Provincial Council of Otago.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 6, 15 December 1869, Page 6

Provincial Council of Otago.

SPECIAL SESSION. "Wednesday, Bth December. The Special Session of the Provincial Council was opened on tho above date. At 12 o’clock, tho Speaker (Mr W. H. Reynolds) took the chair ; all the members ( being present with the exception of Messrs Bell, France, Fraser, Haughton, Main, and Shepherd. The galleries were well filled with spectators ; and after some preliminary business had been got through, His Honor the Superintendent was introduced and delivered the following address : —• Mr Speaker and Gentlemen of the Provincial Council:— I have felt constrained, very reluctantly, to call you together at the present time, knowing as I do, that the attendance of many of you involves considerable inconvenience. I felt, however, thht to defer the session until the usual period of meeting would be to postpone the commencement of a work which ought ere now to have been completed—l allude to the construction of the Southern Trunk Railway. With regard to this, and the question of Hundreds, as there are differences of opinion between myself and my responsible advisers, 1 propose to 'address you by message presently, fully explain-, ing the nature and extent of these differences. You are no doubt aware that negotiations have been for some time pending between the Government and a number of gentlemen in Dunedin for the construction of a railway between Dunedin and Port Chalmers, These negotiations having fallen through, the Government have accepted the offer of a contracting firm in Dunedin to construct the railway under a guarantee of interest at 8 per cent, on £70,000, to be secured on the Jetty Dues, in terms of your resolution of last session, adequate security to be given by the contractor for the due completion of the work within IS months. The details of the contract are being prepared, and we may expect the work to be commenced within the next two months. In compliance with your resolution of last session, three delegates were appointed on behalf of this Province to confer with an equal number representing the Province of Southland, with a view of arranging a basis of re-union between the two Provinces. The report of the Commissioners will be placed before you, as also the resolution of the Provincial Council of Southland, which I am happy to say, has, by a large majority, concurred in the report of the Commissioner!. It now depends chiefly upon you to decide whether or not the two Provinces, which never ought to have been separated, shall be re-united and resume those functions of genuine colonisation which were prosecuted with greater vigour prior to the separation than they have been ever since. * To those who take a comprehensive view of Ike-future, it capmot be but a matter of congratulation that two such important Provinces as Otago aud Southland should unite of their own free will; and though to some it will no doubt appear that Otago can reap but little advantage from the union, yet 1 believe that this is a very superficial view of the matter. I am persuaded that under the existing political organisation of the Colony, the magnificent territory which is comprised within the two Provinces, if colonised at all, must be colonised at a great disadvantage unless thia re-nnion is effected. 1 am quite prepared to admit that at the outset, perhaps, the pecuiary advantage of re-union will be in favour of Southland ; at the same time, however, it cannot be disputed that there will be mutual advantages, and that the assets which Southland will bring into the joint account will amply cover any temporary advances which Otago may be called upon to make. In, dealing with thia subject, we must not overlook the fact that Southland is the natural key to a very considerable portion of our territory, and that the proper development of the resources of the one necessarily involves the benefit of the other. I hail the union of the two Provinces as the first step towards reducing the cost and machinery of government in New Zealand, and as an example which the other Provinces will do well to follow. While upon this subject, I would only further express ray conviction that should the proposed union happily be completed, the various districts which at present constitute tho Province of Southland will receive the same treatment and consideration at the hands of the Provincial Legislature of Otago as any other district throughout the Province. Gentlemen—You are doubtless aware that by an Act passed in the last session of the Colonial Parliament, we are empowered to dispose ofland on the West Coast of this Province upon terms which it is believed will attract settlement of a suitable kind. The first step to enable me to take action in this matter is your assent to a resolution which will be submitted to you, defining the boundaries within which the Act is to be brought into operation. In connection with the settlement at Martin’s Bay, it is very advisable that a passable road should be formed between the Wakatipu and Kakapo Lakes. In the meantime a bridle-track would suffice. The chief obstacle in the way is the crossing of tho Hollyford River. I believe £IOOO would suffice in the meantime to open up communication right across the Island. If this were done, it would have the two-fold effect of affording the means of employment to tho first settlers at Martin’s Bay, and it would lead to a large accession to our mining population from tho West Coast. Although it is not proposed to introduce an Appropriation Ordinance during the present session, you might by resolution enable the Government to proceed with this work. Another subject to which I desire to direct yonr special attention is the necessity for sending one or more agents to promote the emigration to this Province of suitable labour and capital. 1 feci strongly that we have not been doing

our duty in thia matter, and that the moat important function which has been assigned to us —that, namely, of promoting the beneficial occupation of the country—is being to a large extent neglected. I may say that, but for a resolution passed by you last session, steps would have boon taken since then largely to increase the stream of population to our shores. It is manifest that without this the vast resources of the Province must continue undeveloped for centuries. Another very important matter to which I would bespeak your attention, chiefly with a view of briuging public opinion to bear upon it in the General Assembly, is the question of some comprehensive scheme of watoc supply on the Goldfields. Although, in all probability, we are on the eve of a now phase in the development of our Goldfields, ono which, as likely as not, may throw all that has hitherto been done into the shade—l allude to the discovery of numerous gold-bearing quartz reefs—at the same time there is an amount of uncertainty about this description of mining which does not apply to alluvial diggings. With respect to the latter it is well known that the auriferous resources of the Province have been scarcely touched—there are litera.ly mountains of alluvial gold. Thia is no matter of mere conjecture, the ground having been fully tested. What is wanted to increase our production of gold to an enormous extent is an abundant supply of cheap water, which supply caunot be procured unless by loan, which, unfortunately, wo have no power to raise without the sanction of the Colonial Legislature. Although the policy of the Colony for sevora years past has been to prohibit loans fur reproductive purposes, yot, I believe, wo arc on the eve of a change in this respect; and that, if the whole of the Otago representatives unite next session, the Province is very likely to succeed in procuring the means of providing water reservoirs on the Goldfields. In order to this, there should be an uumistakeable manifest ation of public opinion upon the subject, with which view 1 have thus enlarged upon it. I must say that I know of no more effective way in which the Colony could improve its po sitioo financially than by not only permitting, but encouraging this Province to develops to the fullest extent its Goldfields—Goldfields which, unlike others, have not to be discovered. There are various other topics of an important nature to which I might refer, but, seeing that you have been called together to consider the special questions to which I have already alluded, I deem it expedient to defer introducing new matter for consideration until next session, which will be held in a few months hence. I now declare this Council open for the despatch of business. Jambs Macandrew, Superintendent. His Honor having retired, the sitting was opened with prayer. Message No. 1 'from the Superintendent, accompanied by a mass of correspondence anent the construction of the Southern Trunk Railway, was then read by the Speaker. Message No. 2 from His Honor, having reference to the annexation with Otago of the Province of Southland, was then read. NOTICES OF MOTION. Mr Reid gave notice of a motion protesting against the action of the Legislative Assembly in passing .he Otago Hundreds Regulation Act Mr Driver gave notice of the following motion :—“ That no further action be taken by the Government in the negotiations for the construction of either the Southern Trunk Railway or Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway until this Council has had an opportunity of considering the best mode of constructing both works.” 1 Mr Burns gave notice of a motion having for its object the passing in the Provincial Council of an Ordinance granting an endowment for educational purposes, and conferring upon the Superintendent power to constitute an Education Board, consisting of gentlemen wholly unconnected with the Provincial or Colonial Governments. Mr Mouat to move : “ That an address he presented to His Honor the Superintendent, recommending that a piece of land containing 600 acres, more or less, 40 chains in width, around the township of Queenstown, be set apart as commonage for the use of the inhabitants of the town." Mr Reid to move ; ‘-That an address bo presented to His Honor tho Superintendent, recommending that 100,000 acres of land at Preservation Inlet, and 100,000 acres at Martin’s Bay, bo set apart for purposes of settlement and colonisation, in terms of the Otago Settlement Act, 1860 (here follows the description of the areas). THE SOUTHERN TRUNK RAILWAY. Mr Burns wished to ask, without notice, whether, if there were any documents or correspondence between His Honor tho Superintendent and the Southern Trunk Railway Company, the Government would lay them on the table. Mr Reid remarked that he was not aware of there being any Southern Trunk Railway Company. Mr Burns referred to the gentlemen alluded to in His Honor’s address. Mr Reid replied that some correspondence had taken place, and that it would be placed before the Council as soon as possible. THE FORT CHALMERS RAILWAY. Mr Hud laid on the table plans and a report in regard to the Port Chalmers railway, forwarded by Mr Millar, engineer, for the information of tho Government and the Council. On tho motion of Mr Reid, the Council then adjourned till next day at 2 p.m.