PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1633, 16 May 1873, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

BJ TUESDAY, Mat 13. Ie The Speaker took the chair at fire o'clock. All 3e the members present. t £ MEMORIAL. ie * Mr. C. Kelling presented a memorial from the r> residents of Stanley Brook; complaining of the je treatment the district had received, and praying that it be separated from the Upper Motueka Road Board ,~ district. Bead, and receded. ,„ DBAT BOAD. [ t Mr. Guinness postponed hit motion, for one ie thousand pounds to be placed on the Estimates for l e constructing a dray road in the Grey Valley district, ia until the District Engineer's report had been placed le before the Council. le PUBLIC WOBEB AT TAKAKA. ■- Mr. G-1883 moved, " That his Honor the Superin|,j tendent be requested to place the sum of £300 on c . the Estimates for public works in the Takaka a district." He drew a vivid picture of the great x . damage the. district had suffered from storms and , r floods last year. Great destruction had occurred to 7 _ both publio and private property. Mr. Reid q formally seconded the motion, Mr. F. Kbixin<J pro- > t posed that the words "if the rerenue admit of it," be , c added to the motion. Mr. Maomahon seconded Mr. Ie Kelling's amendment. Mr. O'Conob hoped the (j motion would be withdrawn for the present, until the j Estimates were considered. He thought the EstiIr mates ought to be overhauled by a Select Committee , before the Council took them in hand. It was a ,f disgrace to the Province that suoh a large sum should n be placed on the Estimates for departmental expenses, 18 and so little money for public works. Mr. Donni a moved that the debate be adjourned for a week, c seconded by Mr. Wastnei, and carried. ' « COMPLETION OF A DBAY JWAD. it Mr. Donne postponed for a week his motion for y £1500 to be placed on the Supplementary Estimates A for oompletion of the dray road from Charleston to a Westport via Addison's Flat and the Shamrock p Lead, f GUIDE POSTS. -t Mr. Itess moved, " That his Honor the Superina tendent be respectfully requested to place the sum of y £50 upon tne Supplementary Estimates for the !• erection of guide posts at certain dangerous fords and i junotion of tracks in the Buller and Grey Valley i districts." He considered the motion an important r one, as it involved the question of saving human life, r Lives bad been sacrificed owing to the absence of r guide posts at the fords on the Goldfields, and he i instanced the case of the drowning of Mr. M'lntosh. y Mr. Shephahd seconded, and Mr. Pinkebtoic , supported the motion. Mr. Reed thought the work p was of an urgent nature. The sum required might i be included in the item " Harbors, signals, &c, on i the Estimates, or if not included in that item, it ) certainly might be in the item " Cemeteries, £200." 5 The Pbovincial Secbetaby could guarantee that t the work would be undertaken by the Government. - He was of opinion, however, that owing to the i continual shifting of the fords that guide posts would f be of little use, and Mr. Gibbs corroborated this ■ statement from what he had seen in his own district. > Mr. Acton Adams could endorse all that had been ; said about the difficulty of travelling on the Gold* i fields. He moved the following amendment:—" That [ general instructions be given to the Provincial , Engineer to erect such guide posts and direct marks i as will clearly point out the roads and fords on the ; Goldfields." Mr. Guinness seconded the amend- . ment. The Provincial Engineer had a staff i oufficiently large to see to the work being done. Mr. i Tabbant moved that the words "on the Goldfields," i be substituted with the words, "in the Province." Mr. Pinkebton, on the prinoiple of treating all parte of the Province alike, seconded Mr. Tarrant's pro* position. Messrs. Donnk, O'Conob, A. Adams, and i Wastney. thought it was the duty of the Road . Boards in the settled districts to see to the matter. Mr. Tabbant only wished the Government to bear ! the first cost of erecting the posts, and afterwards , the Road Boards could take oharge of them. Mr. Adam's amendment was ultimately carried. ' i ■ GOTEKNMSNT PBINTIN(J. Mr. Ivbss postponed moving a motion relative to the construction of a horse track from the Horse Terrace, Matakitaki, to the Junction at Howe's owing to the Provincial Engineer's report not being placed before the Council. This was the second time he had had to postpone the motion, which he was iuformed was in the hands of the printer. If the Government printer was to blame for the delay, his contract ought to be cancelled. He did not see why the business of the Council should be hindered by the printer. If the latter had not sufficient hands to get > the printing done in time, his contract should be oancelled. CATTLE TBESPASB ACT. Mr. Tabbant (in the absence of Mr. Macmahon) < moved, "That a Select Committee be appointed to inquire and report on the amendments desirable to be made in the Impounding Aot, 1861, and the Cattle Trespass Act, 1868; such Committee to consist of the Provincial Solicitor, the Speaker, Messrs. Guinness, Gibbs, and the mover." Seconded by Mr. Baigbht. Agreed to. TBAVELLUKJ EXPENSES. Mr. Wastney moved, "That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to furnish this Council with a return of the names of those persons for whom travelling expenses have been paid during the financial year ending March 31, 1873, showing the total amount paid for each person and the object and the time for which such payments have been made." Mr. Baiqknx seconded the motion, which was agreed to. .-.■.. ... .; ' . .■ '■" BETUBN OF LEASES. Mr. Wastnby moved, "That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to furnish this Council with a return showing the quantity and value of land sold, also, the number of agricultural leases granted during the year ended March 31, 1873. Seconded by Mr. Ivess. Mr. O'Conob moved, and Mr. Baigent seconded, that the words " applied for, or," be inserted in the motion between the words " leases', and " granted." Agreed to, and motion as amended passed. WATEB STOPLY FOB COLIINGWOOD GOLDFIELDB. Mr. Gibbs moved, "That his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested ' again' to invite the attention of the General Government to the advisability of taking action for providing a water supply on certain parts of the Collingwood Goldfield*, whereby a large extent of auriferous ground would be worked to advantage and furnish work to a considerable number of miners." Seconded by Mr. Tabbant. He hoped that the repeated efforts of the* member for Golden Bay to get a water supply for the Collingwood district would be successful. He knew that if there was a water supply a large quantity of auriferous land in that district would be worked, which was at present unworkable. Mr. Donne thought that there was no evidence before the Council that the Superintendent had taken any action with respect to similar resolutions that had been passed during last session. He moved the postponement of the debate until Monday next,, in order that the Council might in the meantimeascertain what the Superintendent bad done in thematter. Mr. Rsid seconded the amendment, whioh was carried. WESTPOBT LAND CLAIMS Mr. Reid moved. " That a Select Committee h& appointed to consider the report of the Commissioner by whom claims of owners of property at Westport wore adjusted; to recommend to the Council any further steps that may be necessasy for the adjust* i ment of similar claims; and to enquire and report a 9 to the occupation and ownership of the colliery and other reserves included wilhin the municipall boundaries at Westport; ; such Committee to consist of the Speaker, Messrs. Shephard, Macmahon,. Guinness, Tarrant, O'Conor, and the mover. 1*1 Seconded by Mr. F. Kelling. It appeared that the mover had on the previous evening, after he had j handed the notice of motion to the Speaker, erased' ' ; ; the name of Mr. Pinkerton and substituted that of j Mr. O'Conor. This alteration Mr. Dohni thought ought not to be allowed, and was contrary to Branding Orders. He considered it was a. ; dangerous' precedent to establish, namely, that ofjillowing notices of motion to, be altered after they -MM banded to the Bpe»k«r. Tut BraustM nun* that Mr