Provincial Councial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 421, 15 November 1856, Page 7

Provincial Councial.

Tuesday, Nov. 11th.

The Council met at 5 p.m. Mr. B f>a.l:bY- gave notice to move for certain l'eturns relative to the sale of a section of land, from the Waste Lands Board.

Mr. Bray gave notice of motion, for a return of the sums spent onthe four principal roads leading out of Christchurch. Mr. Hall brought forward the following resolutions relative, to His Honor the Superintendent's message of the 22nd ultimo. Each clause was debated at great length by the Council, it was finally adopted as follows. wThat this Council, having taken into considerftion the message of his Honor the Superintendent,, dated the.22nd ult., and the circumstances to which that message refers, declares:— • Ist. That the Supreme Court having decided that the Superintendent, in the proceeding which formed the ground of the action at law referred to in the message from bis Honor, did not exceed his-r public duty, his Honor ought not to be subjected to pecuniary loss as the result of such action. . 2nd. That this Council can see no reason why the legal expenses adverted to by his Honor should not be paid by the plaintiff in the ordinary course. 3rd. That in the event however of its being found impracticable to recover the whole or any portion of such expenses from the plaintiff, this Council undertakes to guarantee the payment of the same. It, was agreed that the resolutions should be forwarded to his Honor. The following message from his Honor the Superintendent was then brought in and read. Message No 3. The Superintendent has been informed by the members of the Executive Council that the Railway Reserve Bill has been rejected on its second reading by a large majority of the Provincial Council. From the first settlement of the country the Superintendent has been impressed with a sense of the serious and protracted injury to which the province.must be subjected, from the want of C3;eap, and mercantile intercourse between Lyttelton and the inland country; from the sacrifice of capital in the extravagant rates of carriage; and'the still greater sacrifice of time by the delay and uncertainty attending that carriage. . Since he has been entrusted with the administration of the government of the country, and has had fuller means of watching its necessities, and the obstacles to its development, that feeling has impressed itself far more deeply on the mind of the Superintendent, and he has lost no opportunity of urging the subject on the attention of the.Provincial Council, and, so far as lay in his power and was consistent with his duty, of suggesting means for overcoming the difficulty. The Superintendent entirely disclaims any desire to force on any particular work, whether or not acceptable to the public. He is, and always has been anxious to unite with the Council in carrying into efi'ect any scheme which may eili "iently accomplish the desired end. _ The Superintendent would remind the Council that it was alter full and prolonged discussion—after the report of a Board of Engineers appointed in compliance with the wishes of the Council,and,as the Superintendent believes, with tluifull assent of the Council and of the public -generally, that the works on the Sumner Road, Svhich 'had been discontinued in 1850, were -'again undertaken by the Provincial Govern•inent m 1851.. Every line of road which had "been suggested was. then considered formally, and rejected as unsuitable, and the Sumner line was,, notwithstanding the magnitude of the work, adopted as tho only available expedient. The Superintendent has proceeded with that

work amidst considerable difficulty, to the extent but not in excess ofthe votes placed at his disposal by the Council for that purpose. The works already accomplished in cost have not exceeded the estimates, and in execution have fully justified the reports of the Provincial Engineer, laid before and fully approved by the Council. There is therefore reason to suppose that those reports and estimates may be relied on for the remainder ofthe work.

But the Superintendent cannot disguise from himself the fact that the continuance of this work is now viewed by a large part of the province with growing dissatisfaction, mainly arising from a want of confidence in the final completion of the work. He therefore feels it his duty in the present state ofthe public mind, and in the absence of any clear information as to the settled views of the Provincial Council, to decline the responsibility of proceeding further with this work.

The Superintendent therefore requests the Council once more to take the whole subject of the communication between the Port and the Plains into its serious consideration, with a view to the final and complete settlement of that question ; and he would urge this course on the Council the more strongly because it is obvious that the existing doubts as to the ultimate line of traffic must be very injurious, not only keeping up a state of uncertainty as to the value of property and the security of investments, but by preventing the public mind from being turned to, and the public energies from being concentrated upon some other means for facilitating the communication between the Po:t and the Plains.

It was in the hope and, from what had previously occurred, the natural belief that there would have been unanimity on the subject; not only from a, general acquiesence in the plan itself but from the certain prospect of its being carried'into operation without delay, that the plan recently rejected was proposed to the Council.

The Superintendent, being disappointed in this hope, turns again to the question of constituting the cart road, and he does so because no other plan has been suggested to him which can so cheaply or expeditiously satisfy the acknowledged wants.

The Superintendent fully recognises the advantages which would be gained by a water communication by means of steam lighters. But he cannot forbear taking this opportunhVy of recording his settled conviction that the establishment of any really efficient communication between the shipping in Port Victoria and any part of the coast on this side of the hills will speedily.result in the abandonment of Lyttelton as the- principal shipping port of the province, and the sacrifice of the majority of the investments in- that place. In saying this he is only anxious that the Provincial Council, before adopting any final course, shoidd fully recognise fll the possible consequences. The main reason why the plan of the proposed railway recommended itself so strongly to the Superintendant was, that it- would, if carried out, at once have fully satisfied all the wants of of-the plains whilst it reserved for ever the existing investments in Lyttelton. But if-Lyttelton is to be reached by the traffic from the plains only by water it seems idle to suppose it can long be maintained -against the inevitable rivalry of other places more directly in the line of, and offering equal or greater facility for carrying on such traffic. If, therefore, £ steam communication by water be established, the Superintendent suggests whether it -would not bo right at the same time to open a land communication which will serve for light traffic, as speedily as as possible. Por he assumes that the Council will coincide with him in opinion that it would not be desirable to take any steps which might lead to the abandonment of Lyttelton. But whatever may be the view of the Provincial Council the Superintendent eu-nostly hopes that the question may now be finally disposed of, and the present uncertainty set at rest forever. He hopes that the time has arrived when the public at large will consent, each laying aside his own peculiar views, to support the Government in endeavouring to remove this great grievance, it might almost he said ibis great disgrace from our province, for it is worse than idle to hope that without v laninvity and without some sacrifice so great a work can be done by. so small a community. James Edward '.'Vr/ Gkrai,i>, Superini'vu-i'?:.. :' ;:!> In'ov. 1660.

Mr. Bray moved " that in the opinion of this Council the main lines of roads ought to be maintained by the Provincial Government, out ofthe general revenues, and not by the inhabitants of the road districts. This was agreed to on a division. The Council agreed to the reserves for the ferries across the Wairnakiriri and the Rakaia. The House wen f into committee on the Loan Bill. The several clauses were read and variously amended. The House resumed and adjourned till Wednesday at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Council met at 2 p.m. Mr, Rhodes gave notice of motion to ask for a select committee to inquire- into the rate of wages earned by workmen on the sumner road last winter. Mr. J. Bealey moved for returns from the Waste Lands Board, respecting section 453 taken out of pre-emptive right 194 or 25. A debate ensued on this question, as it called in question the practice of the Waste Lands Board. Mr. Bray moved for a return of the money expended on the four principal roads leading out of Christchurch, viz : —The Perry Road, the Lincoln Road, the Riccarton Road, and the Papanui Road. Mr. Brittan moved the House into a committee of supply. The estimates for the half year ending March 1857, were then brought on. A slight increase in the Treasury department and the printing was explained by the fact of the Waste Lands expenditure being now under the control of the Provincial Government. The estimates for the half year for the Waste Lands Board were then passed, viz:— £520 for the Waste Lands Board, and £1,650 for the Survej's. The following estimates for public works were then passed. £ For metalling and forming Ferry Road... 1900 In aid of draining Eerry Road 100 Main Roads, through Christchurch 500 Lower Lincoln Road, as far as the Heathcote and Bridge over Halswell ... 1000 Riccarton Road 300 North Road to Kaiapoi ... 4500 " " from Kaiapoi to Hurunui .., 1000 " " Branch to Rangiora 200 Bridges and Roads hi Akaroa 500 Bridle Road to Governor's Bay 500 •Metalling Road, south of Christchurch... 50 Road under.the hills ... 200 Rakaia Eerry 50 Buoy and Ball, Sumner... - 20 Staking out Heathcote 40 Prison labour 300 Current repairs of roads 500 For store of timber ... 500 Land Office Safe 50 Enlargement of Gaol 300 Public Office at Kaiapoi... 150 Bridge between Papanui and Riccarton... 130 On the motion of Mr. Brittan, Mr. Dobson was present while the public works were under discussion, and gave any information required to the committee. The House then resumed. On the question of adjourning to the next day, Mr. Hall proposed and Mr. Packer seconded a motion that the, Council adjourn till Tuesday, to enable them to go over the Hue of Sumner road, preparatory to taking into consideration his Honors Message. This was agreed to, and the members aoreed to meet on Monday, at the ferry, at 10 p.m., for the purpose of walking over the line of road. Mr. Brittan gave notice ofthe third reading ofthe Waste Lands Amendment Bill for Tuesj day; also that the House go into committee on the Loan Bill, and for Mr. Hamilton to, move the following repl.v to His Honor's Message No. 3. " The Provincial Council having taken into cons'deration His Honor's Message, No. 3, relating to tho communication between the port and the plains, . „. Resolves as follows :— 1. That it is essential to the' v-progress and prosperity of ibis province, that increased facilities should be provided for the conveyance to-the port town of the agricultural and other exportable produce of the settlement. 2. That with this view it is under existing circumstances desirable to ail'ord public encou-

ragement to the establishment and maintenance of steam communication between the port town and those points on the plains from which produce ofthe above descriptions is usually shipped. 3. That this council regarding the interests of Lyttelton as well as those of the rest ofthe province, considers it essential to maintain an uninterrupted Land communication between this town and the inland country by means of a cart road from Lvttelfon to Christchurch.

4. That this Council taking into consideration the various plans which have been proposed for opening such Land Communication thinks it inexpedient to depart from resolutions repeatedly adopted in former sessions, in favour of the line of road now in the course of construction by wav of Sumner.

5. That in the opinion of this Council it is desirable, pending the completion of the whole line of road by the construction of a tunnel, to widen the present track over Evans' Pass. sufficiently to allow of the safe passage of lij-rht traffic.

6. That in accordance with these resolutions His Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place on the estimates the sum of £3.000 for the establishment of steamers, and a further sum of £3,000 for opening the cart-road for light work.

Mr. Packer gave notice of a motion to advance £300 in aid of a Hall which the Government could have the use of for purposes of justice, &c.

Mr. Moqehotjse and Mr. Ollitieb gave notice to move for grants of land in aid of the road to Governor's Bay and the Lower Lincoln Itoad. The House then adjourned till Tuesday next.