PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 362, 6 November 1858, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

On Wednesday last the Provincial Council met at noon, in that generally useful building — the School-room, which has been comfortably fitted up for the members and the public. All the members were present except Messrs. Cutten, Anderson, and Shaw. His Honor entered shortly after 12 o'clock, and read the following address :—: — Gentlkmrn, — I have been under the necessity of calling you together at this time, as the Constitution Act has required you to be assembled, in order to be within one year of your last Session. Since your last prorogation, many important Acts, affecting Provincial interests, have been passed by the General Assembly of New Zealand, which Acts were only received here on the 18th of October, ult. Your Superintendent, in the discharge of his duties as your Representative, has been absent from" the Province for several months. The Provincial Solicitor and another member of the Executive, have been laid aside from their duties, the one through a serious accident, the other through illness, which has resulted in his resignation, and involved the necessity of appointing another member in his room. This concurrence of events on the very eve of your being assembled, has made it impossible to prepare the business for your present meeting with the fulness and deliberation which is due to it; and it is therefore proposed to limit the business on this occasion to such matters as

are immediately and pressingly called for ; to give a general view of the further objects to be considered ; and, should you deem it advisable, to prorogue the House for some four or five months, in order that the necessary Bills and Resolutions may be maturely prepared for your consideration. The estimates of Revenue and Expenditure will now be laid before you — on which, it will he observed, with respect to sums which you will be asked to vote for Public Works, Immigration, and Steam, and which are largely in excess of the estimated revenue, that, on the one hand, the actual expenditure or contracts to expend, will be kept within the revenue received, and without exceeding the amount fixed by law for borrowing on Provincial debentures—and, on the other hand, that in the event of extensive sales taking place under the " Land Sales and Leases Ordinance, 1 856," or otherwise, the Government may he enabled to expend on the objects referred "to the amounts proposed to be voted. A report on public works with estimates, by the Chief Mirveyor and Civil Engineer, showing the extent of main roads to be executed — the portions of them requiring t o be metalled, according to the amount of traffic — the appliances that should be used for opening and keeping in repair the unmetalled main roads — and lastly, the order in which this work should be proceeded with, according to means, in each successive year. The promise made at your last prorogation of a Bill for conservation of the Otago Education Scheme in all its original principles, and with amendments in matters of detail, which experience has proved to be desirable, has been so far attended to that a Bill to that effect was drafted, but, owing to the uusettlement of the Executive, as already referred to, there has not been time for its .completion by the present Government so as to be laid on your table. The principles, however, of that Bill, and modification of details, will be submitted to you in the shape of Resolution?, setting forth those principles, and making the adoption of them in the Bill to be binding. Amongst the more important Acts of the New Zealand Parliament, as affecting the Province, may be noticed the " Waste Lands Act, 1858," by which it is declared that the sale and administration of all Crown Lands are

vested in the Governor ; but presently delegated, as heretofore, to the Government of each Province; and-it sets forth also the power 'of the Governor, with advice of his Executive Council, to change that delegation into the hands of any other party — so that each Province, as regards the sale and administration of Crown Lands, now stands upon its trial to be judged of by the Ministry of the day. Another Act, the " New Provinces Act, 1858,"^ gives power to the Ministry on certain conditions, but wholly irrespective of the general wishes of any Province, or of its representatives in the Council, at any time, to break up such Province into separate " perilous, independent of, and naturally antagonistic to each other, in respect of any uniform and comprehensive system for surveys, immigration, steam communication, and road- . making, so as to open out, prmide for. and connect the whole territory in earh of its pnrts, no far as a judicious and economical application of the land fund can suffice. And in connection with this subject, I have further to call your attention to the enactment, evidently based upon the conviction that the land fund arising from pales j>.t 10a. an acre is insufficient, and which therefore enables the Governor, by giving his assent to a Provincial Ordinance for raising the price, to maie a change to that extent in the Land Regulations ■ — any other change whatever in existing regulations hy a Provincial Legislatuie being wholly precluded. With reference to these Acts, and the whole tone of recent legislation, showing a desire for centralisation, and the abolition of the Provinces as such ; there is much to be maturely reflected on by the Government and Provincial Council, as well as by the people of Otago at large, with a view to such action thereon as may be found expedient.

The following Bills and Resolutions will be introduced for your consideration : — 1. Leases of Trust Lands Bill. 2. Dunedin Cattle Trespass Bill. 3. Appropriation Bills. 4. Immigration Fund Bill. 5. Pastoral Districts Bill. Resolutions in reference to 1. Towns Endowments. 2. Public Works.

3. Education

Gentlemen, I have now the pleasure to leave the business of the Session in your hands, in the full confidence and assurance that your deliberations will be influenced by a cordial desire to promote the progress and best interests of the Province."

His Honor having retired, the Speaker, Mr. Maeandrew, took the Chair, and, as usual, opened the business with Prayer, after which His Honor's address was again read.

Mr. Harris moved the suspension of the standing orders, with a view to the appointment of a Committee to answer the address, which having been agreed to, Messrs. Kilgour, Reynolds, Williams, Teschemaker, and Harris, were appointed a Connnitteee to prepare a reply to the address.

Mr. Stuart gave notice that at next sitting he should move —

" That a respectful address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, requesting that the nun of £1000 may be placed on the estimates for the purpose of being devoted towards the erection of the proposed Otago Athenseum, on the understanding that an adequate provision will ba made in the building for the sittings of the Provincial Council ; provided also that the conssitution of the Athenaeum is appioved of by the Executive, in a1;a 1 ; far as its beini? secured pro bono publieo for al! time coming is concerned." Also —

" That a respectful address be transmitted to his Honor the Superintendent, requesting th.it he may be pleased to assign such a salary to the officer conducting the Land department at'lnvercar^ill, as shall be deemed adequate to the importance of the office and acknowledged efficiency of the present holder, the existing salary being in the opinion of this Council inadequate.

" Further, with reference to a recent minute of the Waste Land Board, by which -it appears that the conduct 0/ the officer in question has not met with the approbation of that body, that in opinion of this Council the minute of the Board refeired to is not calculated to promote the public interest ; and that while a-» a cenera! ruie it is proper that all subordinate officials shall confine themselves to theii respettive dutie"!, jet under the peculiar ciicumstances of the Southei v district, a disti ict never visited by any responsible member ot the fiovernment, any suggestions and practical observations coming from Mr. Pearson are worthy of attention, and should not be suppressed. Further, that a copy of the resolution be transmitted to his Honor the Superintendent, with a respectful request that he may be pleased to convey to Mr. Pearson the entiie appioval of the zeal which he has exhibited towards the promotion, of the public interest."

The Provincial Solicitor laid the following Bills on the Table, which were read a first time and ordered to be printed, viz., Immigration Fund Bill, Leases of Trust Lands Bill, and Appropriation Bill, No. 1. He further laid on the Table the Report of the Education Board and the Estimates for the ensuing year, and intimated that to-morrow (Thursday) evening he should move that the Council go into Committee on the Estimates, when he would give an explanation of the financial position of the Province as affected by the legislation of the last session of the General Assembly, but that the consideration of the details of the Estimates should be deferred to a future sitting.

Mr. Harris gave notice that at next sitting he should move the confirmation of the standing orders. Also, the appointment of a Chairman of Committees ; and, also, that he should lay on the table the proposed resolutions on the subject of Education. The Council then adjourned to Thursday, at G p m.