OTAGO.

Press, Volume VII, Issue 797, 19 May 1865, Page 2

OTAGO.

Reporting the Provincial Coooii.-, An amusing debate took place in the Provincial Council yesterday afternoon, on a motion which had for its object tho exclusion of reporters from the Council Chamber. The mot iou is published elsewhere. It is a*, capital specimen of the nonsensical and in. conclusive propositions which some honorable members are in the habit of submitting to the House. It is nonsensical, because "the privilege" of reporting the debates could never "confine itself" to any par. ticular mode of dealing with the reports: it is inconclusive, because— amongst other , reasons —if it had been carried it would have ' been useless, unless it had been further re. solved to exclude " the public." The want of a desk would by no means prevent notes of the debates being taken. On dit that the motion was drawn by the honorable member for the G-oldfields, Mr. Brodie, andimproved upon by the honorable member for Waihola, Mr. Mollison. The latter gave notice to move it; but probably second thoughts led him to a less foolish decision, for he waa absent when called on. So the motion was proposed by a member who disavowed any intention of supporting it; and it was seconded by Mr. Brodie pro forma. The honorable member for the Ciutha, Mr. Thomson, proposed an amendment, which was not personal like the motion, but which was not a whit more reasonable ; and the amendment was seconded by the honorable member for the Taieri, Mr. Burns. There were other speakers. The burden of what was said was that the debates were insufficiently and inaccurately reported. As to the length of the reports which we have published, we assert that they have often been so long as to exclude matter of at least equal interest; as to their inaccuracy, we can only claim that efforts have ever been made to se 'ure accuracy. The simple desire, has been to do justice to our readers, and to the different subjects of news, &c, claiming notice; and that is a matter upon which none ofthe honorable complainers areableto give us advice. It would be simply miraculous if there were not occasional errors in the reports. The honorable members who address the House in a confused manner and in mumbling tones, are by no means few; the Chamber is a wretchedly bad place for hearing even the best speakers ; aha the reporters are so placed that they conld daily report with more ease comments made in the " gallery," on speakers and speeches, than they can the speeches themselves. But honorable members who are unable to ex*, press ideas with any clearness, or in such a tone that their speaking can be fairly heard, jump to the conclusion that they are pur* posely snubbed if ideas are not clearly eoe pressed for them in the reports. They mayu ■ rest assured that they are mistaken; and;: that there is no other rule in a newspaper*; office-than to do the best possible toco_vey>i an accurate impression of what has passed inFxf the Council always consistent" with-,-iep*~ amount of space available for the dayWfereport. It is not for the interest of newß?vH paper readers, nor would it be to the advan* %_ tage of honorable members, that repetitions of what has been said by vreviomy speakers should be reported, or that trouble, should be taken to show how much of many of the speeches made has no pertinency to the subject under discussion. The honor* able member for the G-oldfields, Mr. Brodie, undoubtedly talks more than any; other member of the Council; and he is, most s fr& quent and furious in his declarations that he _ cares not whether what hesays " reaches the country." That is the honorable member* mode of complaining that he is not ; ___Sta* *, ently reported. An enemy to the honorable member would, when space could beiqunjj,-, report one his of speeches verbatim. _n:|wfc ' the honorable member is rarely in his remarks, and is often unintelligible, It is doubtful whether, since he has'had'» seat in the Council, he has uttered dozen complete sentence/- > His usually consist of wholly unrelated fr*Bf& ments' of sentences ; so is made to report the substance of says, the result is necessarily a guess. The debate yesterday was fittii_M^| ; f concluded by the withdrawal of motion and the amendment-. "We can"mafe?repeat that we have had and have object—to give the fullest and most ful reports possible, after weighing claims for space in our columns daily by many other subjects in addition forp|f§| debates'- in . the Provincial Council. — Times, May 16. ' j i&^v; SEPABATIO-". r '-S' The.adjourned.discussion on the lutions moved'by Mr. Vogel in the _¥ov_iciati|| Council a__rmi_g the • desirability of tidn took place on the 10th inst. ThadMrM, | lowing is the condensed report Daily Times : — - i The debate on Mr. Vogers Mr. Macandrew's amendment on j was then resumed by Mr. DiUonJBeJ-* 1 absence of Mr_ E. B. Cargill, who'b___io»3Jp| the adjournment. Mr. Bell, in a leng_ie_e*g speech,' explained-the reasons why he ep|p|ll support neither the resolations nor * r -*°j|||| amendment. He was opposed to but in favor of the consolidatioDr Middle Island provinces - into one*.central Grovernment. Mr. J. mated Bis intention of vexing for ment. Mr. "Walker thought the time "l|||l not yet come for out tion or consolidation. Mr. Eeynolds GB@j_g§ denined the resolutions in, toto, and __&sgj|j||jj| agree with the.,amendment.,. Mr. urged a re-affirmation of the the subject, passed last Session. Mr. having repEed, thd Council proceeded division. ' : ~^W§ The amendment of Mr. earned so as to become the. medion b__ore the House. Onbemgvrt&m

'"* _l__t--bT-i the previous question was moved ; __3 carried Mr. Macandrew then gave Notice to move his resolution at the next fitting- « On the next day accordingly the subject ~gm again brought forward:— * Jfr. Macandrew moved, "That in the q«mon of this Council it is expedient to j__9o the question of the separation of the an d Middle Islands of New Zealand until the policy of the present General j Qfffcenment shall have had fair and reasons 6 time to develop itself. The Council is farther of opinion that the legislative func- ';' tiO-8 of Provincial Councils may to a great extent be transferred with advantage to the Colonial Parliament, and the action of the former be confined more to administration tfoui legislation; but that the abolition of ~Prj3r_u_al Councils would in the meantime le-ig-ly detrimental to the best interests of the colony." He regretted that the recent debate—which was the best there had been, orwas'likely, perhaps, to be this session— jjhoold have been brought to such a " lame and- impotent conclusion." The Council having by a distinct mrjority carried his amendment —which he now re-proposed—he eugid not understand upon what principle of common sense the resolution should be upset, after only the short interval for dinner. The . ttjorse taken was unworthy of the earnestygm and sincerity which were supposed to characterise the proceedings of the Council. ■ What could the constituents think when • they found that on so important a question honorable members were unable or unwilling to give a certain sound. What has been done was not justice to the members themselves, to t&e question, or the country. It had been alleged that the Council comprised a Majority of Separationists; and he had certainly hoped for a distinct " Yea," or " Nay," to bis proposal, instead of its being met with tlie ** previous question," Avhich was simply * mode of shirking a subject upon which the Council were not prepared or disposed to pronounce an opinion. Having made $eae remarks he would allow the motion to lap_a—[«Oh! oh!" and "No."] The Speaker: It is highly inexpedient that this course should be adopted. If such had been the intention of the honorable member, he had no right to make a speech, aa he has done.

Mr. Macandrew admitted that he had not ; acted quite rightly. But he desired to say :: what he felt; and he did not desire to see ';_ tiie Council further stultify itself by again ?" waiving the proposal. However, to meet 4 tbe wish ofthe Council, he would move the 6jresolutions. iy The first resolution was put to the ySJimae and carried, and the second was with;i drawn. :£ As Alarm ts the PEOTnrcii_L Couitctl. i-She Provincial Council was suddenly adyesterday afternoon, in consequence prjtf an announcement by the Chairman of the Committee that the Provincial Eni§Jß_|eer considered that the building and those iiiait were in danger. To understand what respecting the subject in our report icm the sitting, it must be remembered that part of which is used as '0 ibe~€oancil Chamber, stand at that point of IT "the Cutting" at which Church (or Bell) fir Bjfl is the in fact the hill is ■I; higher .than the buildings ; and that there |v-_*ao_tly a few feet of space between the face vTrtf the hill and the back wall If a large 3? portion of the bank should slip suddenly, it '"■-' moat crush in some part of the buildings ; there are examples enough in Battray |N atroot and Maclaggan. street, of what may P happen in ** cuttings," as a result of rain. <VBrt the sudden adjournment of the Council proved to be not necessary. The appeardanger, if any, and the Provincial opinion as to them, were exag- / aj&ed ; that gentleman, when he had -7"?M_-er'» proper exajnination, gave a cerr t_Bc«te that no danger existed ; and the \'_ evening sitting was safely held in the HalL — 3_e_e HvsstAJS. —-Prom the Dunstan we * areadvised that heavy rain had fallen, and fioV in large quantity on the mountains. Satisfactory accounts continue to De received iromthe lievis, where rich ground continues t» be opened. Cromwell is improving, and -f&ngproperty is increasing in value. The B3 Besperandum Company at Quartz Beef Point have been seven months em- . ployed in preparing their claim for y work. They do not expect to be ready yM Ibis than two months. Some of the -lairing claims are paying well. One known by the name of Yankee Dan's party lave cleared for some weeks past fourteen poutids per man. The new dredging machine, : «f which an account appeared m the Daily - fSmes'a, few weeks ago, is paying the shareholders at the rate of £25 per man per week. Another machine is in course of contfnictkm on the same principle.— lbid. . Hasoxic.—The Oamaru _Kom», of May y- Uth, gives the following Masonic intellii; fence:—"The consecration of the Waitaki ; Lodgeof Freemasons and the installation of ; its officers, took place on Friday evening; < last; in the Lodge-room, Thames street. _'.\ About twenty ofthe brethren assembled, in- \ ch_dmgtheP.Gr.S.W., Br. Sydney James, 1 «_i the P.GhT., Br. W. MUls, who had that - awrawig armed from Dunedin for the purify mb of conductmg the inaugural ceremony. c We understand that his Honor the Superin- ■\ tendent, P.G.M. of Otago, would have been _. present, together with the D.P.GJVL, Br. . lajtar, had not other engagements prevented , v :' l lßbe_B_?"' '