The Timaru herald. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1865.

Timaru Herald, Volume II, Issue 64, 5 August 1865, Page 4

The Timaru herald. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1865.

The Canterbury Members of the General I Assembly, with unseemly haste, have prej vailed upon the* Government to bring* forward measures to limit the operation of the New Provinces Act. The motive is so easily pereeptable, and the proposed bill such an extremely difficult one to carry into operation, that on the face of it we can read " Bill to prevent Canterbury dismemberment" If the bill becomes law ia its present form no more new provinces can be made for the next six months, and then for ever after, contingent upon certain acts being 1 passed by the Provincial Council. If the Superintendent and Provincial Council of any province shall have made permanent provision for public works to the satisfaction <?/ the Governor m Council, and for constituting convenient districts, which are to receive one-fourth of I the territorial revenue, and the Governor shall have declared his satisfaction by proclamation ; then, after such proclamation has been published, no existing 1 province enn be divided. The Provincial Council of Canterbury has only to pass an Act — no matter m how ambiguous terms, for it is certain to receive the assent of Mr* Weld and his colleagues, and hence also that of the " Governor m Council" — apportioning twenty-five per cent, of the territorial revenue, and it can for ever check any attempt to separate on the part of Timaru. Even were permanent provision made for securing twenty-five per cent of the net territorial revenue, is it a measure to be tolerated ? This district is now vieldinga total revenue of £100,000 per annum ; and from this amount we have to send to Christchurch £75,000. What will the Provincial Government do with the seventyfive per cent, contributed by this district ? Will it not be expended m and around the " city " 1 From the twenty-five per cent, which we shall be allowed to receive, shall we not be expected to make and keep our roads and bridges m repair; and if the chest becomes low, will not the Government ask us to carry out ourselves any large works which may be necessary for the future progress and prosperity of the district. If the per centagro is not sufficient we must put on a stiff tax. Such inferences are to be deduced from our previous treatment at the hands of the Canterbury Government. It will be to the interest of those residing- m the city to have the railway made to the Rakaia and that ,river bridged. Then a line must be made to Kaiapoi, and probably on to Rangiora. The communication between the West Coast and Christchuroh will then require

facilitating: by a line running to the ranges; and b) r the time these works are completed, with the cost of government m the interim, our land fund will be considerably reduced — for some of these works besides the Rakaia line, will most probably be paid for m land — and not a single work of any great or permanent benefit to this district will have been carried out. It is possible that we shall have about £4000 or £5000 spent upon a work to improve the landing service ; and about £300 on a gaol ; which will appear m the estimates as "public buildings." In Christchurch there are several sums yet to be voted to finish some of the magnificent buildings which are m course of erection, and scarcely a single protest has been made against them being* carried on, especially m the present depressed state of the pro- | vince. The time is not far distant when j [provincial institutions must be swept ! away, and yet the Government are carrying j on buildings which will accommodate any government m New Zealand for another century. It is not a pleasant vej flection to know that during the last week alone about £6000 has been paid into the land office m Timaru, and that other purchases amounting to about three times j that sum are contemplated ; and yet, j nearly all traffic has recently been stopped for the want of a little money to make the main roads between the centres of population m the south. The feeling on the action taken by the General Government is one of strong indignation, because it prevents a district — oven under the most hateful grievances — from petitioning for separation. The twenty-five per cent, is a farce introduced m the Act to carry it through the third ; reading if possible. Any government can and will evade it. And if the government of any province honestly acted up to the provisions of the Act, is it not a gross injustice to contribute seventy-five per cent, for being governed — and that m a loose and inferior style. Our Wellington correspondent tells us that the bill will most likely be very much altered m committee. We trust it may be so, and that the fifth clause will be altogether erased.

Mr. Weld has lent himself to his party. He is strongly supported by the Canterbury and Wellington members, both of which Provinces fear the result if the NewProvinces Act is allowed to remain intact. If the proposed measure is passed m its present form, the only remedy the outlying districts can have will be to petition for the extinction of provincial institutions; and thus secure, through a general government, the per centage which they are unable to obtain from provincial speculators. The New Provinces Act was the only safeguard against unfairness and oppression which the outlying districts possessed.

During the last fortnight a survey of the beach at Timaru has been made, and borings have also been taken, to ascertain the practicability of erecting a screw pile jetty. Through the courtesy of Mr. Mirams (assistant to Mr. Balfour) and Captain Gibson, the Port Officer, we are enabled to give the result of the boring operations. Nine borings m all were taken, but we are sorry to state that the result is not as satisfactory as was anticipated by the public here. The borings taken off shore showed m some places only about a foot of sand before coming upon the rock, and m others the rock was struck immediately. Those taken on shore gave five or six feet of clay, and the one taken furthest from the we tor line gavo, as fiir as

was bored, fine hard holding clay. Between the reef and the buoy the soundings invariably showed rock, and beyond the buoy sand was found. A series of soundings have also been taken at Cain's Landing and m Caroline Bay, and we understand that farther surveys are to be

made by Mr. Mirams, assisted by Captain Gibson. Mr. Balfour also visited Timaru during the week.

The prevailing opinion is that the Go* vernment never intended to carry out any works at all to improve our importance as a port, and that the survey was takeit merely to stop public clamour on the matter; but we think that the borings taken by Mr. Mirams and Captain Gibson must show that there was some earnestness on the part of the Government. The rocky bottom must be very much against the erection of a jetty, although at Oumaru one is about to be built by driving inta the rock, but we understand that it is of a somewhat softer nature than the rock found here. However, there is a rumour m which we believe there is a great amount *f truth, to the effect that if Mr. Balfour finds a jetty is not practicable, that he will suggest the erection of a small boat breakwater to be erected on the reef outside of Cain's Landing-place, and that such breakwater can at any time be extended so as to be of service to ships of a small tonnage. We give the rumour as it reached us ; but cannot state m what manner the work is to be carried out, or what it is likely to cost. In a tew weeks no doubt the report will be before the public, and we hope that the improvement, whether suggested m the shape of a pier or breakwater, will be at once commenced and carried out with the utmost possible despatch.