PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVI, Issue 947, 7 December 1861, Page 4

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Ti lUIISDA Y—Dkckmijku 5. Present—All the members except Messrs. Brittan, lliokman, iStudholme, and Wylde. Prayers were read and the minutes of the previous sitting confirmed. The report of the Committee for the 'Revision of the Ordinances of the House wan called for, but an apology was made for its not being ready, and tiie time "for bringing it up was extended to Thursday next. The report of the Committee on Public Works was brought up, read, and receivedA message from his Honor the Superintendent on mail communication with Europe was received, in which it was stated that Great Britain might be brought within 51 days of this province, and answers to correspondence might be forwarded by the next -outgoing mail if a direct communication by steam with Melbourne were secured by the Government of the province, and recommending that the Council should empower the Executive to advertise in the Colonial papers for tenders for a steam service to ply between Canterbury and Melbourne direct. A Report of the Committee on the Sheep Bill was read and received. Mr. EitzGbrald pointed out what to him appeared an oversight in the Provincial Council Extension Bill recently passed. There was no provision in it for making the necessary Electoral Rolls, and consequently he supposed there would be no power to elect a new Council when the present Council should be dissolved. The Provincial Secretary stated that the rolls for districts sending members to the Provincial Council were made up from the lists of voters for the General Assembly; and that there was an officer of the Government whose duty it was to make up such rolls from the lists of persons who bad qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly. Care would be taken that the next rolls should be made out so as to provide for the new provincial districts. Mr. Haugreaves asked whether it was the intention of Government to memorialise the General Government upon the desirability of erecting a lighthouse at Lyttelton Heads ? The Provincial Secretary, in reply, said the Executive Avould be glad for the Council to strengthen their hands in the matter, by themselves forwarding a memorial expressing their wishes to the General Government. It was agreed that such a memorial should be introduced to the Council by the Executive. Mr. Peacock moved and Mr. Bradwell seconded that the Superintendent be requested to place on the Estimates a sum not exceeding £50 for the purpose of establishing an annual regatta at Lyttelton. The mover urged that if this were done it would encourage boat-building in Port, and lead to beneficial results in various ways.—Carried. Mr. Ollivieu moved the House into committee to consider the Volunteer Training Bill. Mr. Bradwell seconded the motion, which was carried. On the first clause being read, Mr. Ollivier suggested an alteration of date, so that the money ■ devoted to this service might be brought within the financial year. Mr. Davis regarded the volunleer movement as altogether a sham, and moved that the bill be read that day six months. Mr. Ollivier would not stay to enquire what the hon. member meant by the volunteer movement being a sham, but would statisfy himself by saying that Mr. Davis was out of order. The House had already adopted the principle of the bill, and therefore to move that the bill be read that day six months was mere nonsense, seeing that the bill had been already read.—The clause was carried as amended. On the 2nd clause being read, which provided that £50 should be allowed if more than 30 and not more than 50 volunteers were enrolled, and £20 additional if more than 50 and under 70, Mr. Ollivier moved that it should be 30s. per head for each man above the number of 50 which was carried, and the clause passed in its amended form. On the 3rd clause being read, which states upon what the money may be spent, there was a little discussion. It was decided that the word " service," wliich might be made to mean something not intended, should be struck out, and " training " substituted. Mr. Boaven asked under what authority the volunteers could be called out, and whether they might be used to quell popular tumults ? Mr. Ollivier explained that the Militia Act prescribed the duties of volunteers. Mr. Davis was sure that it was a waste of public money to vote it away for training volunteers. They were but shadows. Mr. Ollivier: If the Council carry this bill it will make them a substance, and he thought the volunteers in Canterbury had not hitherto received that countenance from the Government which they had a right to expect. Mr. FitzGerald found from a perusal of a report on military expenditure in the colonies, received from England by the late mail that a feeling was growing in the mother country that the colonies should support in a great measure their own military expenditure. Without considering whether that doctrine were correct, there was no doubt but it would be popular with a large political section at home, and we ought, therefore to prepare for our own defence. He Avas disposed to regard the embodiment of volunteer corps very favorably, because he believed that they protected the state at less cost than any other force that could be organised. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Davis preferred the Militia. He had had two years experience in that force, in Wellington, and he felt he Avas better able to judge about the matter than the hon. member for Akaroa. The volunteers here were nobody, and Avould if called on to do duty have all sorts of paltry excuses to get out of it. If any danger threatened, rather than meet it, they would pretend to be sick or anything to keep out of the way of it. Mr. Bradavell believed his hon. colleague Avas troubled Avith the infirmity of saying disagreeable things of people without intending to do so, and of forgetting when he had done it, What right had Mr. Davis to speak disparagingly of the Canterbury Volunteers ? During the last 18 months they had incurred a heavy personal expenditure, and sacrificed a great deal of time to acquire some military training, and for that the hon. member gave them credit for having less bravery and patriotism than those who had made no such sacrifices. He (Mr. BradAvell) thought the Volunteers might at least have done this without being insulted in the Council. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Boaven did not mean to oppose the measure before the House, but he should very much like to know by what process the Volunteers could be brought into action in case the country needed their services. Mr. Ollivier pointed out the clauses in the Militia Act to Avhich the Volunteers are amenable, and they were read by Mr. FitzGerald, showing under what circumstances, and by Avhom they might bo called into service. The clauses, Avith some verbal alterations, were all agreed to; the preamble was read, progress reported, and the House resumed. Mr. Ollia'ier moved that " His Honor the Superintendent be requested to direct the sum of £150 to be placed on the Estimates as a contribution in aid of the Christchureh Mechanics' Institute Library." In bringing this motion before the Council, the hon. member wished to remind the House that they had already agreed to place the sum of £250 on the Estimates as compensation to tho institute for having taken its building site. But it Avas thought desirable by many that, that sum having been recognised as a claim of the Institute by tho Government, the X2f)o should lie in abeyance, until a building fund could be established, and that tho Council should bo asked to concede at present £150 for the purchase of books. Mr. Bhadwell felt pleasure in seconding the motion, as the house had sanctioned a similar A'ote for a kindred institution in Lyttelton. Ho thought it an important oversight that tho Committco on Education had not been instructed to take this subject of libraries and literary societies under its care, and have measured out a liberal support to all-

mblie libraries* in the province. There was a library in Okain's, and an effort now being made to <Ht.abli.sh one in Pigeon Hay. To tllose, and to any others which might Bering up, he hoped the state would give a helping hand. At present the young men of the province could iind little intellectual recreation provided, and no wonder that they foil victims to dissipation. Some efficient means of carrying forward the mental culture of adultH ho regarded as quite as important as infant education, (Hear, hear,) and he trusted that we were now awaking to a full recognition of what was the duty of the State in this matter.

Mr. I'Viy/iKRAW) was glad to hear the remarks of the lion, member. He thought that a great work had yet to lie done by the state in educating the minds and tastes of the youth of both sexes. A great number of ways of doing this were open to us, such as providing not only books, but models, pictures, and other works of science and art for mechanics' institutes and public libraries ; by paying lecturers ; by the establishment of museums, &c. Jf our first settlers had been provided with means of improving their tastes, we should not have had our streets dis° figured by the ugliest buildings in the world. That ugliness was first tolerated and then admired, and so we went on constantly degenerating. He was pleased to hear of the libraries on the Peninsula, and thought they had peculiar claims for help, as they were so far removed from the great centres of population, and could not therefore have access to libraries in the towns. It was a reflection on the Government (not the present one only, but all that had preceded it) that during the last ten years so much money had been expended in material wants and so little for intellectual developement. He trusted the present Government would wipe away this reproach, and bring down some comprehensive scheme of fostering literature, science, and art all over the province.

Mr. Davis thought the Mechanics' Institute wanted a building suited for its requirements, more than hooks, and wished the Government to help them first in providing that.

The Provincial Secretary would cordially support the motion, if the Government were assured that at present they would not he called upon to pay the sum placed on the Estimates for a building site.

Mr. Ollivier could assure the Government that was the wish of the committee. He differed from Mr. Davis. At present they were comfortably and cheaply hahitated, and he was satisfied that the multitude desired books rather than bare walls.

The motion was carried. On the Provincial Secretary moving the House into supply,—

Mr. FitzGerald suggested that the Eoad Bili and Roads Diversion Bill had better be reserved to another session, particularly the former. It involved great interests, and the public would expect to be consulted before its enactments were imposed upon them. He would recommend that both bills should be published in the newspapers of the province. Mr. Shand coincided with Mr. FitzGerald.

The Provincial Secretary promised to lay those views before his colleagues and at the next sitting inform the House what was their opinion.— The House then went into

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.

The first item brought under notice was for printing the Journal of the House, and was withdrawn by the Government under the representation that it ATOuld be too expensive. Mr. Bowen suggested that an efficient safe should be provided in which to keep the records of the Government. Mr. FitzGerald asked the Provincial Solicitor what would be the expense of transcribing an official copy of the Journal .to be attested and deposited with the Registrar of Deeds : but no satisfactory answer could be given. The next item was £300 for painting, &c, and was agreed to without any discussion; as also a vote of £100 for the Queen's plate.

Several votes were then taken for the Government fire engine, and its safe keeping, amounting to £395.

£500 was voted for furniture.

On the next vote (£IOO for additions to the library) Mr, Bradwell pointed out the want of library accommodation. Many valuable books were to be found now in the library, but there was no accommodation for gentlemen to sit down and peruse them. He would suggest that the present Council hall be devoted to the library, and before the meeting of the new and extended Council another hall be built for their accommodation.

Mr. FitzGerald would like to hear how the next Council were to be accommodated. The present hall was not now sufficiently commodious, and where they could put the nine new members he was at a loss to conceive. In the original design of the building the present Council hall was intended to be the library.

Mr. Ollivier, as a member of the House Committee, could assure the hon. member for Akaroa that the subject had been fully ventilated. A report would shortly be brought up, and it would then be found that every provision had been made for the comfort of the members of the House.

The vote for an addition to the library was then carried, as also £20 for the services of a librarian.

The item of £500 to supplement the postal service was agreed to, after a few remarks from the Provincial Secretary, who stated that a weekly mail to Timaru and the Mackenzie plains was one of the objects to be secured, as also increased means of communication with the north.

£200 was put down for extra clerical assistance to departments, but ultimately £300 was carried, on the suggestion of Mr. FitzGerald, who pointed out that under the new Audit Act the Government would find themselves in a dilemma if their funds run out before the end of the year. He approved of the Council dealing liberally with the Executive, but would rigidly maintain the prerogative of the Council to control the finances; and that led him to ask what provision the Government intended to make for any unforseeu demands ?

The Provincial, Secretary could not then say; when the proposed votes on the estimates had been all considered, he would be prepared with a reply. £50 was then voted for the hospital library .£2O for the gaol library, and £100 for a museum. On the next vote, £1000 for developing the coal seams at Malvern, a warm discussion ensued.

Mr. Harman wished to know in what manner the Government proposed to work the coal-field: whether the ground would be sold, or leased, or worked by the Government ?

Mr. FitzGeualt) denounced the practice of the Government hoarding up bits of land all over the province, and undertaking works which should be left to private enterprise. It had been proved again and again that the Government was a bad landlord, and by its practice of monopolising favored spots of country (contrary to the spirit of the Waste Lands Regulations) it placed itself in the position of a great land-shark. The reserve of the land by the Government was illegal, and any person might purchase it from the Waste Lands Board and defy the Government to retain possession of it. The Council had been a considerable time in session, and still no return had been given of the reserves made by the Government during the recess. He was anxious to have that return immediately, and asked when it would be forthcoming. " .

The Provincial Secretary said he would produce the return asked for on Tuesday next.—The vote was then agreed to.

The sum of £300 for enlarging the Town Hall, Christehurch, was agreed to, after some little opposition.

Mr. Davis felt indignant that tho Supreme Court sittings should be held in a tawdry building, where the ,J udgo had to be jostled by dogs and monkeys. Mr. Thompson was of opinion that a more suitable place than the Town Hall should be provided for the administration of justice, but he would not object to the vote in question. Mr. Oixivikr explained, in reply to a question by Mr. FitzGerald, that tho trustees of the building proposed to raise a sum of £1500 by shares, and, supplemented by the. proposed vote of .£3OO, they would erect a more commodious suite of buildings contiguous to the present hall, and that Government would have the iirst claim on such a building for tho sittings of tho Supremo Court, public meetings, &c. Hitherto the trustees had kept good faith with the" Government, and had concoded privileges to them beyond the terms of their contract.

The vote was carried, with ouiy oue dissentient voice.

£250 was then voted a; compensation to the Mechanics' Institution for ti ie loss of their building site; and £100 to Mr. Gr; ham, of Lyttelton, for damage to his team on the Sumner road, through the carelessness of the road gang. Mr. FitzGerald moved " That in the opinion of this Committee it is desiral le that instructions be sent to the English Agent t< the effect that, beyond the sum of £1 5,000 voted fo • the service of the year ending September 30, 1861', the Agent shall not enter "into any contracts or engagements involving the province in expenditure during the yaar ending September 30, ISG2, to a greater amount than £ 10,000." Mr. BiumvEiiL seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously. Progress was then reported, and tie House resumed. The Superintendent's Salary Bill was read a third time, passed, and numbered 5. After notices of motion had been given, the House adjourned to Friday, noon.