Monday, 15th June. PETITIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1177, 20 June 1874, Page 13

Monday, 15th June. PETITIONS.

Mr BROWN presented a petition from residents at Waitahuna and Clark's Flat. Tuapeka district, praying the attention of the Government might be directed to the absolute necessity of keeping the roads between those districts and Tuapeka Mouth in passable repair. COMMUNICATION PROM PROVINCIAL AUDITOR.

Tho SPEAKER read the following communication, which he stated he had received from the Provincial Auditor :—: —

"Office of Provincial Auditor,

"Dunedin, June 15, 1874.

" Sir — As directed by the Provincial Audit Act, I have the honour to transmit to you the enclosed copy of letter to His Honour the Superintendent on the subject of the accounts and balance sheet for the financial year ending March 31, 1874. On the second of the current month I wrote to you, enclosing a copy of the printed balance sheet, obtained after the document had been laid on the table of the Council, and in that letter I reported that the Treasury books had not beeu balanced, and that therefore I could not grant the usual certificate. As the provisions of the Act, in regard to furnishing me with the accounts for audit, have not yet been complied with, and the session of Council is about to close, it is necessary that 1 should •gain and more fully report to you on the subject. I have therefore to state that, when it first became apparent, after the session had begun, that the difficulty would arise, I examined, the Audit Act with a view to discover whether any course of action was laid down for me in such circumstances. It is hardly to be expected that special provision should have been made for such a most unusual contingency, and accordingly I found that the Act assumes, therein agreeing with universal practice, that the books •hal! be balanced and the balance-sheet prepared before the Auditors' examination and certificate are requested. It then remained for me to consider what use I should make in the interests of the Provincial Council of the powers indirectly bearing on the case vested in me by the Act. It did not appear advisable at the juncture to make special investigation, as such a course would have greatly interfered with the Treasury officers ia their efforts to get the accounts ready for the Council, and would, in point of fact, have amounted to constructing rather than auditing the balance-sheet. But, •a I possessed in my own books a means of assisting the Treasury officers, and at the sumo time of arriving at a near approach to confidence in the correctness of the expenditure, I gave to the officer deputed by the Treasurer for the purpose free access to them, wad all the assistance he desired, with the re■nit highly creditable to that officer of bringtag out * MlM>o»|inore nearly, correot than I

at first anticipated could be obtained within the time at his disposal. I have only further to add that a correct balance has not yet been obtained, but the error, I am informed, has been reduced in amount, and there is reasonable prospect of the accounts being placed in my hands immediately for audit, when they will be subjected to as searching an examination as the circumstances of the case demand. — I am, &c,

"H. LIVINGSTON."

" Office of Receiver of Land Revenue, " Dunedin, June 13, 1874.

"Sir — In view of the immediate close of the Provincial Council, I have to bring under your Honour's notice that there has not yet been forwarded to me, as directed by the Audit Act, the balance sheet and accounts of receipts and disbursements for the year ending March 31, 1874. I am, of course, aware that the balance of the books had not been brought out when the balance sheet, as printed, was laid before the Council, and 1 assume that, for this reason, my examination and certificates were dispensed with. I therefore thought it necessary to procure and transmit to the Speaker of the Provincial Council a copy of the unaudited document, with a letter stating briefly the circumstances of the case. During the session I have waited in the hope that officers of the Treasury would be successful in their efforts to discover the error in time to allow of an amended and certified balance sheet being prepared. I now find that this cannot be done, and I have therefore respectfully to inform your Honour that I have reported to the Speaker of the Provincial Council, that, in consequence of the document in question not having been furnished to me, I am unable to comply with the requirements of the Act in regard to the audit of the accounts for the past year. — I have the honour to be, yonr most obedient servant, (Signed) "H. Livingston, "Provincial Auditor."

Mr REID said he wished to make a statement in reference to the communication from the Provincial Auditor. The Act provided that the documents should be furnished as conveniently as may be after the completion of each period ; and he had reason to believe that that balance would be out in time to be bound up with the Votes and Proceedings. He also wished to bring under notice a leading article that appeared in one of the locnl papers referring to the conduct of the Auditor. He wished to take this opportunity to state that so far as the Government were situated they believed the Auditor had not exceeded his duty in the slightest degree. He thought that as the Auditor was an independent officer it was his bounden duty to call attention to any sort of irregularity, even though it might not be a direct violation of the Audit Act. While public men — who were in a position to Bpeak for themselves, were properly open to criticism by the Press, it did seem hard that an officer in the Auditor's position — who could not speak for himself — should be subject to such criticism, more especially when it was an acknowledged fact that that officer had performed his duty satisfactorily. He had to state further that the Proviuciai Government were indebted to that gentleman for having lent all the assistance in his power to bring out the balance ; and he (Mr Reid) believed that at the present moment the sum of 14ld was the cause of all this turmoil.

Mr TURNBULL moved that the balance sheet might be bound up with the Votes and Proceedings of the Council. The SPEAKER pointed out that nothing could, be bound up with the Votes and Proceedings, except what had been laid on the t ible of the Council.

MANAGEMENT OP IMMIGRATION.

The following report was brought up by the Waste Lands and Immigration Committee: — "Your Committtee having considered the subject of Immigration, are of opinion that the hap-hazard manner in which the same has been conducted to this Province, under the Colonial Scheme of Immigration, is eminently unsatisfactory, and would suggest that the system of paying agents a sum per head be discontinued, as tending to lower the qnality of the immigrants. Your Committee would recommend that in future a smaller proportion of children and no infirm persons should be sent out. Your Committee are of opinion that if the immigrants were selected more from the country districts and less from towns, they would be better adapted to our requirements ; and seeing that a large number of nominations are being made by residents here, the number of agents employed in Britain by the Colonial Government might be reduced, and the management of the Immigration to the Province managed by the Provincial Agent. Your Committee, in conclusion, would also draw the attention of the Government to the advisability of providing temporary employment for immigrants when large numbers arrive simultaneously during the slack season of the year."

BRANCH RAILWAY TO ABBOTSFORD COAL PITS.

Mr J. C. BROWN obtained the suspension of Standing Orders, to enable him to move the following resolution without notice — "That it is desirable that a branch line of railway be constructed to connect the Abbotsford coal pits with the main line ; aud with that view this Council hereby authorises the Government to construct the same during the recess, provided that before any expenditure is incurred under this resolution the proprietors of the mines shall agree to come under the terms of the resolution regarding distriot railways already authorised by this Council." The motion was agreed to,

ABOLITION 07 TOLL-BARS.

Mr J. C. BROWN moved— "That this Council is of opinion that on the expiration of present leases the time will have arrived when toll-bars should be abolished on the roads of the Province."

The motion was negatived on the voices. ACCEPTANCE OF THE LIGHT RAILWAY TENDERS

AND EXPENDITURE ON TUAPEKA ROAD.

Mr FISH asked leave to withdraw the following motion, for the purpose of substituting another :— "That this Council having had under consideration the report of Select Committee on Light Railway Tenders and expenditure on road Tokomairiro to Tuapeka, is of opinion that the charges preferred in this Council by the Ex-Provincial Treasurer against the Secretary for Goldfields and Works are entirely disproved, and deeply regrets such statements should have been made by any member of the Council so entirely unsupported by facts. "

Mr REID seconded Mr Fish's request, which was granted.

Mr JETSH then moved the following resolution :—": — " That, referring to the report of the Committee on the Light Railways Tender and the expenditure on road Tokomairiro to Tuapeka, this Council is of opinion that in the transfer by the late Executive of the vote for road ' Teviot to Tuapeka ' ' Tokomairiro to Tuapeka ' and in acceptance of the Light Railways Tenders, no individual member of the late Executive acted from any improper motives." The honourable member said he thought he would be consulting tjie-wishes of honourable members by not making any remarks in support of his motion.

The resolution was agreed to without discussion.

THE PROROGATIONS.

His Honour the Superintendent entered at 2.45, and delivered the following Prorogation Speech :—: — Mr Speaker, and gentlemen of the Provincial

Council.

On behalf of the Governor, on the 14th day of May last, I assented to the Imprest Supply Ordinance, 1874, passed by you.

I have this day, on behalf of the Governor, assented to the following Ordinances passed by you : — Naseby Waterworks Empowering Ordinance, 1874 ; the Mtinicipal Corporations Act Amendment Act, 1873, Introduction Ordinance, 1874; Dunedin City Council Borrowing Powers Extension Ordinance, 1874 ; the Otago Dock Trust Ordinance, 1865, Repeal OrdTnance, 1874; Otago Municipal Corporations Ordinances Amendment Ordinance, 1874 ; the Sawyer's Bay Lands Leasing Ordinance, 1874; Otago Roads Ordi nance, 1871, Amendment Ordinance. 1874; Clyde Corporation Borrowing Powers Extension Ordinance, 1874 ; Roslyn Institute Ordinance, 1874 ; the Licensing Ordinance, 1865, Amendment Ordinance, 1874 ; Caledonian Society of Otago Incorporation Ordinance, 1874 ; Oamaru Harbour Board Ordinance, 1574 ; the Hospital Ordinance, 1874 ; Otago Gold Duty Repayment Ordinance, 1874 ; Appropriation Ordinance, 1874-5. I have also this day reserved for the signification of the Governor's pleasure thereon, the following Bills passed by you :—Riverton Government Reserve Bill, 1874 ; Portobello Cemetery Reserve Sale Bill, 1874; Lower Kaikorai District Road Lands Exchange Bill, 1874 ; Papakaio Railway Reserve Sale Bill, 1874 ; Roads Diversion Bill, 1874 ; Dunedin School Site Bill, 1874 ; New River Harbour Board Bill, 1874 ; Education Reserves Management and Leasing Bill, 1874; Castle street Diversion Bill, 1874; New River and Jacobs River Ferries Reserves Bill, 1874; Waitahuna West District Road Compulsory Land Takingßill, 1874 ; River ton Drill-shed Reserve Management Bill, 1874 ; Lawrence Reserves Sale Bill, 1874; Riverton Harbour Board Bill, 1874; Roads Diversion Bill (No. 2), 1874; Palmerston School Glebe Exchange Bill, 1874; The Port Chalmers School Reserve Sales Bill, 1874 ; Otago Harbour Board Bill, 1874 ; the Dunediu Presbyterian Church Lands Ordinance Amendment Bill, 1874; Lawrence Reserves Sales Bill (No. 2), 1874 ; Naseby Recreation Reserve Management Bill, 1874 ; Invercargill Reserves Management Ordinance Amendment Bill, 1874. And from the Oamaru Rifle Range Reserve Management Bill, 1874, I withhold the Governor's assent.

I have now to thank you for your attendance, and to express a hope, in which I am sure you all share, that, under the Divine blessing, the result of the session may conduce towards the best interests of the Province. The various and important matters which you have remitted to the Executive Government shall have my best attention, and the large expenditure which has been authorised by you will be disposed of with due regard to economy and efficiency.

Gentlemen, I now declare the Council prorogued, and it stands prorogued accordingly. _____

Learned| gentlemen of the bar do not appear to place much faith in the mode of awearing Chinese witnesses, instead of the customary form. The Celestials are not over-particular, as they will blow out a match, cut the head off a cock, or break a saucer, but none of these methods — so original and "interesting in their way — would satisfy counsel at tho R. M. Court last week, when a discussion took place regarding the administration of an oath to a Chinese merchant. The Court Clerk suggested that the ordinary words should be used, with Confucius as a substitute, and that instead of kissing the Bible a match should be blown out, Mr Harris, on the other side, agreed to forego any swearing, as he considered the mode spoken of heathenish in the extreme.