PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 4452, 21 May 1875, Page 1

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Thursday, May 20. The Speaker took the chair at 5 p.m. . MESSAGE, A message was received from his Honor the Superintendent, stating that he had assented to the Imprest Supply Ordinance, No- 2,1875; also to the Road Boards Advances Ordinance, 1875.

CANTEBBUBT FENCING OBDINANCE. Sir Cbaceoft Wxison brought up the report of the committee, which recommended that the committee should be disohargedjtfao Bill withdrawn, and a freeh one introduced.. .

pbivilege. ' , ‘ . Ur Jebson rose on a question of privilege.! He s>w that the hon member for ■ Christehorch (Dr Turnbull} was not in his, plicaIf he had been in his place, he would hare asked that hon member if he had read* the deed to which reference had been made on the. previous evening. As in the opinion of several bon members the matter seemed to be in an unsatisfactory position, he (Ur Jebson) would read a clause from the deed, dated Sept. 17, 1873. [The hon member lead a olause from the deed, which shewed that the hon member for Bahais had surrendered his interest in the properties referred to.]

SOUTH CANTEBBUBT DISTRICT. Mr. Uaseell, replying to a question asked by Dr Bayner on the previous evening, arid, that Timaru had been proclaimed under the Weights and Measures-Act, and that in June 1874, Mr Ottywell had been written to and requested to forward from England the necessary appliances, but since then nothing appeared to have been done in the matter.

CHBIBTOHUBGH ANDTIMABU HOSPITALS. Dvßatnee withdrew the following question; —To ask the Government if they have any objection in allowing the medical officers of the Christchurch aha Timaru hospitals to receive pupils as hospital dressers. ENGINEDEXVEBS AND BAIIWAT ENOIKEIB.

' Mr Aijdbews aaked if the Government are aware that a diipate has arieen betweenthe engine driven on the Canterbury railway* and the Bail way Engineer. If.ao, what ooorae wiw adopted to meat the • and if the GoTenuant’a' concent to the ooorae punned was given, and what steps have been taken that a recurrenpe or greater difficulty : shall not take place. The hon member said that bis motive for asking the question was to allay any excitement that might have taken place between the workmen on the railways. So far as he understood the question t a' eode of roles had been introduced by the Brfway Engineer, altering the owtaining. To this the engine driven had objected, and, through their foreman, remonstrated with the Bailway Engineer. The Engineer had not replied in a courteous manner, and the result was that the men daelhrtd ,t(l> go to work until they received a opiurteoUs reply. The Bailway Engineer, finding this state of affairs, had compromised matters. If this were the case, he thought it was aproper subject to bring before the House. -

The Hon J. T. Peacock replied that the hon member had gone..more fully into the matter than he ought to; have done, simply in asking a question. (Hear, hear.) The answer he had to make to the hon member’s question was, simply that, the Govemment wsre aware that a dispute did arise between the enginedrivers and the Bail way Engineer, and that the dispute, was settled.; The late Government consented to the course adopted. As to the latter part of the question, he thought; it would not be conducive toi good discipline in the public service, to refer more particularly to a matter which, should bb moreproperlyleft in the buds', of thehepd of the department. (Hear, hear.) r - ~ N i TIY K BESBBVB, KAIAPOI. , 1 Mr I. Wiisok moved— 1 * That a-respectful address be presented to ld* Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of one thousand the formation of roads on the Native Beserve at Kaiapoi.” Mr Diiok seconded the motion, 1 The Hon J. T. PbAcock said the Government could not accede to therhorion,fprthe simple reason that the property though which the roads were to be made was not vested in the Superintendent. ~ , , The mdliohTwas*negativedofTtEWdiees. I'BOVISOIAL PBOPEKIY. Mr Jebsok moved—“ That in the opinion of this CWuheil, hp steps should be taken or negotiations entered into by the GovermnMt, for the dlsposal or alienation of railways, works/and other property belonging to the pfovmce. without first opcsultjihg this Council and pbtainiog its consent to the same.” ■ Mr B; TubbbitUi seconded the. motion. After sorpe discussion oh the motion. 1 V The Hoh J.;T. tBAcocK said the Govern-* | menthadno intention whatever in disposing of the railways without in the first place consulting thepounoU. (Bear, hear,) Mr Jbbsok, nhdaf' /Chtoe circumstances, obtained leave the motion.

_ <i f .iDdekTlroW iAMrtpituiui. JnbflMi items making up .the'ambtint required for Education pbould M printed In a schedule, |p iOrderthatthe Council, when in OominittebOf Supply, insy rote each item separately if such . oourie be deemed expedient.’' ; , | A . MAStBLL moved' the dnUasipa of the words after the word “ schedule.” After soma discussion, the amendment was withdrawn. ■ ' ; , ( i'-i Mr Jbbson moved that the words “ school buddihgs ” be hi Hep of “ edueation.” Mr B. Tuenbull seconded the amendment. The amendmetttwai agreed to. On the motion, as amended, being put, it was declared tp be negatived on the voices. Mr Monxgoxbsx called for a division, which resulted as follows Ayes, 7 j noes, 83. ,

The motion was therefore negatived. HOUM OF BITTING. , Sir CeXcßoft WiidoN moved—" That this Counoil will, for the mat of the session, sit on Wednesday, and Thursday, st » o’clock p.m..adjourning from 6 to 7.80 ?•»•» ind will sit on Friday aetieual. , . tn Mr J. W. WXITI moved an amendment to

the effect, that on Fridays the House should pitildHhe same hour as on other days. The House divided on the" amendment— Ayes, 12 j noes, 18; ? x ' She amendment was therefore lost.

Mr.lsiAo Wilson uumd to the effect that there should be an adjournment of an hour each evening instead of an Lour and a half. The amendment was agreed to. The resolution ay amended was then put, and declared to be carried on the voices. AdiviSio’n was oaUed for, which resulted as Sallows •• —Ayes, 19 ; npes, 10. ' Th» motion was therefore carried. 3UILWAV TOLLS AND MANAGEMENT OEDINANCE, 1875. The second reading of this Bill was made an order of the day for Tuesday next. , , PUBLIC LIBBABIBS OEDINANOB, 1876. On’ the motion of Mr Maskell, this Bill Was ijbad a second time and committed. The Bill was reported to the House with amendments, and the third reading fixed for next day. . COMMITTEE 01 SUPPLY. On the question being put for the House again resolving itself into Committee of JSupnly, • MrJ. N. Tosswill said—Before the House srent into Committee of Supply, he should wish .to point out a fact which might affect the Bailway Estimates very considerably. At the beginning of the present Sessjon the late Secretary for Publio Works made a statement in'Whiph he estimated the probable loss upon the Malvern Branch railway, for the four months ending the 31st March lost, at £2l 14s 9d r »nd upon the Eangiora-Oust line, for the same period, at £162 Is Bd, making for tbje two lines an estimated deficiency of £lB3 36e sd, and if junction and management charges were added, a total estimated deficiency of £l4ll Is 2d. These figures vßfreV 'however, as the late Secretary diatincuy stated at the time, only estimates, adit was then impossible to obtain :reliable dsti; and with a view to testing them, he (Mr had a feW nights back moved for return .showing the actual result, of . the, Woridng of the; two lines. The retam was rio#upon*the (able,'and showed that upon Malvern line, instead of an estimated Joss of £2l l4fl 9d, there was an actual profit e§£lßßlos 3d; while upon the Bangiora-Oast InfA instead of an estimated loss of £162 Is was an hetual profit of £2B 16s Idsnaking for the two lines, instead of an esti, mated loss bf £lB3 16s sd, a profit ot £l6B 6s dd of receipts above working expenses, while, if junction and management and engineering charges were added, the estimated loss of £l4ll Is 2d was reduced to an actual loss of £ll2O 13s lOd, and hero he might point out that these management and engineering chargee were calculated upon a mileage basis Which was particularly unfair togthe branch ]jnee, as a mile upon the for instance, was charged with the same amount as a mile upon the Lyttelton and Christchurch raiiway. The proper plan, in his opinion, would be to estimate theee amounts at per train mile, or in proportion to the goods and passengers carried. But in any case, the figures he had read were peculiarly satisfactory, as they proved conclusively that there was a reasonable hope that the various branch linns and extensions would at any rate pay working expenses and a considerable proportion of junction and managomentoharges -w. He would now proceed to apply these figures to tbs Estimates before the Hquse. The xmlwwy estimates showed au estimated profit of £12,613 18s lid, but as 5 per cent of the gtoti earnings had to be set aside for the renewal fund, the actual estimated profit, as the Provincial Secretary told the House 1 in his Statement, was £4460 18s lid. This very ntnall margin of profit the hon member accounted for by two reasons, one of which was that the branch lines, and extenaion were estimated to produce a direct loss of £12,544. Sdt Uow aroee the all-importantquestion, viz., Upon whatdata was this loss calculated? Itoonld not have been calculated upon,the actual result* of the working of the Malvern and Oxford lines as set forth in. the return now «h the table, for that return oraa, hut three 'dmrs old, and in the. absence ot any other Xwfcvanttfaflij it must have been of-neoessity }Smd upon the same estimats.from which the late Secretary for Public Works took his figures. But that eatifnate,«a hehadehown, was fur below the actual (faults, and hence it followed as a matter of course, that there we** -the very best reasons for inferring that rh« n t;m ‘**r*dja».h>w upon the branch lines M»t 1 management charges) of £12,544, largely exceeded what would actually be the case. going into a mass of figures, he might say that he had worked the sum. out and found it might make'a difference of from £2OOO to £3ooo—that is to say,!that instead of an estimated profit of £446018s lid, there were, if his view was correct, good grounds for calculating upon a profit of at least £6500 or £7500. In the face of the fact that the Government intended to bring in &BUI to increase the rates. now charged upon imported goods, this was a matter of considerable importance. They were, he knew, sincerely anxious to get at the actual truth in this as in other matters, and he had thought it his duty to bring the information afforded by the return under the notice'the House " The motion for going into Committee of Supply was agreed to. Class VL—Hospitals, £Blls. t , -Mr-; Knight - moved, — “That _ the item rfHonorarinm to Visiting Physician and Surgeon, £300,’ be struck out.’’ The motion was negatived. The item was passed as printed. Lunatic Asylum—£B396 6s sd. The item was passed as printed. Progress was reported, with leave to sit again on Tuesday next. .

Notices of motion having, been given, the Council adjourned at 12.23 a.m. until noon; same day. ■ ■