THE Marlborough Express. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1871.

Marlborough Express, Volume VI, Issue 281, 25 February 1871, Page 3

THE Marlborough Express.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1871.

“ Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all other liberties.’ —Milton.

The Provincial Council met tliis week for tlie especial purpose of appropriating tlie proceeds of the Publicans’ Licenses for the use of the Education Boards, and as tlie report of the proceedings takes up so much of our space, we shall only give here a brief outline of what was done ; reserving our comments till next week, and in the meantime our readers will have ample opportunity for considering the somewhat lengthy report elsewhere.

The Government hold that as the Education Act referred to its “ passing,” which other Acts defined to be the time it received the Governor’s assent in September, they only set down the sums paid for licenses since that date, namely, Blenheim £64, Havelock £6O, Kaikoura £9B, County of Picton£4s, Pelorus £2O. The Opposition represented that the expressed understanding was that the licenses received on and from July Ist were intended to be handed over, and that the various Boards had been

misled thereby in their expenditure. Consequently several divisions were taken on amendments intended to secure that result. These weiy lost because some of the members objected to the principles of the Act they assisted in passing a few months ago, therefore the amount of money was sacrificed thereby, to the detriment of all the Schools. In an endeavor to reconcile the conflicting opinions, the Government offered to take up liabilities actually incurred between Ist July and 13th September last. At this stage some of the Opposition were led by two or three members to believe that they saw the error of their ways, and were induced thereby to make an attempt to vote an additional sum for Blenheim of .£l5O, Havelock .£6O, Kaikoura .£ls, County of Picton .£ls, Pelorus .£ls, Town of Picton £9O, Wairau £127, and Awatere £ls, in addition to the sums previously voted. The three latter places having had nothing voted. Duplicity prevailed, and the Government proposal was carried. Another matter brought before the Council was a petition from the Philharmonic Society, who applied for the use of the hall, which had been refused by the Superintendent. Mr Hodson moved that this body alone should have the hall, to which Mr Robinson made an amendment that all societies should be allowed its use. (Jpon a division, however, the amendment was lost by Bto 3. Captain Baillie moved another amendment that certain societies named, including the Band, should have the use, which was rejected by the same numbers as the former. Consequently Mr Hodson’s motion passed, and the Philharmonic Society alone have the use of the hall, and without cost, on the pica of poverty, An indemnity to the Superintendent, for an expenditure of £240 14s 4d in excess of appropriation, was passed, as was a vote of £3OO for repairs to Roads and Bridges, after which the Council was prorogued.