Hawke's Bay Hearld SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1867. ACTS OF LAST SESSION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 902, 21 December 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Hearld SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1867. ACTS OF LAST SESSION.

The Acts passed dunug last session of the Provincial Council have passed safely through ;he ordeal of the Attorney General's cflice, and been returned with the Governor's assent thereto. Many, it will be remembered, predicted that, owing to the loose manner in which the Acts in question were drawn, such assent would be refused ; but none of these predictions have been verified by the event. The Acts in question are three in number — the Ceaaetery Act, the Slaughter House Act, Mid the Toll-gate Act. The first Act is much wanted, the Napier Cemetery in particular being in a disgraceful condition ; and all the Cemetery reserves being more or less in want of supervision. As regards the Napier reserve, we presume that His Honor the Superintendent will lose no time in appointing mauagers j and we may remark that, upon the judgment shewn in such appointments will in a great measure depend "whether the raeasnre will prove really useful or remain a dead letter. The proposition made in the Council that each christiau denomination should have its own portion set apart, aud be entrusted with the management of the same, would have relieved the Superintendent of the somewhat unpleasant duty of so selecting men as to balance religious belief, or, at all events, as to guard against any one section of the religious community have undue preponderance in the counsels of the general body of managers ; while it would have excited a feeling of emulation on the part of each body, which would more effectually have guaranteed that the work ! of laying out aud beautification should go on with vigour. However, a large majority of members took a different view, and it now rests with the govern- 1 ment to nominate an efficient body of men, having regard iv so doing to each denomination being fairly represented, taking cave also that what may be termed the secular element shall not be overlooked. The Slaughter House Act was wanted, partly for the protection of breeders, and partly to promote sanitary improvement in town — we believe chiefly the former. The Slaughter house and adjoining yards are now being erected, at a place on the beach a short distance beyond the Shamrock hotel, This measure is calculated to be useful ; but under one of its clauses immense powers of issuing licenses are I given to the Inspector, quite sufficient, j if used without judgmeut, to make the Act inoperative. Of course such a j possibility is not one that need be apprehended. The Toll-gate Act having beeu as- j sented to, we presume that tenders will j soon be invited for the erection of a Toll-gate and keeper's lodge. Believing as we do that, by this Act, a gross injustice will be perpetrated upon the inhabitants of the town of Napier and upon the small farmers of Meanee~ particularly the former, who having no road to go over, will yet be called upon to pay every time they seek a change from the swamp-polluted air they normally breathe— we should not have been sorry if a fatal flaw in the Acfc had been discovered by the Argus eye of the Attorney-General. As, however, it has become law, we trust no time will be lost iv actiug upon its provisions. We don't want a gate, but if there must be one, let it be up at once so as to catch, the immense inland traffic which is now going on.