PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 194, 29 July 1873, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

♦ Thursday, July 17. The Speaker took the chair at 2 p.m. PfITTTIOX. Mr Bastings presented a petition from certain residents in the town of Lawrence, praying that steps should be taken to prevent the flooding of their sections through the operations of the Blue Spur miners. CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS. Mr Bastings brought down a set of six resolutions on the above subject. The first set forth the necessity that existed for the im mediate construction of tbe main line through the Province from the Waitaki to Invereargj.ll ; and urged that the General Government should be at once asked to proceed with the work. In the event of t'liem not doing so, I the Provincial Government to be authorised ! to take the matter in hand, and to proceed with the construction of the line from the Clutha to Mat-aura, and from Dunedin to Moeraki. both lines to be submitted to public tender ; the first to be paid for out of the proceeds of land contiguous to the line, such land to be reserved from sale pending the construction of the Hue ; the second to be paid for by the sale of 500,000 acres of pastoral land, in terms of section 150, " Outgo Waste Lands Act, 1872." The remaining five of the set recommended the construction in this and the following yearof several branch lines, payment of some to be made out of re- | venue, and others by the sale of the necessary J amount of pastoral land. The following was added by permission of the Council to the resolutions :--" Provided that no block or parcel of land should be sold for the above j purposes of rail and tramway development situated on the gold-fields of'the Province,! until a report has first beeu obtained from i the Warden of the district, aud also an in-1 dependent report from two gentlemen appointed by the Central Miners' Association, ! setting forth that the laud proposed to be j sold is not pay ably auriferous, nor likely, ly becoming freehold, to impede milling entetprise ; the cost of such reports to be defrayed by the Government." Mr Bastings spoke at some length in favour i of tbe resolutions. Mr Re id moved an amendment, the gist of which was to tbe effect that, instead of I selling so large an area of land, the railway ! should be constructed by means of loans. j The debate was adjourned. SUPPLY. On the motion for the House going into a | Committee of Supply, Mr Rc'd moved that 1 the Estimates, as regarded the increase of the salaries of Civil servants, should be remodelled by the Government. If some sort of fixed scale was adhered to in this matter, there I would be no chance of influence of friends j affecting the racing of an officer's salary. Mr Turnbull said Mr Reid's motion would be accepted as a Government question, and by it the Government would stand or fall. A division was taken, with the following result: Ayes, 12 ; Noes, 24. The House then resolved itself into Com-! mittee of Supply. The first item was the Superintendent's salary : £IOOO. Mr Stout moved that it be £BOO ; but this was lost by 23 to 14. It was moved that the salary of Secretary for Gold-fields and Works be "reduced from £6OO to £4OO ; but this was also lost bv 21 to 14. When the item, " Expenses of members, £3200," came on, Mr Roberts moved, and

Mr Green seconded, that the item be struck oat. But the item was carried. Under the head of " Police," the following item was carried :—Extra pay for Sergeants and Constables, at (id. per day, for those who have heen 5 years, and Is. for those who have heen 10 years and over in the Service, £SSO.

Progress was then reported, and leave ob- - tained to sit .again. ' THE CARDRONA ARBITRATION COMMITTEE. Mr MacKellar brought up a report by the Select Committee on Gold-fields, respecting :> the Cardrona Arbitration Case (Cotter and others). The Committee stated they were of opinion that it was not competent for the Government to take the stand of saying that no compensation would be paid by them ; and . further that the Government were bound to pay the award, or take steps to have the award set aside, and a fresh arbitration entered upon. A report by the same Committee, upon ' another matter, concluded with these words : b " Your Committee would also draw your attention to the desirability of the whole question of mining on freehold property being dealt with by the Legislature, and your Committee would urge upon your attention the immediate necessity of introducing a clause into the Waste Lands Act reserving all minerals in the soil to the Crown." Friday, July 18. After some questions had been disposed of, in reply to one by Mr Tolmie, as to whether the Government were aware that 700 acres of auriferous land at Maerewhenua had been sold to Mr Campbell, Dr Webster said the Government were of opinion the land was not auriferous, and they had sold it for 10s. an acre. A "Clyde Water Works Empowering Ordinance" was read a first time. CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS. The discussion was resumed upon Mr Bastings' resolutions, and Mr Reid's amendment thereto, upon the above subject. A number of members having spoken, the debate was adjourned until Monday. SUPPLY. The House went into Committee of Supply. _ Under the head of " Gold-fields" a discussion took place as to the position in which Mr Warden Pyke stood, whether he was still in the Government service or not. Mr Castings explained that Mr Pyke had . offered to retire, and that offer had 'been accepted. He would receive 11 months' salary , as compensation, having been 11 years in the service. £20,000 was voted for new School buildings throughout the Province, and £ooo for a new Court-house at Clyde. Under the head " Main Roads," the following items were passed : Maintenance. —Dunstan to Cromwell, £520; : Cromwell to Queenstown, £B2O ; Lindis to . Wanaka, £150; Cromwell to Wanaka, £2OO. Works absolutely necessary. — Dunstan to Cromwell, £ISOO ; Cromwell to Queenstown £2OOO. Monday, July 21. Mr Stout asked the Secretary for Lands whether the Government intended to take any steps to re-purchase the auriferous land I at Switzers sold to Mr Allan M'Donald, so that the sa ; d land might be thrown open to all miners in that locality ? Mr Turnbull : The Government don't in- ; tend to take any steps to re-purchase the laud the lion, member refers to. RE!)UOTION OF THE GOLD EXPORT DUTY. Mr Sumpter moved—"That in the opinion I of this Council it is advisable that the export j | duty on gold should be reduced sixpence per j ! ounce." Mr Hazlett seconded the motion, which : j was carried on the voices after some slight i opposition on the part of Messrs M'Glashan j and Fish. i survey of road from arrow to cardrona. Mr Clarke, in the absence of Mr Hallen- ; stein, moved—"That a respectful Address be ! presented to his Honor the Superintendent, | asking him to cause a dray road to be sur- | veyed from the Arrow to the Cardrona." The motion was lost on the voices. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. 1 The House spent the time from 7 p.m. to 10.15 a.m. in consideration of Mr Bastings'l I resolutions and Mr Reid's amendment on : the above subject. ; Mr Fish stated that the Government had | decided to make this a Government question. Mr Reid's amendment was lost by 21 votes to 15. | An amendment given notice of by Mr Gillies was proposed by Mr Sumpter, to the | effect that, if the General Government did j not immediately go on with the construction of the line from Waitaki to Invercargi.ll, application should be made for authority to iborrr.w a sufficient sum of money for'that | pnrpcse, " on the security of one acre of land for every one pound in money so borrowed, { and farther providing that the land so set I asule is security, may be opened for sale under ;he system of dererred payments or otherwne as this Council may from time to time dmcfc. at a net price not less than ''lis per acre, the proceeds of the sale of such lands to he placed to the credit of a Trust Fund for he redemption of the loan hereinbefore proposed :" and concluding thus—- " That tlmCouncil is of opinion that there is no immedute necessity for the sacrifice of I our landed .state by sale in large blocks, and would depreate a policy tending in that direct'on." Tins amendment was also negatived bv 20 ' to J 5. "" The Governnent resolutions were then nut and carried by 1.8 to 14. Mr Haggitt, it the conclusion of the debate, gave it as lis opinion that it was utterly and entirely impossible ever to procure the consent of the amtlemen to be appointed by the Centra fining Association for the i sale of any land whatever.

Tuesday, July 22. A motion by Mr M'Glashan to the effect that tins Council is of opinion that the Legislative Council of the Colony should be an elected and not a nominated body was lost on the voices. CROMWELL. Mr Bastings moved- "That block 18, in the township of Cromwell, bounded on the north by Alpha-street, on the west by Gaystreet, on the south by Orient-street, and on the east by Jus-street, and containing by admeasurement 2a. 3r. Bp., more or less, be reserved for Hospital purposes."—Carried. CONSTRUCTION OP RAILWAYS. The Council went into consideration of the different resolutions proposed previously bv Mr Bastings, regarding the construction of several branch lines throughout the Province After debate, the whole of the proposals were agreed to. RAILWAY TO CROMWELL Before moving his contingent motion upon this subject, Mr MacKellar brought up the report of the Select Committee appointed to consider the extension of the railway to Cromwell. J Mv MacKellar then moved—"That tie extension of the railway line from lokomairiro and Tuapeka to Roxburgh, Alexandra, Clyde, and Cromwell, (and which for shortness sake may be hereafter designated the Otago Central Railway,) be proceeded with. Ihat the said extension shall be proceeded with in such a manner that the portion between Tuapeka and Roxburgh be constructed concurrently with the progress of the present contracts between Tokomairiro and Tuapeka " Mr Hazlett seconded, and the debate was adjourned to allow of the Select Committee's report being printed. SETTLEMENT ON THE LAND. Mr MPCenzie moved a series of resolutions, to the effect that a block of 30,000 acres of agricultural land should be surveyed into 200-acre lots ; that plans of such lots should be forwarded to the Home Agents of the Province, who should be instructed to advertise the land as open for selection by intend"B"™XiVmtS - The h,m - me,uber was sure if 10,000 acres were allotted to each of the three countries-England, Ireland, and Scot-land,-xt would be the means of bringing out a number of the right sort of settlers to the Province. The resolutions were lost by 17 votes to 13. Wednesday, July .23. ( «™ ;f ac X ellar asked the Government, Whether they were willing to make an arrangement with the Corporation of Cromwell J in the matter of redeeming blocks 8 13 14 ! 62, 63, and 63, from their present waste condition ! Mr Bastings said the Government had no information to enable them to decide. It would depend upon the District Engineers rep >rt whether they would entertain the matter. Mr MacKellar would be satisfied if the Government referred the matter to the District Engineer. NEW HUNDREDS. In connection with Message No. 9 of his Honor, recommending the proclamation of new Hundreds, the House decided that three should be opened : 20,000 acres at Lee ; Stream ; 10,000 acres at Mataura ; and 15,0J0 on Bellamy Station, near Lawrence. DEFERRED PAYMENTS. 30,000 acres of land, in blocks of from 2500 to 5000 acres, in different portions of the Province, were set aside for sale on the deferred payment system. supply. The House then went into Committee of Supply, when the following items were passed : Maintenance.— Cromwell to Bendigo Gully and Logantown, L.IOO ; Albertown to Cardrona, L.50; Arrow to Cardrona, L.50; Cromwell to Nevis, L.150 ; Clyde to Nevis, L. 50. Liabilities on Contracts.— Cromwell to Cardrona, L.115; Cromwell to Quartz Reef Point, L.420 ; Approaches to Bannockburn Bridge, L.960. Works absolutely necessary.— Cromwell to Matatapu, L.IOO ; West Side, Lake Wanaka, L.oOO ; Albertown to Makarora, L.IOO ; Cromwell to Carrickton, L.400 ; Nevis to upper Nevis, L.400. Thursday, July 24. Mr Fish moved a set of resolutions to the effect that the Boys' High School in Dunedin be done avay with entirely; and that the buddings be devoted to the purpose of a training school for teachers. The mover supported his resolutions at length, urging that the school was a class school, and was expensive beyond its result for good. The debate was adjourned. COMMITTEE OP SUPPLY. The House went into Committee of Supply to consider motions of which notice had been previously given : among others, the following : CROMWELL, .Vrßazlett, in the unavoidable absence of Mr MacKellar, moved—"That a sum of L.250 be placed on the Estimates for the Cromwell Athenaeum Building." _ Mr Bastings said that if £.500 was sufficient for Invercargill, L.150 would be sufficient for this Institution. Mr Hazlett accepted that sum, and the motion was carried. NEVIS RIVER. In the absence of Mr MacKellar, Mr Hazlett moved, and it was agreed to—"That the sum of L.60 be placed on the Estimates, to erect a Foot-bridge over the Nevis River, at the place known as the Lower Crossing."