PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 2879, 11 May 1872, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Yesterday. The Speaker took the chair at two o’clock. PAPERS. The Speaker laid on the table the Provincial Auditor’s report of unauthorised expenditure, from April 1, 1871, to March 31, 1872. REPORTS OX PETIT!OXS. Mr Daniel brought up the reports of the private petitions committee on two reports submitted for their consideration They reported in reference to the petition of Andrew Thomson of Waikoiiaiti that the petitioner had no claim upon the Government; and as to the petition of Mrs Carson, that the evidence brought before the committee shewed that the husband of the deceased had, in his capacity of overseer in H M Gaol, Dunedin, zealously performed work for the Government outside of his regular duties and without remuneration ; wherefore they recommended that a sum should be placed on the estimates equivalent to the sum the deceased would have been entitled to as retiring allowance (having been in the service seven years) together with LSO as a recognition of the faithful discharge of his duties. PETITIONS, &o. The Provincial Secretary laid on the table (in answer to' Mr Maoassey’s motion) correspondence relating to the original appointment of Mr Branigan, together with Dr. Hulme’s report as to his condition and prospects of recovery (which report was to the eflect that Mr Branigan was suffering from incurable and increasing disease of the brain.) Mr Shepherd presented a petition from the Municipal Council of Alexandra, praying that steps be taken to secure the attendance of a warden once a week, and that of the receiver thrice a week at Alexandra, and from the directors of the Royal Standard Quartz Mining Company praying that their efforts in prospecting the Garrick Range for payable quartz reefs might receive favorable consideration. Mr Brown presented the petition of Thomas Murray, who prayed that justice might be done on him in the matter of his application for an agricultural lease, Waitahuna; and the petition of J, H. Cook, miner, praying for employment compatible with his abilities in the Government service, the petitioner being incapable, in consequence of having met with an accident, of following his usual calling ; Mr Turnbull, the petition of John Campbell, praying for enquiry into matters relating to the settlement of the claim of Campbell and Robertson; Mr Maeassey, the petition of 827 Chinese residents in the Wakatip district, praying for the removal of Warden Beetham, and the placing of another in his stead; Mr Mervyu, the petition of 203 residents of Naseby, praying that certain land at Maseby be reserved for recreation purposes.

QUESTIONS The Provincial Secretary stated, in reply to > r Webster, that the Government could offer no information as to position of the survey of the Waitaki-Moeraki railway beyond what could be obtained from the Parliamentary papers attached to the Assembly journals of last session. There had been no correspondence between the General and Provincial Governments excepting what had a general reference to the railw ays in the Pr vince, in which the Government had urged the Colonial Government to construct the different lines mentioned. And in answer to Mr Mackenzie, that the Government had forwarded to the Col >mal Government the Council’s resolution with regard to a survey 0 a railway line between Dunedin and Waikouaiti j and seeing that other Provinces were getting surveys of their lines undertaken by the Colony out of the loan, the Go-

verntnent saw no reason for patting the Pmvince to the expense of making a survey dL that portion of the line Vyaikonaiti, Palmerston, espe* cially as there was little chahce of its being constructed for many years.