STANDING ORDERS.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIII, Issue 694, 20 December 1854, Page 2

STANDING ORDERS.

Mr.' Saxton brought up the Report of the Standing Orders Committee, and moved that the Council went into committee. Dr. Renwick in the chair. After some discussion, which led to the rejection of one or two proposed amend* ments, the Standing Orders were passed, and ordered to be printed. The Council then adjourned to Tuesday.

Tuesday, December 12. Present — Messrs. Adams, Renwick, Barnicoat, Hough, Saxton, Parker, Collins, Stephens, Elliott, and Monro.

CENSUS BILL. On the motion of the Provincial Solicitor, the Census Bill was read a second time. The bill was then committed, and the blanks filled up. On the motion of Mr. Parker, the column in the Schedule for ascertaining the number of the various religious bodies was struck out. The Council then resumed PROTECTION OF ROADS BILL. The Provincial Solicitor, on moving the second reading of the Protection of Roads Bill, showed the necessity of such a measure by the damage which the roads were constantly sustaining from cattle running on them at large.

Dr. Monro considered such a measure would be very useful in districts where cultivation had made some progress, but in others he thought it would be inapplicable. The roads were now being made and repaired at a great cost to the Province, and it therefore became necessary to take measures to prevent this work being destroyed. The practice of suffering cattle to feed upon the roads, and trample down the sides of ditches, would not be suffered if the roads were maintained by local assessment, but as the expense was defrayed out of the general revenue, parties were indifferent about it. In districts where but little land had been reclaimed from the wilderness, the case would be different, and then a law such as that now proposed would be inapplicable. Mr. Cautlky would support the second reading of the bill, but in committee he should move some amendments. It would have been more desirable, he thought, if the two bills be* fore them relating to roads had been incorporated in one, as several ordinances on the same subject created confusion. His objection to the present measure was, that the power of bringing the ordinance into operation was vested solely in the Superintendent, whereas it should, as he thought, have been determined by a majority of the inhabitants of any particular district upon requisition. He thought it desirable, also, that some officers should be appointed under the bill to lay informations, otherwise the measure, to a great extent, would be inoperative.

Mr. Elliott was in favour of the bill, which was much required to preserve the roads from injury caused by the selfishness of a few individuals, as well as to protect the public against accidents. The practice of turning cattle out on the roads at night was very reprehensible, as likely to cause accidents, several having already occurred from it ; while the damage which the roads sustained from cattle trampling down the banks of ditches, and thereby impeding the drainage, was often productive of as much damage to the roads as they received from traffic upon them. To give to the inhabitants of the Province the power of saying whether this bill should be brought into operation within their respective districts, would often defeat the measure altogether. The residents near trunk lines of road might desire to continue their present practice of feeding their cattle on the roads by day, and turning them out to sleep there by night, and would therefore be very averse to seeing this bill brought into operation, so as to deprive them of the privilege they now enjoyed, but to the inhabitants of the Province at large the damage thus done to the roads was a very serious matter, and the Superintendent, as the representative of the public generally, was the proper person to say where the law should be brought into operation and where not. If a clause were introduced into the bill requiring the Superintendent to give a month's notice of his intention to proclaim a district to be brought under the operation of the ordinance, so as to allow the inhabitants an opportunity of addressing' his Hdnof on the subject, if they were averse to it, it would, ha thought, answer all purposes. The bill was then read a second time and committed, and- the first three clauses were passed with some verbal alterations. An additional clause, proposed by the Provincial Solicitor, which would in effect have nearly amounted to a repeal of the Cattle Trespass Ordinance, was postponed. The committee then adjourned, and the Council resumed.

Dr. Renwick inquired of the Provincial Solicitor when he should be prepared with hit Health of Towns Bill, and urged its production with as little delay as possible, bo that the session might not be unnecessary prolonged.

Mr. Elliott urged upon the Government the necessity of removing the Hospital establishment frosn the Immigration barracks with as little delay as possible, iv order that immigrants arriving from Melbourne and elsewbera might find temporary lodgings, and not be driven to leave the Province in the vessels which may bring them, because they can find no shelter on shore. . Mr. Barn ieo at was glad to hear the subjecj taken up. Unless something was done to provide the expected immigrants with lodging on their arrival here, the money expended on their passages would be thrown away. He thought buildings should be erected for their accommodation in some parts of the country. Dr. Renwick admitted the necessity of supplying immigrants with house accommodation for a short tim* after their arrival i*

port, but could not approve of burthening the revenue with the coat of erecting lodging houses for newly arrived immigrants ia the country districts. It was the d uty of those who required labour in the country, to provide cottages for their labourers to live in. Such was the practice in other countries, and it had always been acted upon in the pastoral districts of the Pro* vince. The Council then adjourned till Thursday.