The Clutha Leader. THURSDAY, JAN. 13th, 1876.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 79, 13 January 1876, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. THURSDAY, JAN. 13th, 1876.

It will be seen from an advertisemehtf" -in y -another column that the/^hdminatorV. and seconder of^ir Julius; ,&L candidate for the representation of the Clutha in the General Assembly have' ~wit_iirawn his candidature, or, at kit events, have done what they can ;towards this end — they desire the elecAoxsxno^tp yyfi^S.fPJ^. him, seeing that, he has since the nomination been ye-* turned for Wanganui. The contest^ therefore, now rests between : _£essr. THomsgin and Mog^rjQDjig^g'n^iion *as to the respective merit, of the can-* didates is well-known, and we theVe- i forg" dpf notlJrfeK further to seekj to influence the electors in the malfcer.j We have only to^expreas the.hojpe- that! or&*W|lslylpßM poftflSer^ie^ctor will make a point of recording his vpte,.i and thus testify to the interest whftjhf has been felt, throughout the dis trict iii. the great Constitutional .question which*j has now so long, agitated the cpm4 Vmu&t^ve*^J^.y& t%Coiony^. J-*r«{

Considb m^ra the :fuj^reports^wh'i.h have from. time to time been published •in these columns, of theiprooeedings in the matter of the Clutha River Trust^it seems somewhat unaccountable that so much' ignorance '■pon ; v the subjectpre. vails amongst those'in this immediate district^ who now show a great interest in it. It would seem as - if _ome parties* had only suddenly awakened to a sense of the fact that they ar_ interested; that hitherto' they have treated^ - the whole matter with indifference,'; and cared not either to take, any: action themselves, or to notice the exertions^f others on. their behalf. Seemg 1 .however that they, have now shewn sortie interest ia the matter, the; time is: dp* . portune to explain the -cause; of the de* lay of which they, complain, , as well as to point out the present position of. the Clutha Biver Trust. ..... r In May^S-TO, the ProyinciarGonncil was got to pass a resolution under, the authority -of the 62nd Section "of the Otago Waste Lands Act, 18(56, recommending that about 50,000; acres, of runs 129 and 258" oe set apart for" the purpose of erecting* and maintaining t works to be constructed and maintained by the Board of QonseEvatorsvof the Clutha River when constituted; ■-- In the terms of this resolution'^- _. (Deptityi.V Superintendent * publish^d-^notice;-u.^***-the Gazette of 1 1th 3ulyPXßjMeresery- ■■ ing the lands; ref erred to, c^nllV^edicating them for- :■ the pur ppse^^mentioned. Application was then ina_e _o thepen-i eral. Government to have' l the * land Crown granted to the Superintendent, so that the Provincial Council might deal with 'i^ made by Mr Thomson and" the Provincial Governmenf,'backed by the Provincial Council, to obtain a Crown Grant for the-land ; but, these attempts resulted 'in failure; the Vog_l-; "Goyrernmetit positively /refusing to grant it* Seeing that further efforts in the same direction would vbe ; unavailing, Mr .Thomson during, the session ok 1874, tried another mode of arriving Vat' the same result; He introduced V' bill 'in the General Assembly providing that the Provincial Council shoulWy 3 -' ordinance consti tiite 4he Board/ tod upon its -being constituted a Cro.whV^||_^ /y of the endowment land shbuldtb^^^v^' to it instead of as previouslyjsoiighl:^. ;the Superintendent,^' He^e^Ji'fewaa ag&ih thwarted' by. the 'VogerGuverrimen^and w^s^abli^d to eliminatelhe clause^as toj;thelOip^ri;iGrant,- securing only that farl^femng to 't_e "constitution 'of the- Board'by'the Provincial Council-;' and' ia/ clause^ providing thafc :the:rents. -f ,the land should- be handed over to „ the;. Board. - : ;M_ f .- ; Thoinsrj.n then, . .'although ; ,not a .tnfmh^t v >of? the Provincial Council . .dratted;,, an) Ordinance for, that, body, io ,pass/.and\he Go- ! vernment took charge qf'it.'"-^he Ordi- :- nance. was eherg'.ticaily supported ..by Messrs^- McNeil -and Henderson^' the - members 'for 'th.^aiytrictia'ndJpasSed^the j Council, but not in.the shape prepared by Mr Thomson, Van. In, consequence of the'alV-ratfd^^ _is- '• allowed by the Governor, as advised, of course, 'by; thre t Mrpistryj q During last Mr Thomson again took the -niatter/up, and ...introduced a. Bill .to^cpn--tui'e' : Ihe • Board, ; and; in this MlF'hV*- fnserted ""clfiuses?, first' giv'ihgrthe' f ß6ard l ptfwe'r4to 'dfeaP with^th'e 1 landsii-Vthe-way iof <*ie_s- ' •'-itig ethemj •'.%>_• simplysinmthe>.wayio. spending;; any ( -o moneys^arisjng-iifrorn -,tbemr^an t d f second, conferring^ v on, the r ; % ar 4:;P°wer to, b v orrpw a on t(je m G -Pes f c . 'two clauses "the Government, again .objected tef auf as eVpJained\thVpt'__r^ * eirenT-k' _n' r lJarr's c Hall; J MfM_„ C "__F c T_ff_Bo_* Unless these clauses •;were^deleted r th'_if would oppose the *Bi_* and Mster. their whole fdrcesHb throw it&u't.^/_le*'.wa'B}fhere?ofeJ6bliged'to^a'6cept' the *measure% with ;the¥e : clahses "omitte-^upbn 'the'principle tha't^half a 'loaf is- better than '_one,vand 'riow*-by thevßill Itie "got ipassed^he Board is constituted, and we bejjeyeas -was arranged some tittle ,t_"gpj sith'e „ rst mee'fing^willrbelheld to-day. /rY!A:notlier point regarding the Board ._has;beenV^ witti~Tn^Yeau\res explanation . We "refer lo its menfber - ship. If w'e^remember aright, it was the intentio^f/^thexGeneral Govern - nJen . '^hat ; |th'e __o_ld be nominated j)yCtliee Suferintendent, but w { hile„ the . Bill" wSf in*progress another . measur_' r was : intr6 ! du.'ed = a^olisHiug the '*dffi.£ ;r bf^^ ; iferri,ug tbeiy.p^wersYto ithe .G'e^al^'Gol v er&n enti i f>?Mr .'Thqtri-onr,^atSlon'ce^saw [thatHf th , c' t l_.e.iF--idjfotai^--^«^bcofim'ed 9 "the^m.mblirardf(the^BbWiy be the nomine.(ss o qf^ • meut, rand^he tabcqrdi ngly^et jit^ftered to r -an' electtve 80-ardi^ necessary machineryj Jbr, the releqtidhßbe'^fdund already in^^^]^m[j^4 l 'ilW^o\i^ of,Bdlduth^na tne^Roaa'fcMs ad3i*!nt"rV:the rjyer. These he adopted, and 1 witlfalf^deY.re_c_^4hte^h*b^oul-_ha.v.e--it.oth.erwi_3,..we_ai'e. B fuLly^aMfied Ithat^tlie fßaari'isjcgnstituji-rdju^e^ the best possible principle, and in th^gaannQ*™™sM%&%™* the ends ifbr cY c h W^mW .an; explanation -of Aq. acVti9hvf hich Bas'been taken with reference lto -the _iatWr t 6f. th,fl^rust, "ahtt'th. plfe i ffiat i Mr*Thdraßb|i%_sfa^^ fßbth the sProyinoMVlGfbfernmellt and ifcfetoe s^rkeri^^ upon a satißfactbry^fba_ie'obuc£.ia^^V &«% 3^4W'OvV-»'tli^^

, this would divest them of 50,000 acres of. land, the price of which they no doubt perceive they may yet require to meet the necessities of the great centralising power at Wellington. It is " to be hoped that before many months are over, the ministerial benches will bave new and more liberally disposed !-occupa_ts. In such an event rests the only nope for anyone ever getting the Trust placed upon a proper footing. ' Mr Mosleysays that if elected, he would bave the matter attended to " quick," but it is suggested thht lie has taken no interest or action dn the matter ; was for some years a member •ofthe Provincial Council and 'did nothing regarding it. His new born zeal ■ _nay therefore be taken for what it is worth.