PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. Thursday, March 27, 1856.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XV, Issue 1, 2 April 1856, Page 1

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. Thursday, March 27, 1856.

The Council met at five o'clock ; the Speaker in the chair. All the members present but Messrs. Bush, Fearon, Wells, and Lee.

EEPORTS OP COMMITTEES.

Dr. Renwick brought up the Report of the Committee appointed to consider the petition of Messrs. Mackay, Sclanders, and others.

Report read and ordered to lie on the table. Dr. Monro brought up the Report of the Committee appointed to consider into what hands the administration of the waste lands of the Crown should be confided. Report read, and ordered to be printed. PETITION.

Mr. Robinson presented a petition from the inhabitants of Massacre Bay against the passing of the Country Roads Bill as amended, to tax improvements. The honourable member observed that he felt himself in rather an anomalous position, from the fact of the bill having now become law; but, as he had unavoidably been prevented from reaching Nelson sooner, he still felt it his duty to present the petition as a record of the feeling of his constituents against the measure.

Petition read and ordered to lie on the table. AGREEMENT WITH EMIGEATION AGENT.

Mr. Muller laid upon the table a copy of the agreement entered into with the Emigration Agent in England. The document was read by the clerk.

LETTEE PEOM EMIGEATION AGENT.

Mr. Wastney moved, pursuant to notice, That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to lay on the table of the Council a [copy of the despatch or letter stated to have jbeen received from the Emigration Agent, now in England. The honourable member observed that it was highly necessary the Council should be put in possession of any information that had been received from that geatleman.

SRIr. Hough seconded the motion.

Mi*. Muller said, that without waiting to have the motion put to the Council, he had mfch pleasure in producing a copy of the letter referred to.

The letter was read by the clerk. L MAIN LINES OP EOAD. Mr. Barnicoat moved. That the Report of the Trunk Line Committee be taken into consideration. Mr. Wastney seconded the motion. " Agreed to. Tfie Report was then read by the clerk, as follows : — The Select Committee appointed "to consider what iZo^J.*. 1 ijiihin the Province should be taken to be Main Lines of Hood ; also, in what manner the stim of £3,726 9s. 6d.for Main Lines and in aid of Rating shall be expended or apportioned" beg X> report as follows :—: — The Beads of the Province may be divided into 1. Trtnk Lines, or those used for purposes of general access in agricultural or pastoral districts. 2. By-Roads, or those used chiefly as a means of arriving & the contiguous farms or sections. 3. Eoads traversing a comparatively barren country, for the purpose of connecting distant and valuable districts with the rest of the Province.

1. Tour Committee recommend that the following be regarded as Main Lines of Eoad : — (1) Tlfe road from Nelson through Eichmond, Sprii£ Grove, and Wnkeileld, to Fox hill. (2) TrA^oad branching at right angles to the above about s 2iile S.W. of Eichmond, crossing | the Waimea river^ftar Appleby, and stopping at the liill3 bounding :V Waimea plain to the west. (3) The road along the beach, northward from | the town towards Wakapuaka as far as the Happy Valley. (4) The road from the Port at Motueka, through I the Village, stopping at the ford in tho Motueka river. (5) The road from the bridge at White's corner to the Green Tree at the Eiwaka river. (6) The road from the Waitohi to the Wairau plain, crossing the Wairau river, and passing up the plain and valley to the Top house. (7) The road branching from the above, near Mr. Gouland's, across the Wairau plain to the Awatere, and thence to Flaxbourne. (8) The road branching from the last, near Atkinson's, and passing along the valley of the Awatere to Tinline's ford. (9) (A maiu line at Massacre Bay, which the Committee hare no present means of defining). These roads, as trunk or main lines, your Committeo recommend should be made and maintained from the general revenue of the province, under the supervision of the Eoad Commissioner. In many cases your Committee believe that a due share of the general grant might be advantageously placed in the hands of a Local or District Board, as proposed to be constituted by the Country Eoads BUI, but with a sufficient guarantee on the part of the Board that such sum shall bo really devoted, in the spirit of the grant, to the maintaining the trunk line. It is recommended by his Honor the Superintendent that out of the sum of £3,726, £1,000 be devoted to the main lines of road : £1,500 to the Waitohi road ; and the remainder to the by-roads, in aid of rating : and this recommendation your Committee is willing to adopt, and further to recommend, that in dividing the former sum between the several districts through

which the Trunk Eoads pass, that regard should be had to their respective population. 2. Your Committee recommend that any sum granted in aid of local taxation, should also be allotted in proportion to the population of the respective localities. 3. For the development of roads mentioned under the third head, your Committee recommend that in each case a specific grant should be made by the Council. Your Committee would also recommend that some definite portion of the proceeds of all land sales should hereafter be reserved for the construction of roads in the districts in which such lands are sold. J. W. Babnicoat, Chairman. The Provincial Solicitor opposed several items of the report, and in particular that one which defined the main road from Nelson to Fox hill. In his opinion the latter road should have commenced at the Custom torn House, and he could see no reason why the road should commence at the boundary of the town. He considered that it would be' an injustice to deprive the townspeople of a share of that revenue to which they were such large contributors. It was with some diffidence that he opposed the report of a committee of which he bad been a member, but the committee had held an adjourned meeting of which he had not been informed, or he should have been present and stated his objections at the meeting of committee. He also objected to the resolution recommending that the money to be expended on mainlines of road should be divided according to population. He therefore moved that that portion of the report be omitted which defined the road from Nelson to Fox hill. After some discussion, On the motion of Mr. Barnicoat, the Council resolved itself into a committee of the whole to consider the report seriatim. Mr. Hough in the chair. The first three paragraphs were read and agreed to. The next paragraph (1) having been read, The Provincial Solicitor moved as an amendment, that the words " Custom House " be inserted between the words "from" and " Nelson." Mr. Saunders opposed the amendment, and said that he had never heard of the streets of a town being considered as main roads [hear, hear]. The Provincial Solicitor seemed to be very much afraid that the town should not get its fair share of the money, forgetting that the prisoners always employed on the town roads would compensate for any little extra money spent in the country. Mr. Barnicoat said that in adopting the resolutions in thejeport, the committee did not enter into any such detail as were now contemplated, and by the town -tkey-«e3mVs~-collection of houses without defining the exact point at which the road was to commence. Mr. Parker thought it would be as well for the road to go as far as the Church hill ; there was no occasion to go round the corner, for enough money had already been spent there. He should not like to see the town of Nelson entirely excluded, but care should be taken that the town did. not get the lion's share of the money to be expended on main roads, for the town had formerly had its own and the country's share too. Dr. Renwick supported the amendment, and said that the town contributed greatly to the revenue, but was satisfied with much less than its fair and proportionate share of Government expenditure on public works. After some further remarks from Messrs. Saunders and Parker, and also from Messrs. Cautley and Muller, The committee divided on the amendment :—: — Ayes, 5. Noes, 13. Mr. Elliott Mr. Wastney Dr. Eenwick Dr. Monro Mr. Poynter Mr. John Ward The Provincial Solicitor Mr. Barnicoat Mr. Muller. Mr. Saunders Mr. Baigent Mr. Robinson Mr. Butler Mr. Jacka Mr. Saxton Mr. Cautley Mr. Joseph Ward Mr. Parker. Amendment lost. Dr. Renwick moved as an amendment, that the words " Saltwater Bridge " be inserted. After a brief discussion, The committee divided : — Ayes, 7. Noes, 11. Mr. Elliott Mr. John Ward Mr. Wastney Mr. Barnicoat Dr. Monro Mr. Saunders Dr. Eenwiek Mr. Baigent Mr. Poynter Mr. Eobinson Tne"srovincial Solicitor Mr. Butler Mri Muller. Mr. Jacka - . Mjk Sftstan Mr. Cautby Mr. Joseph Ward. Mr. Parker. The amendment was lost. Mr. John Ward moved as an ameidmei that the words " Court House " be inserted. Mr. Saunders opposed the amendmli and said that the great value of the land in t neighbourhood of the town would alwa enable the townspeople to keep their roads ii higl&gstate of repair; but in the counti whereland was of less value, it would be foui difficult to keep them in even tolerable repai Mr. Robinson said that he should be sor, to be led away by any selfish or local feelin but he considered the proper course would \ for the road to commence at the boundary i the town. For a number of years large sun of money had been spent upon the roads in tl neighbourhood of the town, and there was considerable expenditure going on for tt_ benefit of the town in the shape of prison labour. It must also be remembered that a large portion of the revenue was derivablej^jpr'''" land sold in the rmmtrTiTvnrl rytfy i*Trt t mrrn|7;f; ment shouJdJ*#-g ) etLUSMJ lilies of road in the