SOUTHLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1414, 17 June 1865, Page 5

SOUTHLAND.

By the Otago we have our files to the 10th Juno. We take the following extracts from the papers to hand :—

Provincial Couxoil.—The Council met on the 7th instant. The following is the Superintendent's address Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Provincial Council —I have called this meeting of the Provincial Council in anticipation of that of the Colonial Parliament, which will take place e.'irlv iri July, chiefly that that body may be "furnished by you with a calmly and carefully considered expression of opinion as to the mode in which you propose to deal with the difficulties in which this province is placed, with a view to removing them. The financial business which you have hitherto had to transact has been confined, for the most part, to the voting and appropriating of money, which came in abundantly. Your attention will now have to. be given to the means of paying off debts already incurred. It is necessary to tell you that, from the ordinary revenue of the province nothing can for the present be made available for this purpose ; and that, therefore, the only source from which the required funds can be raised is the money arising from the sale of the Waste Lands. Since the new Land Act of December, 1863, came into operation, only 360 acres of land have been nold. It is manifest, therefore, that without an alteration of its enactments, this fund will remain for a long time unproductive. You will be called upon to recommend, for adoption by the General Assembly, such alterations as may appear to you most likely to render this source of revenue again productive ; and in doing so, I would especially press upon your consideration two points, viz., the greatest possible simplicity, and the greatest possible fairness, towards all whose interests may be affected by the alterations. In furtherance of this object, certain resolutions will be submitted to you. Should you not, however, adopt these resolutions, I trust that you will not separate without recommending some measure for the administration of the waste lands, which will furnish , a reasonable expectation of the realization of the land to the necessary amount, with the greatest advantage to the province generally and with the least possible injury to the interest of the present liceusees of the waste lands. A statement of the liabilities of the province has been prepared for your information and guidance. In estimating the amount of the loan which it will be necessary to raise to cover the whole amount of outstanding debts, plus one year's interest and sinking fund — which should be added to cover the time which must elapse before any new land law can come into operation —the proceeds of the sale of debentures, both of those already issued, and of those to be issued, have been reckoned at 80 per cent net. This taking into consideration the price at which the Otago debentures have lately sold, is much higher than we can calculate upon realising; but with the additional security of a specific allocation of land to the extent of one acre for every pound of debentures ; which I —in accordance with the requirements of the Colonial Ministry, as published in their circular addressed to the Superintendents of provinces, dated 22nd April—propose to make, this estimate at least may be reached. The sale of the whole of our Debentures at 80 per cent, would involve a loss of £130,000, which loss would of course be increased, should they have to be disposed of at a lower price; but, altogether, as I believe, done away with, should the General Government assent to a consolidation of all provincial loans, guaranteed, as ours will be, with their own. The following bills:—l. Police Bill, 1865; 2. Superintendent's Indemnity Bill, 1865; 3. Appropriation Bill, No. 2, 1865 ; 4. Debentures Bill, 1865; 5. Tolls Bill, 1865; 6. Provincial Auditor and Deputy Auditor's Salary Bill, 1865 ; 7. Dog Bill, 1865 ; 8. Executive Council Bill, 1865 ; 9. Licensing Bill, 1865 ; will, on account of the doubt as to the legality of my first election, have to be repassed by you. From the experience in the working of the Sheep Ordinance, so many additions and modifications have become necessary, that it has been thought best to repeal instead of amending them. A new Ordinance, founded almost entirely on the resolutions passed at two several meetings of the runholders, will be presented for your consideration. The Executive Council Ordinance, passed at the last session, having been disallowed, another, modifying the clauses objected to, has been prepared. The result of your deliberations on this session cannot fail to have a permanent influence on the future of the province, either for good or ill. I have now earnestly to entreat your careful and dispassionate consideration of the subjects to which I bave called your attention; luying aside all remnants of past disagreements, and working together cordially for the attainment of one sole object—the 'public good. May God grant his blessing on your endeavours." His Honor then retired.

The Reply.—" The Provincial Council desires to express its thanks for the consideration of the interests of the province which has led your Honor to convene a meeting previous to that of the Colonial Parliament, to take into consideration the financial embarrassment of the province, with the view to removing them. The Council expresses its regret that so little revenue has been derived from the sale of Crown lands, aud will address itself to an earnest consideration of the subject of the administration of the waste lands, for the purpose of devising regulations by which sufficient inducements may be held out to immigrants, and a revenue obtained to meet the requirements of the province. The Council hopes that any serious loss on the sale of the debentures of the province, such as that contemplated in your Honor's address, may be obviated by the consolidation of all the provincial loans in a General Government one, which, by increasing the security, will enable them to be negociated on more advantageous terms. In conclusion, the Council begs to assure your Honor that it will give its best consideration to all such measures as your Honor may think fit to lay before it." The Land Regulations.—Dr.Hodgkinson gave notice of motion to introduce, at the ensuing sitting, the following resolutions:-— L. " That the land regulations at present in force within this province have worked unsatisfactorily, both with regard to the management of pastoral lands and the sale ot' land, and it is expedient to repeal the same." 2. " That it is expedient that free

selection, at the price of 20s per acre, should be allowed overall lands within the province, the purchaser becoming entitled to a Crown grant immediately upon payment of the purchase money." 3. " That the licensees of runs should be granted a lease of" their respective runs for 14 year* from the time of the Act coming into operation, ;it a yearly rental of 2d per acre. 1 " That su -h runholders should be paid compensation by the Government for any land purchased on their holdings, after the following scale : —Runs having from 9 to 1 \ years Io run at the rate of 2s per a<Ti; of the land purchased. Runs having from 0 to 9—ls per acre. Runs having from to (j-—ls per acre. Runs having lews than •> years- -(id per acre. That in all other respects the Land Regulations in force in the Province of Canterbury be adopted, so far as consistent with the practical operation of the foregoing reso lutions. That inasmuch as the purchasers of rural land under former regulations in force within the province have been led by previous Governments to believe that the conditions ot purchase requiring improvements to the extent of £2 per acre to be made upon the land within four years, would not work a forfeiture, but that a Crown <;raut would be withheld until the conditions were complied with, ,and inasmuch as many purchases have been made upon the faith of this interpretatation, and inasmuch as the strict enforcement of these conditions would inflict, great injury on the province, it is the opinion of this Council that such purchaser should be allowed a further period of four years to comply with the conditions."

Bcsinkss ok the Council.—The Provincial Council re-assembled for the dispatch of business on Tuesday last, and the measures before it are, Bills to amend the Licensing and Scab Acts, and to provide for the Inspection of Hackney Carriag s. The Amended Licensing Bill will do little beyond limiting the time of keeping open public-houses to eleven o'elock at night, as a clause to prevent publicans serving advertisea drunkards with liquor was thrown out in ommittee. The Scab Bill lias, as yet, been read only a first time, and, before it is further proceeded with, it is intended to take evidence on the measure. As the bill is drawn, although it might work serviceably in a settled district, like the Waimeas, it would be wholly inapplicable to pastoral country of the character of most of the runs in the province; while the sum set down in the Estimates for the requisite outlay to bring it into operation is ridiculously small. The Estimates for the year have been laid before the Council, and the total revenue is set down at £40,659, or £1373 less than the revenue of last year. This reduction in our revenue of from £30*000 to £35,000 a year is attributed to the falling off of land sales, the more attractive pastoral land of the province being now all private property. Unfortunately, whilst the revenue flourished no sufficient provision was made to open other districts for sale by surveys and roads. Our diminished revenue has induced the Superintendent to attempt to economise the expenditure, and a saving in salaries to the extent of about £85i) a-year has been proposed. After the departmental expenses have been provided for, the balance of revenue will he devoted, we hope, as far as possible, to surveys, and to opening the country by roads. There is one item not on the Estimates upon which the Councii will be called upan to vote—we refer to a provision for the widow of the late Superintendent. We are sure that the Council will act in this matter in as liberal a spirit asthe finances of the province >vill justify.—Examiner, June 10.

The Weather at Nelson.—The past month has been characterised by an unusual amount of tempestuous weather. This has led to many shipping disasters, particularly on the West Coast of this island, where the goldfields are giving employment to a large number of coasting vessels. The gale commenced on the West Coast during the night of the 14th of May, and although it moderated at intervals, yet for fully ten days the weather was of an ex< eedingly stormy character, and the gale appears to have extended to the coast of the Australian colonies. In Nelson, the storm attained its greatest force on the 16th, and gave a pressure of 9.60 lbs to the square inch, accompanied by the extraordinary fall of 6.35 inches of rain. The barometer gave indications of the coming storm for more than a week. It began to fall on the 4th of the month, and went down below 29 inches, and although it afterwards rose a little, it scarcely got above 29.50 inches before the storm came upon us. Most fortunately, the wrecks which took place were unattended with loss of life, ; as far as is known, except in the case of a small vessel seen off the Grey river, keel uppermost, the crew of which, it is to be feared, must have perished.—lbid.

The Bight. Hon. W. E. Gladstone.—Mr. Gladstone must know (no man better) that the assumed amicable feeling between rich and poor, of which he speaks, is not the growth, wherever it exists, of the last thirty years, or even of the last century. It was as strong when Addison wrote his charming " Sir Roger de Coverley" as it is now. It was stronger before the Revolution of 1688 than it has ever been since. The immediate cause of its declension, when it did decline, was the growth of manufactures, which established new relations between employers and employed, and threw the latter in crowds together, without any influence, moral or religious, being brought to bear upon them for" good. The party from which Mr. Gladstone has unfortunately withdrawn himself always protested against this state of thingsi and endeavoured to apply a remedy to it. His new friends resisted these efforts, or declined co-operating with them. But conceding, for argument's sake, all that Mr. Gladstone and his deputation seem to t imply, does it therefore follow that the Conservatives desire, or ever desired, to exclude the working classes from exercising the franchise either in town or country? Quite otherwise. In 1832 they did their best to preserve for borough freemen and potwallopers the hereditary privileges which the lawhad conferred upon them. They were defeated then ; and now, if they hesitate about descending o a six-pound franchise, it is because the advocates of that arrangement are themselves dissatisfied with it, and never scruple, as often as the opportunity is presented, to speak of the descent to a six-pound franchise as a mere step in the right direction. Now the Conservatives hold that the right direction lies upwards. They believe also that it is in the power of every intelligent, sober, and indus. trious artisan to proceed in that direction, if he be willing; and they prefer keeping the franchise as it is, because while ready, with open arms, to welcome to a voice in the management of public affairs those men who have shown that they understand how wisely to manage their own, they are not disposed to throw political power into the hands of an ignorant and improvident mob. The oldest and best of Mr. Gladstone's friends took alarm at this confession of political faith. They remonstrated with him on the subject, and, partly to reassure them, partly, perhaps, with a view to the probable consequences to himself in the event of a dissolution, he wrote what was intended for an explanatory preface, and, as we have just stated, published the speech. Explanatory the preface certainly is not. Whatever the speech may have enunciated, the preface repeats and re-affirms, in language somewhat hazy, to be sure, but of unmistakeable significance, "in this speech " (so it opens) "will be found the expression of an opinion that the Legislature should exclude from the franchise on two grounds only. .... Objection has been taken, and even alarm expressed, with respect to the breadth of the particular statement now in question. I cannot make any other reply than to publish it, as it was delivered, together with its context, and to leave it subject only to equitable allowances for faults of hasty expression, to the discerning consideration of the reader. The question is, whether the statement be a gratuitous and startling novelty, or whether it is rather the practical revival of a strain which, fiveyea is ago, was usual and familiar; which had then derived abundant countenance from the very highest organs of political articulation, and which now only sounds strange because within that period it has fallen into disuetude." If Mr. Gladstone published with a view to reassure his Oxford friends, he has not attained his object. If his object was to pave the way f«»r the establishment of new relations elsewhere,it seems probable that he may have partially succeeded - ißlackwood's Magazine.