THE SUPERINTENDENT'S ADDRESS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 54, 9 May 1874, Page 8

THE SUPERINTENDENT'S ADDRESS.

The following ib the address of his Honor the Superintendent, on opening the thirty-third session of the Jfrovincul Council of the province of Otago, \pril 29, 1874. Mb Speaker and Gentlemen of the Provincial Council, It is unnecessary for me to address you at any great length upon the present occasion, or to anticipate the detailed affairs of the proviuce which will be conveyed to you by the various Departmental Reports to be laid oa the table, and the statements to be made by my responsible advisers when the Estimates are submitted. It must be gratifying to us all to know that the past year has been one of marked prosperity, and that throughout; the province generally the manifestations of progress have never been greater than ut present. The trade returns, both of exports and imports, exhibit a satisfactory increase, with the exception of gold, which shows a slight decrease upon the past year. This is to be accounted for from the circumstance that many of tne miners have availed themselves of tke high wages which have been, earne I upon the railway contracts. I'he immigration from the United Kingdom during the twelve months ending 31st March has amounted to 4407 ; while there have been born in the province during the same period 3108. The gross total of the consolidated revenues of the colouy collected iv Otago during the period in question amounts to £436,174, the whole of which, as you are aware, goes into th" Colonial Treasury. Out of this tne province has been credited with £30,550 as capitation allowance. The payments into the Provincial Treasury during tae year amounts to £451,425, whilst the expenditure has been £376,607. Tnere have beeu sold duriug the year 258,849 acres of agricultural

land, to 404 purchasers ; of town land the sales have amounted to 1625 acres to 596 purchasers ; of agricultural lease areas on gold-fields here have been granted 30,000 acres to 320 lessees. On perusiug the accounts for the past year, it will be seen that, with very few exceptions, the whole of the appropriations on the main Estimates towards public works have been either expended, or are now under contract. Most of the sums on the Supplementary Estimates have likewise been expended. The contract price of public works, owing to scarcity of labor, has in very many instances exceeded the vote i there was, however, no option but either to leave the works in abeyance or to sanction the excess. I may here observe that, in my opinion, the amount of labor and responsibility which now devolve upon the Public Works Department js much greater than we are warranted in imposing. I propoae, therefore, that the construction of railways, of which, it is to be hoped , we shall have not a few constantly in hand, be made a separate branch of the Department, and that provision be made accordiugly. Besides the Appropriation Bill and the few bills of a formal nature which will be submitted to you, there are several very important questions with which you will be called upon to deal. Of these, I would refer especially to the deepening of Dunedin harbor. Considerable attention has lately been bestowed upon this subject, and Bi'ndry professional reports thereon have been obtained. It has been suggested that the work of deepening the harbor should be undertaken by a trust, out of money t-> be borrowed on security of harbor dues and of the Provincial revenues. . The Government has been requested to introduce a Bill for the constitution of a trust. Before taking any action in the matter, it is deemed advisable to ascertain your views upon the subject. There can be no question as to the benefits which would accrue from the proposed work, and proposals will therefore be brought before you with the view of immediately proceeding with it, either through a Trust, or directly by the Grovernnient. While upon this subject, it may be observed that your resolution of last session, whereby it was proposed to reclaim 100 acres in Dunedin harbor as a harbor endowment, has not yet been acted upon, the limited supply of labor during the past year rendered it inexpedient to go on with the work. It is hoped, however, that labor may shortly De sufficiently plentiful to enable this reclamation to be prosecuted with advantage. Copies of correspondence between the Otago University Council and myself will lie submitted to you, from which it will be seen that, in the event of your consenting to the granting a suitable site on the old cemetery reserve, the present Uuiversity building might be disposed) of, and the proceeds applied to the erection of an edifice more suitable for "University purposes, within the walls of which ample provision might be made for the residence of both Professors and students. The complete success of the University depends very much upon such provision being mude, and I venture strongly to recommend the matter to your favorable consideration. Should you concur m this proposal, a Bill will be at once prepared to give effect thereto. "While upon this Bubject, I cannot refrain from expressing my l^gret that the Council and Professors have agreed to relinquish the powers and the status conferred upon the University by the Provincial Legislature, for the problematical advantage of being connected ■with the liniversity of JSevr Zealand. I can only hope that tbe result of the negotiations now pending between the two bodies may turn out better than may be anticipated. Last session you authorised the erection of a JTormal School for the training of teachers. The difficulty of procuring a suitable site has caused considerable delay in this matter. You will be glad to learn that this difficulty has been overcome, and that the building will be proceeded with at once. I need not say that much advantage may be anticipated to our educational system from having a regular supply of duly trained teachers, and ft;otn increased inspection. Notwithstanding the large sum voted last year for educationnl purposes, the amount has been found to be far 6hort of our daily increasing requirements ; and I am still of opinion that it would be a wise course to adopt my recommendation of last session, and to some extent, at least, to throw on posterity tbe burden of providing school accommodation, which is as much ior the future as for the present. An amount was voted last year towards a Geological Survey of the province, and you will no doubt be glad to learn that we have succeeded in engaging a gentleman who is eminently qualified to perform this service. Some time has necessarily been occupied at the outset on preliminary operations, but the systematic survey of the province is now being proceeded with. In connection with the G-eological Survey, Museum, and proposed School of Mines, you will be asked to vote a sum sufficient for the prection of a suitable building, the present accommodation in the University building being totally inadequate. I desire to solicit your assent to a vote which -will be submitted, with a view to providing for the province a Reformatory School, for the reception of children and young criminals, under proper deification, who cannot be admitted into the Industrial School without contaminating the inmates of thut institution, which as a rule consist more of neglected than criminal children. Considerable difiiculty has been experienced from the want of the means of separating the two classes. There is no portion of the public expenditure from wbich the province will reap a greater return than that devoted to the Industrial School, and I am not without hope that very shortly the institution will be to a largo esieuo sell-supporting. In pursuance of the provisions of the Southland Waste Lands Act Amendment Act, 1873, the land in the Southland district has been classified, under which classification the district comprides 204,211 acres, which may be acquired ai 40s. an acre, and 696,000 acres, which may be acquired at the rate of 20s. an acre. There is also power to set aside not exceeding 30,000 acres in any one year for sale on deferred payments, at 259 an acre. Out of the 204,211 acres of 40s. land, it is proposed to reserve from sale 102,800 ecres, with the view of same being dealt with on the principle of deferred payment.

Last session, on my recommendation, you agreed to request the Governor to proclaim four additional Hundreds, situate on certain runs. So soon ns the boundaries were defined by surrey, application was made to have the Hundreds proclaimed. I regret to say, however, that after the lapse of six months it was discovered that th» proposed ' Hundreds could not be proclaimed in consequence of the precise boundaries not having been defined, either in my recommendation or in your resolution. I need not say that it was impossible to have defined the boundaries more exactly than was done at the time ; as it is, the precise delineation will b 6 at once submitted for your approval, when it is hoped the proclamation will is3ue forthwith. The correspondence and opinions on this subject will be laid before you. Your concurrence will be solicited towards the proclamation of further Hundreds. The proposed new Hundreds, together with some 60,000 acres which it is hoped will be opened on deferred payment during the year, with the further addition of various agriculture! lease blocks throughout gold fields, will, it is expected, fully meet the demands of settlement for the time being. Last session a Bill was passed by the House of Representatives extending the area of land which may be taken in any one year on deferred payment from 30,000 to 100,000 acres. This Bill was not passed by the Legislative Council. It is proposed to renew the application next session, and also to provide that where there are more than one applicant for deferred-payment sections, the selection will bo submitted to auction. I would strougly urge upon your consideration the expediency of raising the price of land, as contemplated under the provisions of the Waste Land Act. I foel persuaded that such a Btep, while it would greatly curtail land speculation, would in nowise check bon&fide settlement. I submit that, with main roads and railroads penetrating the coun»y in all directions, land is better worth £5 an acre now than it was worth ss. when it was inaccessible. Certainly, if early settlers paid £2 an acre when there was not a road in the province, that figure cannot fairly be considered too high now. It appears to me that if future immigrants into the country, and those who will be from year to year gradually emerging from the labor mai'ket, as well as our children, are to have the opportunity of acquiring land, we are in duty bound to husband the public estate by raising the price, as has been done in the case of the Southland district, and, so as to assimilate our terms to those of the neighbouring province of Canterbury. Another question of vitul importance to which I would eolieit your attention is that of water rights on the gold fields ; a very 6erious conflict is impending between the mining and other iuterests in respect to this matter. The Executive Government has been appealed to, but does not see that it would be justified in allying itself with any one interest in the province as agaiust another. The whole question is ixceedingly enibarrasing, and I confess I can see no satisfactory solution of it unless by mutual compromise and concession on the part of the various interests concerned. If in your wisdom you can devise any means of meeting the difficulty, I shall be glad. The subject is one which can be dealt with authoritatively by the Colonial Legislature only, with whom your views would, no doubt, have considerable influence. The enormous demand for timber which hua of late years sprung up has attracted attention to the value of our forests, and to the importance of conserving and utilising them. The subject is at present engaging the attention of the Colonial Government, with a view to legislation by the Grencral Assembly. In the meantime the folly of free-granting the forests, containing as they do timber worth thousands of pounds au aero to be turned into caloric, has so forcibly presented itself to my mind that I have ' allowed the provisions of the Special Settlement Act to stand very much in abej ance, a course of action in which it is hoped you w I concur, the more especially as the number of those who have applied ! to take advantage of the Act has been almost nil. There can be no question that this province possesses in its forests a mine of wealth, the value of which it is difficult to estimate, a>id i which, as population increases, will no doubt be turned to profitable I account. Next to conserving our forests, perhaps the most important pr.blem to be solved at the present time is how best to deal with the auriferous lands of the Province. As you are aware, all lands, the freehold of which is now being acquired from the Crow», is liable to be resumed for mining purposes. The question which it behoves v seriously to consider, is — how is the gold ro be extracted without destroying for ever the surface of the soil, and without the footstep of the alluvial miner leaving desolaiiou behind it? No one who travels through the gold fields can l.elp being struck with the many fertile spots which have been rendered barren. _ , My own strong conviction is that the only practical remedy against the evil for tne future is, that the miner should possess the freehold of the land in which ho is mining. In this caoe he would have a strong inducement to preserve and replace the surface soil No doubt this suggestion is surrounded wilh practical difficulties. They are difficulties, however, -winch I venture to think might be overcome ; and 1 ieel assured that, if the miners could see their own interests they would unanimously petition the Legislature in this directior. Were this suggestion given effect to, there would be no necessity for miners' rights, gold fields, staff, or gold duty. In what lias been said, I hope I shall not be regarded as seeking to underrate or depreciate the mining interest. "What I desire is to attach the milling population to the soil, to give them an interest in preserving it, so that it may produce to themselves i'iJ those who succeed them, golden grains malL time coming, after the piecious metr.l shall have been extracted. Last year I submitted to you n proposal, by whirli o,q Dunedin Lunatic Asylum might be renuered to a great e.aent si-if-siietaining, and the personal comfort of the patients, as wt'll us their chance of recovery, promoted; the subject, however, s^euis to have escaped your notice. 1 venture to hope that you will this session enable me to carry the proposal in question into effect. If so, provision cau at the s ime

time be made for a special portion of the Asylum being set apart for inebriates. Gentlemen, — The various branch railways authorised by you last session have been contracted for at rates which, looking at the advance in the price of labor and materials, may be considered satisfactory. You will be asked to sanction further important branch lines this session, among which may be enumerated the following : — From the main line, up the Valley of the Waihemo, across the Taieri plain to Outram, to the Tokomairiro and Kaitangata coal field, through the island of Inch Clutha, and toTapanui, and to the Night-cap coal fields. It is hoped that the whole of these branches may be completed as soon as the main lines, to which they will act as important feeders. Instead of forcing land into the market to pay for these lines, I would propose that power be applied for to the General Assembly at its next session to raise money on loan for their construction upon tho security of specific blocks of land. Last year, aa you are aware, a Bill was passed through the House of Representatives authorising, subject to your approval, an extension of the Lawrence line to the Dunstan, the money to bo raised upon specific security in the shape of a block of laud contiguous to the line ; this Bill, however, was thrown out in the Legislative Council. I shall be glad to know your opinion relative to the proposed extension, with a view to further action in the matter. My own opinion is that in many respects the line in question should be regarded as a main trunk line, opening up, as it will, the whole interior of the province. The very large increase of traffic on the Southland line renders it absolutely necessary that a considerable expenditure should be at once incurred on additional plant, on storage, and on extension of the wharf at Campbelltown. It will also bo requisite to reduce the gauge ■I'om Campbelltown to "Winton to 3ft. 6m., and to assimilate the rolling-stock thereto, for which expenditure you will be asked to provide. The additional pier accommodation now in progress at Po^ Chalmers will, it is believed, when completed, largely increase the traffic on the Dunedin and Port Chalmers line. As it is, the returns during its first year, which were estimated at £22,000 have amounted to £21,553, while tho expenditure has exceeded the estimate by £4,166 ; of this amount a considerable proportion ought, strictly speaking, to be charged against the capital account, being for outlay incidental to the making of a new line, until it has become consolidated and got into working order. There are various other matters bearing upon the public interest H different parts of the province to which I might bo expected to allude, and to which I should be glad to refer ; but, as in common •with the questions to which I have directed jour attention, these must be submitted to your consideration specifically during the session, I shall refrain from doing so, and for the same reason I would suggestthat the usual reply to n>y address may be dispensed with. Gentlemen, 1 now declare this Council open for the despatch of business.