settlement It was not beoauisa they had not previously availed themselves of the provisions of the Public Worki and Immigration Act, and otherwise exerted themselves, they ndmilt^ remain i«Wo for ever. There was also a great deal to be done va connection witk the purchase of nativo lauds to which purpose a quarter of a million had been, d« voted. The work of the Province to be properly done required si full Executive. He had already explained 1 Ihe terma oft which the province- had taken over the management of imniigralion, and he belieised that unless the Government lro»l acjepted the management,, tho province would not bare had justice done to it. Tins wai admitted bv the Press, and eit'isM ihoGem»ij] Government itself. The Council was now j!»Led to prov.icfe suitable land on which 60 place the immigrants, so that they might become good, settlers He trusted that when the Council re-assembled the Government would be able to hold out an ascertained certaiuty of there being good wook done during the ensuing year in the est ibluhmrut of special settlements north and south of JAucltland. The Government propose to do away with a number of the small Road Board di-tncts and form larger districts with increased powers, and with tlie view to construct trunk ronds Tt was alto proposed to make the boundaries of the districts co-terminus with the Provincial Electoral districts, ntvl to make the member for the district an ei-offioio member of the Highway Board, so that he could see its business translated and become an authoritative ebflDnel of information to the Council. Mr Hurst nnd Mr Boylnn addressed, the Council, after tvhich the motion was put and carried, Nothing further of any interest to settlers in this distict occurred.

Thursday. Mr Carleton ouked the- Provincial Secretary whether it is the intention of the Government to amend section 42 of the Highways Act, 1871, Ampndment \ct, 1871 ? Mr Sheehsm said he would submit the question to legal opinion. Mr Byron asked whether the Government were prepared to ad-vise the Superintendent to carry out the provisions of the Highway Boards Non.Pa}'ment of Hates Act, 1870, and if not, why not ? The question was of considerable importance. He believed there were a great many.applicntions made under that Act. Mr Sheehan laid Hie present Act, though »ot absolutely unworkable wasio cumbious that it would be almost irapossibl« to put it in force with anything like good results. There w«re also finamial difliculties in the way. It would be necessary, if the Act were put in force, to have the power of transmitting base metal into.cold. Mr Kelly moved, " That a raspectlul address be pr«sentsd to hi* Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to make ai rangeuients with the General Government for the purchase of blocks of land in the Bay of Plenty district suitable for special settlement on deferred payments." He said that there were a grent many young men who would be prepared to settle upon suitable land. Blocks of land, say 20,000 acres, might be purchased cheap. It would be desirable that some person should be sent to England who would select suitable persons to settle upon it. Mr Sheehan said that a uniform plan of settlement North and South was not practicable, in certain special settlements wore to be madt? under the nntliority of the General GoTernment. Motion ngreed to.