PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Press, Volume XI, Issue 1433, 12 June 1867, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Tuesday, June 11. The Speaker took the chair at five o'clock. Present —All the members except Messrs Buckley, Ca-sius, Fyfe, Hargreaves, Johnstone, Mallock, Maskell, Rhodes, and Wilson. Prayers having been read by the Very Rev. the Chaplain, tho minutes of last meeting wero read and confirmed. PAPERS. The Provincial Secretary laid on the table the following papers :— Letters from John Marshman, Ksqtiire, Emigration Ageut, to the Provincial Secretary, from 19th October, 1866, to 28th March, 1867 ; letters from the the Provincial Secretary to John Marshman, Esquire, Emigration Agent, from sth November 1866, to 6th May 1867 ; letter from his Honour the Superintendent to Crosbie Ward, Esquire, English Agent, dated 6th May 1867; letters from H. Selfe Selfe, Esquire, to his Honour the Superintendent, from the 25th January to 26th March, 1867 ; letters from his Honour the Superintendent to H. Selfe Selfe Esquire, English Agent, from sth November, 1866, to 6th May, 1867 ; correspondence between the hon. the Colonial Secretary and his Honour the Superintendent of Canterbury, respecting the conversion of Provincial loans into Colonial stock, Mayl£67; results of meteorological observations taken at Christchurch and Hokitika, with barometrical variations for the year ending 31st December, 1866 ; return of sheep, over six months of age, in the Province of Canterbury, on the Ist of January, 1867 ; report of the Provincial Engineer on the construction of a cart bridge across the Rakaia, accompanying a report on the construction of a locomotive ferry ; report of the Provincial Engineer on the construction of a locomotive ferry across the Rakaia river, with plan ; and report of the Westlaud Commission. PUBLIC LIBBABT. Mr Garrick asked the Provincial Secretary—" Whether it is the intention of the Government to introduce any measure this session for providing a public library." The Provincial Secretary replied in tlie nffirmutive. The comn-.ittee of the Mechanics' Institute had proposed to Bell the buildings and library of the institution for the sum of £1000, and the Government had placed that sum on the estimates for the consideration of the Council. GOLDPIELDS' REGULATIONS. Mr E. Barff moved — " That the new code of Goldfields 1 Regulations prepared by the Mining Conference, together with the report of the Conference, be printod, and copies thereof be laid upon tho table of the Council." He hoped that the Council would agr.3e to his motion, as great anxiety was felt by the miners of Westland to know the result of the labours of the Conference, and the code of regulations was moreover a matter affecting the interests of the whole district. The motion was carried. SHEEP-EATING ORDINANCE 1866 AMENDMENT BILL. The Provincial Solicitor moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Sheep-Rating Ordinance 1866. He might state that the Ordinanco had been allowed by the General Government, who intimated, however, certain amendments which would be necessary, and it was for the purpose of meeting the objections raised by the General Government that he wished to bring in the Bill. Tho motion was carried, the Bill read a first time, and ordered to be printed. fencing ordinance 1866 amendment bill. The Provincial Solicitoe moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Fencing Ordinance 1866. He wished to briug in this Bill for tho same reasons as he had given with regard to the previous one, and when the second reading came on he should be prepared to state the objections taken to it by the General Government. Mr Hall thought that the Bill required amending in several particulars. For instance, he might mention that notice to repair or erect a fence by one owner or occupier of land to another adjoining was allowed by the Ordinance to be delivered either personally or by post, a month's time beiug given for either completing or commencing the work. Several difficulties arose from the state of the law on this point. Delivery of a letter by post was hardly considered a legal course, and in the case of a man whose correspondence was very small, ho thought it unfair that delivery of the notice by post should be considered legal. Besideß it would be difficult to prove when a notice was actually delivered, so as to find out when the time allowed by law had expired. It was obvious that a month's time for repairing a fence was too much, and he thought the term should be shortened. He begged to draw the attention of the hon. the Provincial Solicitor to those particulars with a view to their being amended. Mr Oemsbt drew the attention of the hon. the Provincial Solicitor to a misprint in the Ordinance. The Provincial Solicitoe stated that he should be happy to receive any suggestions from hon. members, with a view to their being inserted in the amended Ordinance. The motion was carried, the Bill read a first time, and ordered to be printed. iieathcote bridges bill. The Provincial Solicitoe moved for leave to bring in the Heathcote Bridges Bill. It was introduced to legalise the erection of certain bridges in tho district, to apply also to bridges already existing, in order to avoid awkward questions, such as those which arose with regard to the Stanmore bridge last year. Mr Dixon asked if it was necessary before a bridge was erected over a river not navigable that a petition should be signed by the inhabitants of the district interested. The Provincial Solicitor —It is not necessary. The motion was carried, the Bill read a first time, and ordered to be printed. WKSTLAND GOLDFIELD RETURNS. Mr Hoos moved —"That returns be laid on the table within ten duys showing the quantity of gold received by the Banks in Westland since last returns from each locality ; also, the revenue derived from licenses, miners' rights, wardens' and magistrates' courts, from each district separately, since the opening of the West Canterbury goldfields." The motion was carried. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. j In reply to a question from Mr Mont- : GOMEBY, j Tho Provincial Secretary said that it I was very possible the estimates would be laid !on the table at next sitting, and after giving hon. members a day for their consideration, |he hoped to be able to make his financial statement on Friday. Notices of motion were then given, and the House adjourned till next day (to-day), atj five o'clock.