PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 193, 22 July 1873, Page 6

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Friday, July 11. Among the petitions presented was one by Mr MacKellar from the Bannockburn and Oarrick Range Mining Association re commonage. TELEGRAPHIC EXTENSION. In reply to Mr De Lautour, Mr Turnbull said* the Government were ready to recommend the extension of the telegraph from Naseby by way of St. Bathans to the Dunstan. KAWARAU RIVER BRIDGES. On the motion of Mr Hallensttin, it was agreed that it was desirable to erect bridges at the Nevis and Morven Ferries, and at Frankton Falls ; and that his Honor be recommended to offer such conditions aa would render it likely that their construction will be undertaken by private persons. * FREE SCHOOLING. Mr G. F. 0. Browne moved a set of two resolutions to the effect that the Government bring in an Ordinance next session to provide that, upon any School Committee being satisfied of the inability of any parent or guardian of children to pay for schooling, such Committee be empowered to order free admittance for such children ; the fees to be paid out of moneys voted by the Provincial Council. After addressing the Council a3 to the objects of the motion, the hon.-member stated, as a recommendation to its favourable consideration by the Council, that there were •5484 children in the Province, between the ;ages of 5 and 15, who received no education. Mr Turnbull addressed the Council to »how that unless care were taken the motion might lead to an abuse of the Government 'system, and stated that in all cases of actual •destitution there was no difficulty in getting children admitted to the schools free. He regretted that, at present, he felt bound to •oppose the motion. After a little further discussion the debate -on the motion was adjourned until next sitting day. The Council adjourned at half-past six o'clock until 2 p.m. on Monday. Monday, July 14. Mr M'Glashan took the chair in the absence of the Speaker. POLICE QUARTERS AT CROMWELL. In the temporary absence of Mr MacKellar, Mr Hazlett asked the Government " Whether any representation had been made as to the present wretched state of the Police quarters at Cromwell, and whether it was intended to place a sum upon the Estimates to remedy the same ?" Mr Bastings : The Government were aware of the condition of the Police quarters at Cromwell, and they had placed a sum on the Estimates as recommended by the Commissioner of Police, to repair them. AMENDMENT OF THE ELECTORAL LAWS. Mr Fish's motion on the above subject (which we summarised a week or two ago) was negatived on the voices. FftEE SCHOOLING. Mr G. F. C. Brovrne's resolution was lost on the voices. SCIENTIFIC REPORT UPON GOLD-FIELDS. Mr De Lautour moved : " That in the opinion of this Council, it is desirable that a respectful address be presented to his Honor the Superitendent, requesting him to take such steps as he may think necessary to obtain the services of such competent scientific •direction in his opinion sufficient to examine and report upon the probable lines of deep leads and quartz reefs throughout the Provincial Gold-fields." In speaking to the motion, the hon. member said that this was one of the most important motions which had been considered by the Council. He had observed that in the earlier portion of the day the seven members representing Dunedin were all present when the toll-bar question was under consideration, but he did not see one of those members now present. He was very glad to see the motion of the hon. member for North Harbour unanimously adopted, because what applied to coal mines applied with double force to gold mines, because gold mining was a practical industry in the Province, while coal mining at present was only theoretical. The waste of labour by a gold miner through ignorance was a waste absolutely without equivalent. Further, it Avas a great harm to the country, because an abandoned work was a standing movement to drive away legitimate enterprise on the gold-fields. The experience of Victoria was that it paid to keep up a staff of mining surveyors and other thoroughly competent men, who did nothing else but issue quarterly reports embodying the minutest detail of every transaction on the gold-fields. He would point out that the miners were asking very little. They had been contributing an annual revenue for the last ten vears of over £40,000, while the administration only cost about £IO,OOO a year. Mr Clarke seconded the motion, which was supported by every member who spoke, and then unanimously carried on the voices. DISPOSAL OF THE WASTE LANDS. Mr Stout moved :—" Ist. That a Committee, conflicting of the Hon. Dr Menzies, Hon. Major Richardson, MrG. F.C. Browne, Mr Lumsden, Mr Driver, Mr R. Clarke, and the Mover, be appointed to inquire into and report upon all questions relating to the management and disposal of the Waste Lands of the Crown in this Province that may be referred to it. 2nd. That it be referred to such Committee to consider whether it is possible and desirable to provide for the profitable occupation of the Waste Lands, by leasing instead of selling them."

After some discussion the motion was agreed

to on the voices, Dr Webster's name being substituted for the Hon. Major Richardson. Tuesday, July 15. After the transaction of some unimportant business, a message was received from his Honor transmitting Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year ending 31st March, 1874. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. Mr Turnbull then moved that the House go into Committee of Supply, and proceeded to make his financial statement. [We reprint portion of it.] . . . . " The past year has been characterised by prosperity in all branches of industry—mining, agricultural, pastoral, commercial, and manufacturing interests have been all thriving, and there has been abundant employment throughout the length aud breadth of the land for all in want of it. Aa a matter of consequence, almost, the public finances have been in a healthy state, the revenue has been largely in excess of estimates, and the consequence has been that ever since we went into office, the finances have been in a flourishing condition. Of course the Government does not take any credit for this. Neither the preceding nor the present Government intend to do so. It is simply the result of the causes I have mentioned. Cheap money and the high prices for produce have enabled the settlers to purchase land, and in many other indirect ways the revenues of the country have been swelled. menced the year with an account to our debit of L. 44,658 10s. The revenue was estimated at L.267,800. That estimate was exceeded byL.73,754 ss. 4d., the actual receipts being L.341,554 ss. 4d. The increase has been chiefly from land revenue, the receipts over what was estimated being about L. 83,000. The expenditure, it will be seen, has amounted to L 269,300 13s. lOd. Our position at the end of the year is simply this : We have a net current ioan liability of L. 1,226,830 125., and we have a balance free to commence the I year with of L. 13,149 7s. 2d. That is the position in which we stood ac the end of the financial year on the 31st March last. In reference to the proposals for the coming year, I would simply say that we have brought down, as far as the revenue is concerned, what we conceive to be a very safe, although it is a very large, estimate. We estimate the revenue for ordinary purposes at L.417,000, and in addition to this we propose to appropriate L.20,000 out of the loan which we shall ask the Council to sanction on the security of the Education Reserves, for the purpose of renewing school buildings. We have in addition to this sum the unexpended balance of the North Otago Loan, L.65,743 lis. Id., making a grand total of L,502,743115. Id. for the current year The sale of Crown lands we have put down at the very large sum of L.200,000. That is a very large amount, but when I tell hon. members that up to the 30th June last, the first three months of the year, we had actually received L 107,000, and when I further state that very large sums have been paid in Southland during the last few days, making up the sum already received to L. 140,000, I do not think they will look upon our estimates as being at all large. In fact, I am certain it will exceed that amount The Gold-fields revenue is estimated at L.21.000 ; and the gold export duty at L.16,000. If the resolution proposed by an honorable member for a reduction in the gold export duty is carried, the revenue derived from this source will probably be smaller than is now estimated. . . . . . Hon. members will notice that we propose to appropriate a very large sum, the proposed appropriations now amounting to L.518 ; 688 lis. 2d. . . . The proposed expenditure exceeds the revenue by somewhere about L.16,000. To meet this deficiency we have the balance I have already pointed out of L 12,000. There is one item in the appropriations which we do not expect will be required. That is the item of L. 10,000 for immigration. Wo have put it down to keej") the home agency going, in the event of the Agent-General of the Colony not working harmoniously with this Province, but we do not expect we will be called upon to pay this sum. At any rate, if we have to pay it we expect to have it refunded by the General Government We have, in framing the Estimates, improved to some extent the position of the civil servants. We thought that as things were prosperous, and all sorts of labour were commanding higher rates than in times of stagnation and depression, we thought it only right and fair to the servants! of the Government that they should participate to some extent in the improved positioi of affairs. We at the same time thought tint some improvement might be effected in tie way of asking f he civil servants to wojk longer hours. The hours in the Government offices are less as a rule than in the ofiicesof merchants, bankers, &0., and we do lot think it would be a hardship if we increased the length of their day. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP TnE PROVINCE. Mr Oliver moved—" That, in the opnion of this Council, it is verv desirable tint the geological survey of the Province, whici was begun by Dr Hector, should be completed, and that the Government be requested toobtain as soon possible the services of a coiipetent geologist for that purpose." In suiport of his motion, the hon. member said :—L think, Sir, that this resolution must commeid itself to every member of this Council. That a scientific examination of the geological features of a new country is necessary demands no proof—it is self-evident. Evei in countries which have no known minerfi resources it would be desirable, but still more in a country which, like Otago, abouids in mineral wealth. Every one admits hat the min-

ing interest is a very important one amongst us. It is an interest, however, which, more, almost, than any other, is speculative and uncertain. The boldness with which mining enterprises are undertaken, in the absence of any reliable information as to the probabilities of success, is surprising, and shows the courage of our miners in a very marked manner. I think, Sir, that anything we can do to make this industry more certain in its operations will have the effect of preventing waste of energy and capital, as well as of encouraging still greater efforts and the useful employment of a far larger amount of capital. Well, Sir, by completing the geological survey of the Province we shall effect this. Every year new facts are recorded and generalised. Geology is constantly shedding new light on the operations of Nature in forming the earth's surface as we find it. The work which the resolution asks the Government to undertake has been undertaken for themselves by nearly every British community. In Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Cape of Good Hope, and in the Province of Canterbury surveys have been made. Here the necessity was early recognised, and soon after the discovery of gold we obtained the assistance of Dr Hector. Unfortunately for us, the General Government needed a geologist, .and recognising the eminent qualities of Dr Hector, they offered inducement to him, which deprived us of his services. It is for us now to say whether the good work which was begun by us at considerable expense, and which expense is up to this time almost thrown away, since Dr Hector's reports have never been properly published, shall be followed up and finished—whether, in fact, we shall avail ourselves of the help which science is able to afford us. I feel certain that had the survey which was begun by Dr Hector been completed, and had the results of that survey been published in the form of a handbook of the geology of Otago—a handbook written in proper phraseology, and excluding as far as practicable the use of technical scientific terms, the miners would ere now have been able to enrich the stores of geological knowledge— to add many an interesting fact to the general stock In such an undertaking, the question of whether it will pay need not be thought of. It might be regarded as Otago'B contribution to the world's physical history, but evei on this economical ground 1 ask the Council to vote for the resolution, believing nothing we can do will tend more to the saring of labour, the preventing of waste, ami the enriching our industries. The motion was seconded by Mr Stout, and carried unanimoxislj. miners' institute at arrowtown. On the motion of Mr Bastings, an acre was set aside as a reserve for a Miners' Institute at Arrowtown. AGRICULTURAL leases. Mr G. F. C. Browne moved—"That the Secretary for Gold-fields be respectfully requested to instruct the Gold-fields Wardens that if any application for an agricultural lease be refused on the ground of its auriferous nature, such objections shall be entered in a book kept for that purpose, and the Warden shall not again receive applications for the same ground." It was mo*ed as an amendment that the following words be added to the motion—- " without being fully satisfied that it is nonauriferous." Mr Browne accepted the amendment, and the motion as amended was carried. MINING ASSOCIATION. Mr Haslett, in the absence of Mr MacKellar, moved—" That the Petition of the 118 members of the Bannockburn and Car-1 rick Rarge Mining Association be referred to the favourable consideration of the Govern-1 ment." Carried. \ Wednesday, July 36. The House went into COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. A number of items were passed as printed, and then the matter of the salary of the Superintendent came on for discussion. Mr Tiunbull said the Government proposed to' increase that salary from L.BOO to L.IOOO. Several members objected, and Mr Reid gfid he could not agree to many of the proposals before the Committee, because they vere not founded on a plan fair to the different officers. If an increase was made it should be universal. With the view of giving time to consider the matter, he moved that progress on the item be reported, and leave obtained to sit again. This was seconded by Mr Lumsden. Mr Stout said lie had heard comlpaints made since 1805 about the cost of Government in thi3 Province. Even the Superintendent, then said it was excessive, and now it was proposed to increase by between L. KiOO and L.1700 the expenditure in two departments of the Province. He (Mr Stout) asked whether there was anything to warrant them doing that / If the item were increased he would vote for the increase of every other item ; he would vote for raising the salary of every Civil servant in the Province—police, warders, school teachers, and others—because he considered it was unfair to propose to increase the heads of some departments—or increase one department at the expense of another. The proposed increase meant that there would be so many chains less of road constructed, and less public works carried out.—(Hear, hear.) The motion for adjourning the consideration of the estimates was agreed to ; and the Speaker again took the chair. FOREST TREES. Dr Webster moved—"That a respectful address be presented to his Honor the Superindent, requesting him to make application to

bis Excellency the Governor to declare ' The Forest Trees Planting Encouragement Act 1871,' to be in operation in the Province of Otago," Mr Reid seconded the motion; and he, as well as the Hon. Dr Menzies, Mr M'Lean, and others, spoke in favour of encouraging persons to plant forest trees extensively in the interior. The motion was agreed to.