The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE'20, 1867. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 142, 20 June 1867, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE' 20, 1867. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wednesday, June 19. The Speaker took the cbair at 5 o'clock. All. the members present,except Mr. Simmonds. Mr. Akersten moved for a Select Committee to consider the petition of Mi 1 . J. E. Fnizer. The Provincial Solicitor complained of the number of frivolous petitions presented to the Council, and insfanced this as one which ought, not to be enteuaineJ, as the ! Waste Land Board had already dealt with the case. Mr. Pitt was sorry that the Provincial Solicitor, as a member of the Government, should object to this petition, as the petitioner had not hesitated to state publicly that, he had been unfairly dealt with by the Waste Laud Board, and such accusations should be met and set, at rest. Mr. Akersten thought it would be well that a committee should be appointed, as it was plain that much correspondence had passed between' the petitioner and the j Government on the question at issue. The motion, was carried. The Provincial Solicitor moved for leave to bring in a Bill to authorise the Supernitendeut to guarantee iuterest upon the capital to be expended in the construction of a Patent Slip or Dry Dock at Nelson. The motion was carried, and the Bill was read a first time. Mr. Wastney, in. moving that his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to obtain and lay before this Council, from the Waste Lands Board, all correspondence between > them and the Lessees of the Grey Coal Mine, and all information the Board may possess respecting the carrying out the full conditions of the lease of the mine, said that a general impression had gone abroad that j the lease had uot been strictly carried out, and he trusted that for this reason at least I the motion would be granted. Mr. Pitt seconded the motion, and said that much interest, had been shown lately by the public in. this matter. | The motion was carried. Mr. Wastney then moved that his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to appoint, at his earliest convenience, some person in whom he has full confidence, to proceed with two other persons, to be selected by the residents of the district of Suburban Korth, to- explore the couuiry between the Happy Valley and the head of the Rae Valley, in order to determine the practicability of connecting the Provinces of Nelson and Marlborough by a dray roud. by that route ; { and enlarged on the advantages which might be anticipated from the formation of such a road. The motion was carried. The Consideration of the motion standing next, in Mr. Kingdon's name, with reference to Mr. Stevens's proposal for construction of a railway to the West Coast, was postponed to the end of the paper by consent of the Council. Mr Wigley's motion for a sum of £300 to be placed on the Estimates, for the purpose of fencing in, enlarging, and furnishing the Wai-au-ua court-house, Amuri, was carried,.

The Proviucial Solicitor then moved fo ' leave to bring in a bill- to. amend the law relatiug to the sale of fermented aud spirituous liquors, aud stated that, except in one or two features, the introduction of which had been found necessary, it was somewhat similar to that brought iv two years ago. The motion was carried without opposition. The Provincial Solicitor then moved for I leave to bring in a hill of similar character, adapted to the gold-fields. Leave was given, and the bill was read a first time. The Provincial Solicitor, in moving for an expression of the concurrence of the Council in the proposition contained iv paragraph 9, of the Address of his Honor the Superintendent to make arrangements with the General Government for the construction. of the Electric Telegraph between Grey mouth aud Westport, aud that the Superintendent be requested to take the necessary steps, and give the necessary guarantee, for carrying the same into effect, said that he thought il highly expedient that the line should be made at once. The General Government would guarantee the construction of the line immediately if the Council would consent to pay the interest on the sum required, which he believed would arnouut to about six per cent. He was of opinion that all the telegraph lines iv the colouy should be in the hauds of the General Government, by whom they could be worked far more cheaply; and he instanced as a proof that the cost of sending a message from Nelson to Christehurcb. was not so much as that of- a message from Christchurch to Hokitika. The General Government, he believed, would eventually have all the lines in its hands. Mr Parker concurred iv the motion, but submitted that it was the first occcasion on which the General Government had asked for such a guarantee from a Provincial Government. Mr. F. Kelling was opposed to any expenditure of the public money upon luxuries. The Provincial Solicitor, in reply, said that he regarded the construction of the line simply as a matter of time, sooner or later it would be dove, just as he also believed there would be a line from the Waimeas to the West Coast. The line would soon pay for iteslf, and prove qure as great a benefit to this part of the province as it was to the West Coast. On a division, the motion was carried by 15 to 6. The Council then reverted to the consideration of the motion standing in Mr. Kiugdou's name. " That his Honor the Superintendent be authorised to enter into an engagement with Mr. Stevens for the constructiou of a Railway to the West Coast, on terms similar in their main features to those brought under the cousideration"of.the Select Committee which was appointed by the Council." The honorable member said that the terms proposed by Mr. Stevens were' of the most liberal kind. The province was not asked to expend one penny, and all the advantage was on its side, and if Mr. Stevens went borne and was successful in forming a company, the benefit to the province would be very great. Mr. F. Kelliug seconded the motion iv a very animated speech, and repeatedly adverted, amidst much merriment, to the the statements contained iv a letter signed " Moonshine," which appeared in the' Evening Mail, of Tuesday last. M. Gibhs proposed that the examination of Mr. Stevens before the Select Committee should be read, which was accordingly done by the Clerk of th c Council. Mr. McMahon then moved as an amendment, that the name of Mr. Stevens be omitted from the resolution, and the (.words " some suitable person, for ihe formation of a company," be inserted in lieu..

Ihe Council, by passing the resolution as proposed, would, he considered, be goinobeyond what the Government required of it, and would force the services of Mr. Stevens upou fhe Executive, without beiug assured that they approved of them. Mr Parker, ' in seconding this amendment, protested against the Council assuming to itself executive powers. He was not prepared to say that Mr. Stevens was not a pioper person for the purpose, but he thought that it would be preferable to le^ve Jt to the Executive to decide on this point, as being in a better position than the Council to do so. Mr Baigent spoke favorably of the project, and said that the only doubt which presented itself to the Committee was whether Mr Stevens should be appointed by the Executive or not. Mr W.stney thought it should be distinctly understood whether the Government was Juvorable to the scheme, and that the whole onus should not be thrown upon the Couucil. The Provincial Solicitor said that the Government was not prepared at present 10 say whether they were "of opinion that Mr. Stevens was a proper 1 person for th c purpose or uot. Their wish was to discover what was the opinion of the Council ou the subject. One very grave question Presented itself which would require careful consideration, and that was, whether the lease to the proposed company could be granted in perpetuity or not. On behalf of the. Government he would state that if the Council took upon itself to send Mr. Stevens home, the Government would not object (laughter). The Government was very anxious to sea the work carried out. Mr. Burn said that after the explanation of the Provincial Solicitor, he must decline to take upou himself, as a member of the Council, any responsibility in the matter, either in seuding Mr. Stevens home, or in giving up the fee simple of the land in perpetuity, and would therefore support the amendment. Mr. Akersten thought the Superintendent should ascertain Mr. Stevens' connection with the money market at home, and that an understanding should be arrived at between the Executive and the Couucil. Mr. Pitt would support the original motion, beiug of opinion that the Council ought to take the responsibility upon, themselves. The Provincial Secretary agreed with the last speaker as regarded the propriety of putting the resolution to the Council. If the Council repudiated the reponsibilityj it would then be for the Executive to consider the question. The Provincial Solicitor said, on referring to the Act of the General Assembly which authorised the making of the railway, that he doubted whether the province could, without amending the Act, give up to a contractor the line of railway as well as the land. Mr. Donne opposed both the motion and the amendment, and regarded the scheme aa crude and premature, and the calculations, of Mr. Stevens as to the probable cost of the railway as altogether fallacious, and was satisfied the line would cost fully £2,250,000. He was borne out in this view by evidence taken before a Select Committee on Railways two years ago, in. Otago. He also objected to the locking up so large a quantity of land, and thought the terms offered much too liberal. Such a railway might be constructed on far more advantageous terms, if the Government set about it properly. Mr. White then moved an adjournment of the debate till to-day, this motion was lost ou a division by 14 votes to 7. The amendment was then put, and lost by one vote, the numbers being 11 to 10. Mr. Gibbs the':, moved another amendment, introducing after the name of Mr. Stevens, the words " or any other suitable persou," which was carried unanimously. The amended motion was then put from the chair, and carried almost unanimously, Mr.. Donne being the only dissentient.

Little Muriou's friends will not forget that her benefit takes place this evening at the Oud Fellows' Hall. The programme iucludes no less than three pieces in which she appears. •. We understand that a, subscription has been set on foot to enable Mr. Braclcock to repair the loss he sustained by the late destructive fire on his premises, to which his Honor the Superintendent, theßesiden^ Magistrate, aud other influential citizens have already subscribed liberally .

As this journal has so frequently urged upon the Government the propriety of testing the existence of Hough's Pass, we make no- apology for inserting in our columns the very interesting letter of A. S. Collins, Esq., which appeared in the Examiner of this morning, and which completely bears out the reality of our anticipations.