PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2076, 18 June 1864, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wednesday, 15th Juno, 1864. The Speaker took the chair at 5 o'clock. Members present — Messrs Allen, Allison, Brandon, Borlase, Bunny, Carpenter, Dransfield, Da Castro, Duncan, Fawcett, Fitzherbeit, Hunter, Hewitt, Johnson, M'Ewon, Rhodes, Stokes, Smith, Taylor, Wallace, Woodward, Watt. PETITION. Ca'pt. Smith laid on the table of the House a petition" from the Ancient Order of Foresters, praying Tor.a grant of land. GOBRK9PONDENOE. The Provincial Tbeasobeu laid on the table the correspondence witli Mr Morrioon on his acceptance of the agency of the Province. Also, a message from his Honor the Superintendent, containing the Estimates from Ist April, 1863, to 31st March 1864. FIVE SHILLING LANDS. Mr Borlasb moved — "'For a Return of all Lands in the Province of Wellington valued by the Commissioner of Crown i Lands at ss an acre, and sold by public auction or j otherwise, since the time whon the Waste Lands of the Province were transferred to the management of the Provincial Government ; — Showing the. namei of the persons applying to have landi valued at 5s an acre; the datts of such applications ;. the districts in which such lands are res- . pectively situated; the number of acres applied for in each case ; the amount paid in each case as deposit ; the date in each case at which the Commissioner certified ; the dates in each case of the advertisements for sale in the Gazette ; the dates of, the sales; the names of the purchasers at each sale ; the size of each block put up to auction ; and the rate realised per acre ; and the total amount realised by 5s an acre lands since the time of. the' beforementioned transfer." ,JEle>.(Mr Borlase) hoped the Government would not think , he wa9unecessarily troubling them for these returns, which must of necessity ba voluiunjous; but he hoped they would be furnished, so as to allow the public an opportunity of seeing how jhe^capital account, which is the land, stood. ] "Mr J. H. Wallace, in seconding the motion ofthehon. member for Wellington (Mr Borlase) considered that the return asked for was one of the greatest importance, and similar to one which he j (Mr W.) had asked for two years ago; it would greatly assistthe Council in arriving at tho course ' which he hoped they would pursue during the present session, of passing some motion with reference to the sale of 5s lands. From his (Mr W'is) personal knowledge, the best part of the public estate was being frittered away by the Bale of •5s land — the system was bud — the land regulations ought to. have been amended during the present session — in fact, there was an understanding in that House, both in tho last and previous sessions, that an alteration would 1 be made. If the Government were to attempt to deal with the lands, the newly proclaimed lands of which they had heard so much in hia Honor's speech ; if the Government were to attempt to deal with them under the present system, there would be one universal outcry. He regretted to say that the game mystery still existed, that had ever existed, with regard to the public lands— this mystery must be dispelled. He would defy any one who was not well acquainted with,the province to get any satisfaction in the Land Office with regard to what lands were for sale; and, to a perfect stranger it was such a mystery that he turned away in despair, however anxious he might be to locate him- . self amongst us, and however much capital he might be prepared to introduce. As to the labor in fur*'inching; the return asked for, he 1 did not see any 3<partwulardifSculty in the matter, and he trusted W tha#th;e "'Government would speedily lay it upon ; Order , that the GbuncU could cori- -, iideriti

ir The Csowsr Lands Commissioner would no Le oppose the motion in thej slightest (degree. Th J. returns should be laid on the table, compiled a 1. oorrectly as possible. & FINANCIAL STATEMENT OP THE PROVINCE. XI Mr J. H. Wallace moved-— is For a Financial utatoment of the Province, viz :— I. " For a Return of all the liabilities of the Province r. ftt tho present time, specifying the particular o ' n nil such liabilities. Also, a Return of all Awots o ,_ tho Province at the present time, specifying «j Lands, Public Buildings, Wharves, and all otlun I Provincial property with their present probable lf value." l " In moving for this statement, after what they 9» had heard from his Honor of the prosperous state it of the Province, he could not conceive that the Government would refuse the return asked for, but on the contrary, would be delighted to give it. He did not see how lion, members could go on with the business of the session, in voting sums ot money for various purposes, without having the statement asked for before them. ,One important r reason why a return should be furnished was that ?- as this was the last Besslon of the present Council their successors should have before them a \ balance sheet of the state of the Province. '* scab act. Mr Ds Castro moved this resolution in conse. quenco of noticing as the Act standsat present all the pains and penalties of the Act fell upon the owners of flocks, while nothing was provided to be done with the inspectors. He would move ! " That a Select Committee be appointed for the f purpose of considering the •' Scab, Catarrha, and r I Inspectors Act" ; such Committee to consist oi Messrs Allison, Hunter, Rhodes, Captain Smith, and the Mover." DOG NUISANCE ACT. Mr De Castbo moved — " For a Return comprising a Statement of the names of all Registrars appointed; and of the expenses and proceeds arising from the issue of Dog Badges in each District of the Province under the ' Dog Nuisance Act' of last Session." Carried. SEEOTION OP MILE POSTS,. Mr Db Caitro moved — " That in the opinion of this Council it is desirable that Posts at an interval of one mile, indicating tho respective distances of such posts from a central .'position in Wellington, be placed upon all the public roads throughout the Province." He thought it was highly necessary that milepotss should be erected along the main lines of roads from some central position in town — say the Supreme Court, as it would be of the greatest advantage to travellers. Capt. Smith could not support the motion. He thought the lion, member was asking for too great a luxury. The money proposed to be expended in this manneijcould be dealt with, he was sure, more advantageously. Mr Carpenter was of opinion that mile-posts would be useful in a variety of ways. Mr Stokes agreed with the hon. member for tho Wairarapa that, it was undesirable to indulge in this superfluous luxury. It would be more advantageous to travellers to improve and make roads than tojerect mile posts. He certainly thought if this was carried some impulsive member would move for the appointment of an officer " to whistle jigs to the mile stones." The Crown Lands Commissioneb hopad the hon member would not press his motion. Mr Johnston would rather have supported the motion, if instead of mile stones finger had been proposed. They were very necessary at the various turnings on the main lines of road. He hoped some measure to this effect would be brougn I forward shortly. Mr De Castro said he would not press his motion and it was accordingly withdrawn. RETURN OP MONIES. Mr Hewett in the absence of Mr Watt moved — " For a return" of all monies expended in the Wanganui and Rangitikei districts for the year ending 31st March, 1861, on puhlic works, grants iuaid,&c." * This return was asked for to show how much money had been expended, and to see if the Go-' vernment would be justified in placing a further sum upon the estimates. A large sum would not ) be asked for, bub one which would be considered | a fair share of the public monies for the districts alluded fco. Agreed to. PUBLIC WhAKF. Mr Hdnter moved— " That a return be laid on the table of this Council, shewing the scale of charges levied on goods landed on the Public Wharf and stored in the Queen's Warehouse, specifying wharfage, receiving, delivery, store rent, and other charges, if any." Carried. The Cuown Lands Commissioner moved — " That the Speech of his Honor tho Superintendent be taken into consideration." He said that in a Speech like the one under consideration, there were a greut number of matters which should be touched upon, but he should content himself by dwellingonly on the most prominent features in the document referred to. His task would be extremely light, as he felt he should be going with both wind and tide. His Honor had held out no ordinary promises for the future prospects of this province, and if the assumptions made proved correct, thecountry bad amplegrounds for congratulation. It was his humble opinion that there was every ground for congratulation, and lie thought he was fully justified in asking the council to affirm the speech. The contemplation of the satisfactory condition of our finances would be a source of pleasure to all members ; but there werre other points in the speech, which demanded their attention even more than that. He alluded to their position with the natives of this province. There waa nothing gave hiui greater' satisfaction than the present peaceful relations with the natives. The late fight at Wanganui, he (Mr P.) contended gave more promise of the permanent character of our peaceful relations than any other circumstance. At this fight a " war flag" had been captured by the friendly natives, and it was now within the precincts of that house, 1 which flag the natives had requested should he kept in the province of Wellington as a memorial. For these men who had exposed their lives in our cause too much thanks could not be given by the province. But the fact also redounded to the credit of tho settlers themselves, as they had after a residence of 24 years shown by their faithful behavior that they were worth lighting for. It was to the Superintendent that they had to look for bringing about this ; and he confidently asserted that no other man could'have done what his Honor had to preserve the peace of tho province. Had an outbreak taken place in this province, it would have inevitably caused tho ruin of nine. tenths of the country population, and ho (Mr Fitzherbert) considered he was speaking within bounds when he said that three-fourths of the men of business would have shared a like fate. The purchase of the Manawatu block, was of indescribable benefit to the province, and he was glad to see that his honorable friend (Mr Taylor) had given notice that he would ask what was going to bedone with this purchase. No one could over-rate the desirability of colonising this important acquisition to our territory. He was of opinion that none of it should be sold until after survey. The contiguity of this block to Wellington by water, and its proximity by land, were amongst the peculiar facilities which rendered this purchase so valuable. It was a well-known fact that the land from Paika. kariki to Taranaki was tho garden of New Zealand, and they should weigh well how they wore to colonis* it. Immigration must bo resumed, for their present position demanded tho introduction of more, labor. With every prospect, in fact he might almost say with certainty, that the Panama line would terminate here, with the great works that must take place contemporaneously with this, he considered that immigration was imperative. Although tho Government might congratulate the Council upon their position, yet he would remark that in times of prosperity the affairs of the Province would require more skilful management than at any other time, and he hoped they would obtain the full confidence of the Council and .the public at large, Mr Cabpentsq could not understand the reason fo? putting jiprth another .immigration ij,soheme. on the promissory note system. It had been tried

t and signally failed. Although he should not g c entirely against the Government on this subjec s he could not endorse many subjects which ap peared in his Honor's speech, but he should re soiTo his remarks upon them until they cam betbro the Council in a different form. He woul< move as an amendment on tho immigratioi scheme. He moved " That the Promissory Not* « scheme should not be introduced again." ' Mr J. H. Wallace did not intend to troubli the House with any very lengthened retnarki • upon his Honor's 9poech, - but as this was tin ' proper time and place for hon. members to recorc 5 their opinions, he would not allow the opportunity to pass without saying a few words. Th( hon. member for Wellington (Mr Carpen--1 ter) had moved an amendment on th« 1 subject of innnigraf ion. Now he (Mr W.) must ' say, that with the experience before them, should 1 the Government resort to another promissory note I system, that it would give great dissatisfaction, He (Mr W.) observed in His Honor's speech that 1 Mr Carter " before ibaving kindly had placed his \ services at his disposal." Now he (Mr W.) did ' not mean to say that Mr Carter's services were ' not valuable, but he thought that when the matter was before the Committee, that it should be understood what Mr Carter's •• kindly services" really meant. One point in His Honor's speech referred to steam subsidy for the OUgo boats running between Melbourne and Wellington. He \ (Mr W.) thought that the £2500 required or , asked for such a purpose could be very profitably employed in the making of roads in the province, which were of much morw importance than in paying steamers which would do the same service without the subsidy. The competition in •team was now so great that they did not longer require assistance from the provincial chest. No one could more appreciate the exertions of His Honor than he (Mr W.) did, in acquiring the lands upon the West Coast. The acquisition of them was of vital importance to the interests of this Province, and the only regret that he now had to express was, that the Band Regulations of the Province had not been amended as promised, to meet and deal with the important purchases referred to in the speech, and he trusted that tnis session would not pass without the important question being dealt with. Mr Borlase would not occupy the time of the Council long. He did not see the reason for congratulation at the submission of that arch impostor Wi Tako. He (Mr B.) firmly believed he merely came in to save his property trom confiscation, and therefore his motives were not so pure as supposed by some. He perfectly agreed with the purchase of lands from the natives, but he did not consider that this was the proper time to pay them for it. With regard to the Immigration scheme it had been proved a failure. He did not see the necessity of sending money to England for emigrants when there was a stream at their very doors attracted by the recent discovery of gold in the Peloru9. Ho noticed in tho streets the other day 300 men who would have been glad to have taken a day or two's labor on any public works. He (Mr B.) could not assent to that portion of His Honor's speech concerning the introduction of unmarried females. By the census returns it would be seen thatthere was a superabundance of females over males, and he considered it would be actually creating the social evil. Miss Rye, they were told, was to send us some females selectod by herself, and he argued that the introduction of them would only tend to fill our streets with demoralization. They would have no guarantee ot their characters. Ho did not consider the Panama Line or the Seat of Government by any means ao secure, as had been stated by the Crown Lands Commissioner. To him (Mr B.) it was very doubtful whether they would get the one or the other. With reference to Military Settlers ho did object to any scheme which would locate on any one particular block a number of ' these settlers : he would rather see them spread all over the Province. He had read most carefully the memorandum concerning the forfeiture of rebel lands, and he was happy to say that ho agreed with eveiy line of it. He was not prepared to move a resolution, but he felt bound to make these remarks at this stage. "^ Mt Stokes rose to express his cordial assent -40 the general tenor of his Honor's /tddress and his concurrence in the reply proposed by tho Commissioner of Crown Lands. The address in his opinion gave^ a clear and candid statement of the present condition and prospects of tho province, and it must be admitted that these were of so favorable a nature as fully to justify sanguine hopes of their future progress and prosperity. The reply very fairly enumerated as subjects for congratulation some of the principal topics contained in his Honor's. speech, which were more numerous and more important than could reasonably have been expected at the commencement of this session, and he for one was fully prepared to admit in the terms of the reply that there existed more than ordinary grouuds for satisfaction and congratulation in the present state and prospects of tho province. Foremost among these advantages he was disposed to place our present relations with the Natives, and the confident hope which they hold out of continued peace and security, and they could not have a better proof of this than the presenoo among them of the four mem. hers for Wanganui who felt sufficiently assured of the peace of their districts to attend their duties in this Council. He felt bound to express his conviction that it was mainly owing to the courage, the judgment, and the firmness exhibited by his Honor in his intercourse with the Natives of this Province during the critical period which has existed from the commencament of the Waikato war, that they were indebted for the peace and security that have prevailed, and they had reason to rejoice that the disturbances of Wanganui have so promptly been repressed, and that they have given such unquestionable evidence of the good feeling which exists between the settlers and the great body of the Nativos of this Province. He believed it was impOSBible to over-estimate tho blessings which. these relations were calculated to confer on both races, and he, for one, sincerely hoped tho settlers of this Province would never desire to make a solitude and call it peace in th» hope of by such means acquiring the lands of the Natives, but that such acquisitions may ever be ma/le as those which have just been completed by his Honor in a spirit of fairness and justice and with the full consent of the native owners. On such terms only can such acquisitions be looked upon ay a gain, and such terms even in a pecuniary point of view and on the lowest grounds of policy will ever be found in the end to be tho cheapest and the best. The wisdom of his Honor's policy during the late crisis had been impugned by a previous speaker, but he (Mr S.) thought if it were tried by the commonest tests usually applied in such cases it was fully justified by its complete success. He would not trouble the Council by entering into a discussion of the several topics embraced in his Honor's speech, since on most of them another opportunity would be afforded for their consideration, but lie could not refrain from this expression of his sentiments or from offering his cordial support to the reply proposed by the Commissioner of Crown Lands. On the motion of the Crown Lands Commissioner tho discussion was postponed for ten minutes. On the House resuming, Mr Watt said he approved most highly of his Honor the Superintendent's Speech. Capt Smith concurred in all the points of his Honor's Speech. Mr Bvnnv expressed his high admiration of his Honor's conduct with regard to native affairs in the province. He also entirely agreed with the excellent memorandum drawn up by Mr Fox. It was perfectly true that in August* last there was a great deal of bounce among the natives in the Wairarapa, but the Superintendent came up, who was more able to deal in the matter than any one else, and it was settled. He did nob approve of the Promissory Note system, tl had proved an utter failure. Mr Hunter approved in general of his Honor's Speech. Tho present position of the province was a proof of the soundness of his policy. He dissented from what had fallen from the hon member for the city about the consistency of Wi Tako. Ho believed in it in the fullest extent, and he thought it was wrong to allow foolish prej adieus to weigh against him. The hon gentleman (Mr' Hunter) then passed the highest encomiums on'his'Honor for the part hehad take'ri in the native affairs of the province; s ••*..;«•- • 's

;o ' Mr Dbansfikm) thought they had had quit t, trouble enough with the promissory note system >- and therefore he was surprised, that it .should b i. brought forward again. He did not agree that th c native policy had been so successful as represented d Mr Hewitt concurred entirely with the nativi n policy. The services of the Superintendent wen c beyond praise. He had exposed himself to per. Bonal danger to bring about the present peaeefu 8 condition of this province. s Mb Johnston wished to record his high sense a of the manner in which the native affairs of the 1 Province for the past year had been conducted. j They owed a deep debt of gratitude to his Honor j the Superintendent for the part he had taken. . He had allowed no,questidn of self to stand in the 3 way of his exertions for the public weal. He cort tainly thought it would not be out of place to . pass a vote of thanks to those friendly nativos who i had fought for them in Wanganui, and he be- , lieved by that act tended materially to secure the ; peace of the province from one end to the other, i His, opinion of the immigration scheme was, that . it was not necessarilly the case, because the I promissory note system had been a failure once, that it should be go again. [ Mr G. Allen said no previous speech had ever come so near perfection in his mind. He hoped it i would be carried out by action. After a few remarks from the Crown Lands i Commissioner, the amendment was put and lost, ' and the address as printed carried, FINANCIAL BTATEUBNT. The Provincial Treasurer moved the motion standing in his name, and gave the following detailed statement of the Financial prospects of the Province. He said : In endeavouring to present a brief view of the financial condition of the Province, I may bo permitted to say that if it be a difficult and unpleasant task, to account for large falling off in revenue, and to try to put the best practicable appearance on flt time of depression, it is almost equally dimcult to face unlooked for increase aiid improvement. The pain indeed is gone, but the feeling that remains must be analogous to that of the General, who, when he proceeds to marshal his j forces, finds their number so largely in excess of that which he had calculated upon, that he is for the moment appalled by the greatness of the prospect that opens before him. Enterprizes that he would scarcely havo dared to contemplate may now safely be undertaken, but ho may well be 1 pardoned if he experiences a moment of hesitancy before he braces his energies for the work that is before him. Such is to some extent the presentposition of this Province, whila the future — large and even extravagant as our present anticipations may be deemed — promises to leave our highest expectations far behind. The first part of the duty that now devolves Upon me, is to give some rapid sketch of the financial operations of the past year. The House had already heard that the Estimates of Revenue have been realized within about £3708 (£2700 13s 2d) against which their is an estimated balance of £840 remaining at our credit in London, making the actual deficit less than £2000. The principal items on which a deficiency has occurred, are the Reclaimed Land .€705 os; Warohouse and Wharf £545 48 lid, and Promissory notes £1935 Us 3d, which have been partly compensated for by an increase on Customs of .£557 Oa lid, and llatea on Land, &c, of £683 Ifis 3d. A sum of £250 has also been received from the Trustees of the Hospital Estates, and £145 for fees for Registration of Dogs which were not included in Estimates, besides £732 which has been deposited by persons here for or towards the passage money of friends (116 in number) Bent for from England. Referring to the items of deficiency it may be mentioned that the Warehouse has only been open nina months, and the Wharf but a little over six, while upwards of £100 of store rent &c, was due on the 31st of March. The serioas item is that of Immigrants Promissory Notes, but every one is aware that this is attributable mainly to the adverse decisions of the Courts on points that were undecided when the Estimates were framed. It i« also to be added that those Immigrants who have paid any considerable sum on account of their promissory notes, have done it on the faith of the Government proposing a resolution to the Council extending the period, during which a remission of 25 per cent will be made, until September next. Turning now to the expenditure of the year, the papar that has been laid upon the table will show the items on which the Estimates havebeon exceeded, and also, those on which the amounts remain' unexpended. The largest of theae arc £1000 for improving the Porirua Road — a work that is now in progress; £1500 for the Forty Mile Bush Road, which sum will no longer be required, on account of the 'works that the General Government propose to undertake ; £1041 2s, which yet remains unexpended on the Road from Rangitikei to Wanganui, but of which a large portion will be required for existing contracts and Grants-in-aid, the demand* on which fund have been £4,798 lla less than the amount which the Council appropriated for this service. Then there is the Wanganui Wharf which is now in progress and besides several smaller items, the sum of £2,001 7s remains to the credit ot Contingencies. Upon the items Immigration and Patent Slip, but small sums have been expended, the one being almost entirely a paying out of sums previously deposited by friends, and the other the fees and exponsos of a consulting engineer, whose services the Government were able to secure. There is also a sura of £542 10s representing 1085 acres of land awarded by the Compensation Committee, but not yet ap« plied for. Under the head ol items expended in excess of Estimates, it is to be regretted that the Wellington Gaol appears for no less than £333 I6s6d, but when it is remembered that the average number of prisoners has more than doubled, this will scavcely excite surprise. Scarcely less regret, though of a different kind, will be felt by seeing that the daraage t done to the Hutt Bridge during the last winter, entailed upon the Province an expense of £1062 19s 2d. Under the head Custom House and Post Office there ia also an excess of £938 llsß i, which calls for some remark. The wdole expenditure for the year under this heading amounts to £1408 lls Bd, which is thus made up — for Free Store or Good's Shed £351, Landing Waiter and Wharfinger's Offices, £158 os, the balance having been principally expended upon the Time Ball and apparatus. This is not the time to go into a formal defence of this expenditure, but I cannot pass it without sayiug, that if the Provincial Government have found the expectations they had been led to form as to its cosfc, largely exceeded, they have also found the scientific skill and knowledge that has been displayed in its erection and working, much more largely exceeded — and it may be mentioned, as an illustration of the precision of the observations that are now being taken from day to day, that they will probably result in slightly altering the longitude of thisplace— an incidental but not unimpor- ' tant result, in the prospect of steamers coming at high rates of speed from the east as well as from the west. ( The retrospect of the year may be therefore summed up thus. After providing for the ordinary expenses of Government, paying interest and other incidental charges, and expending £41,305 , 3s Id on various public works tinder takings, i ; we yet close the year with a balance to credit of no less than £18,028 2s sd. Referring now to the future, I will first glance t at the principal items of expenditure proposed by the Government. After providing for ordinary expenses, a sum of £8050 is put down for sundry undertakings, of which the only one now calling i for remark is the vote for Educational purposes. < This is composed of two Bums. The first is . identical with the vote of last year, which, was j expended within £66 4s 6d— an increase of expenditure under this head of nearly £600 (£599 5a 7d), as compared with the year pre- - ceding. It is gratifying to add that the ; number of schools is also increased from eighteen , to twenty-six, while the number of scholars is , nearly doubled. School buildings also have been increased, and there appears a growing desire to take advantage of the grant for this purpose in all parts of the Province. The other portion of the amount is £1000 for or towards the formation of a College in this town, and is proposed under the following circumstances. The Trustees of the Wellington Savings' Bank, by purchasing the debentures issued by Captain Fitzroy during the period of their, greatest depression— between 1846 and 1818— an& by keeping- the ! flame until they

c were paid off by Sir G. Grey, made a sum whi< i, by .being carefully husbanded now amounts c nearly £1000, and they now propose to give tli c for the formation of a college — for which the [. are already considerable endowments — if tf a Council will supplement it with an equal sun s There is then a sum of £32,350 for roads, inclui • ing .£15,000 for grants-in-aid, and a further sum 1 53 M) for various district rqads. To this is addc a sum of £9230 for certain public works, and > further sum of £18,500 for female immigratioi > 1 additions to wharf, <fee. f making a total of .£68,18 , which it is proposed to expend on public work in addition to £7000 for surveys, aud £3599 H for the Land Purchase, Land, and Roads depar menfc.j, bringing the total estimated expendiiur of the year to £ 106,082 2s 6d. For the ways and means to meet this expendi fcure, we have first the balance already mentioned socondly ordinary revenue estimated at £33,20 C then certain special items amounting to £18,13 C together with a territorial revenue estimated a 4*36,000. Taking first, under the head ordinarj revenue, the item Customs, it will be found se down at *20,000. This amount may b startling, but attention is requested t the following particulars :— Taking tho period c our present financial year, that is, from April h to the ensuing 81st of March, vre hare the fol lowing as the results of the five years eotnmenc ing with the Ist April, 1859. For the first name year the portion received by the Province wa £12,660 IGs 6d ; for the second, £12,575 18s lid for the third, £14,223 9s sd ; for the fourtl £14,981 0s lid; wnile for the last year th amount was £16,557 0s lid ; thus showing fo the first year a total revenue of £33,761 18s 8d and for the last of £44,152 2s Bd, being an increas of nearly 31 per cent in five years, Witf a growth so marked and decisive without any ad ventitious aids, it cannot be too much to expec that with the prospect of increased population and lajge public works in progress, the revenm may reach to £54,000, which will givo the Pro vince the amount now set down— a result thai will mark in equal measure, the growth of oui commerce and the enlargement of all our re. sources. The item " Rated on Land and Contributions for Grants-in-aid," is put down at £5000, In this item a similar progress is observable. (The amounts for the same five years having beer £42L 17s 2d, £840 3s 4d, £1618 6s 6d, ,21763 8s 7d; and £3683 5s 3d, respectively ■A narrow view might suggest that increased in this item is an increased drain upon the resources of the Province, yet it needs but a moment'! reflection to show that it is in the best sense an enlargement of those resources. I ( is the amount of a direct tax, raised and expended i by the inhabitants of tho various diatricts, to which they have been stimulated by the wise liberality of the Council in previous years, and as the result, I believe no less than fifty-three inilea of road have thus been made during the past year, with bridges and other valuable local improvements. The important item ♦' Territorial Revenue " must also be noticed. This also has grown from £9,820 10s (or adding the one-sixth that was then deducted £11,784 Is) in 1859-60, to £81,883 3s 2d in 1863-64, an increase that is nearly three-fold in the five years, and in which the last is £9,464 6s 9d in excess of the year immediately preceding. It therefore can scarcely ba considered extravagant, .that we have ventured to calculate upon an increase of less than £5,000 for the coming year. It must be borne in mind, that although each sale diminishes the Provincial estate, yet that the latter.^instead of being a fixed quantity « continually increasing, and judging by events that are now rapidly evolving, it will be long before there will be any reduction in this item, because of the alienation of the public lands. Moreover, it may again be repeated, that not only is it proposed to expend the whole of the Territorial Revenue in public works, but that a sum nearly equal thereto is set apart for Roads alone, not to •peak of theother works which the Council will be invited to undertake. The sum thus estimated as accruing to the Provincial chest during the year is £105,358 2s sd, and this without loan or any other aid than the legitimate resources of the Province, excepting to the extent of the refund of the cost of the lighthouse, or £7000. With a revenue thus ample, with at least the hope of peace, and with the propect of large tracts of country being at any rate prepared for settlement during the year, I feel J leave to my successor, whoever he may be, that shall huge the honor to make a similar statement next year, an honorable though an onerous task, indicating a state of public affairs of which the present Government will at least have no cause t:o be ashamed for the share they have had in its production. The House then went into Committoe of Supply , the Chairman reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again next day. Thursday, June 16th. The Speaker took the Chair at 5 o'clock. Members present. — Messrs Fitzherbert, Woodward, Allen, Smith, Johnston, Taylor, Allison, Hewett, Peake, Fawcett, Wallace, Stokes,\Hunter, Borlase, Bunny, Rhodes, Carpenter, Watt, De Castro, Dransfield. DEFENCE 00BP3 HORSES. Mr Johnston asked the Crown Lands Commissioner—" Whether the Government has reason to believe that the Horses of the Defence Corps in this Province are unfit for active service from insufficient feeding — Aud if so what remedial step has been taken.' 1 He said that he had been informed by men who understood the matter, that when the outbreak occurred in Wanganui, the horses were perfectly unfit to do one day's hard work. If this were correct, the whole of the zeal, gallantry, and efficiency of the various companies would be thrown away in the field. He did not wish to reflect' upon the officers, but he did think that some such steps should be tak?n as would render tho horses as efficient as posssible. The Crown Lands Commissioner wai not able to state that there was no foundation for what the hon. member had heard. He believed that some of the horses were inefficient, but that now steps were taken to remedy the evil. The horses belonging to the force would in future ba on full rations, viz- :— 10 lbs of oats aud 14 lbs of hty per diem. Mr Bonn* could only speak for the horses in the . Wairarapa ; but of 50 horses up there, he firmly believed they could not find ten to go as far as Featherstou. He understood the horses were going to be turned out on " the ridges," if they were he should not be surprised to ' hear of half the number dying of starvation. It was really lamentable to aeo their conditon. RAILWAYS. Mr Stokes, in introducing the motion standing in his name, made an elaborate speech repeating in nearly similar terms the views he expressed last session on the subject of Railways. " That in the opinion of this Council it in most desirable that the necessary steps should be taken for ihe construction of a Railway from the City of Wellington to the North Eastern Boundary of the Province, with a brauch to the Manawatu district, on the basis of the resolutions agreed to in the last Session of the Council. That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to make such preliminary arrangements as may ensure the accomplishment of this object with the least possible delay." The Crown Lands Commissioner said he believed that ho would defy the Government to construot a railway half so tffioieutly or. half so ; cheaply as a private company. He oertaiuly i agreed with a system of guarantee, but he thought it might be less than that mentioned by the hon. member (Mr Stokas.) Mr Dramsfield would like to hear from Government, what portion of land on the projected line was at present in their hands. He did not object to a railway if the scheme was properly carried out, but he thought it was rather . premature. If the present motion was carried, there would be many preliminary expenses to meet, aud he would like to know how much guarantee they could offer. Mr J. H. Wallace rose to support the motion of the hon. member for the city, Mr Stokes. The Council and the public generally, were fully alive to the importance of railways. :He (Mr W.) did not think that the motion went far enough, it .wai, as it at present atoodj merely, a repetition of whathadibflentdone in a iforniexi aewion, aud ■x>: ■'■'%'■•''.'• • ' '-■ ■'■ 'V "■' ; '-.■-.'•

sh if the-hon. mover merely intended it as sucli, it? ;- to could not do either good or harm. What: he>l .\ v; iis (Mr W.) would like to see, would bo that thte, 4 re resolution of the hon. gentleman should be ofa:/ 10 more practical character, and he would, therefore, n. suggest an addition to it. The whole pith of the , , i- raattei was fully explained in Mr Morrison's (the of London Agent) letter to the Superintendent, on id the subject of providing English capital for the a construction of the railway. The letter was q, dated Nov. ty, 1863, and Mr Morrison verypro0, perly asked "in what form would the Governs, menfc guarantee the 6 per cent— l shall be glad to is know, having been asked. 1 ' Now if the question t- of the construction of railways were of such vital c importance to the interests of the province, and all seem to be agreed upon this. point why not i- go into the question of guarantee—or at all 1, events add to the resolution a sufficient sum to ), carry oat all the preliminary arrangements, by >, the employment of scientific engineers and sur- - it veyors, to prepare drawings, take levels, and furV nish all the necessary details for. preliminary proit ceedings. He (Mr W) would like, to see the sum eof £tO,OOO placed upon the Estimates' for auch a purpose ; and he thought that the £2,500 for steam subsidy with Melbourne ; the .£4,000 for the importation of female emigrants under Miss Rye's system, and one or two pther items might very properly be made use of for this purpose Mr Bonn* had listened with great attention to . the very able speech of the hon member for the city (Mr Stokes), and was very glad to see the scheme approved of by the Government, It would assist more than any other measure in the progress of the country. He (Mr, Bunny) thought all the preliminaries should x '' be left in the hands of the Government, and if they wished it the Council would guarantee them a sufficient sum for the outlay, while the railway would open a new country, create a new trade. It would be the mean9of introducing 2,000,000 or 3.000,000 of money into the province. In the Wairarapa alone, a great trade might be opened up with timber, if it could be brought to market at a reasonable rate. Beyond the Rimutaka there was as fine a country as any in the province, but the difficulties of the road prevented the production at a remunerative price, of several marketable commodities. He hoped the Council would be unanimous on the subject. Mr Allison thought they ought to proceed cautiously. It was impossible at the present rate of wages to raise agricultural produce to pay the producer. Mr Carpenter thought the subject of railways was rather premature. With regard to the great exportation that had been spoken of as likely to take place from the Wairarapa; he might state that only recently he had seen flour and even potatoes taken over the Rimutaka for that district. Now if they could not produce suoh articles for themsolves, he certainly could not see how large exports could be expected to come from thence.' Capt. Smith said the proposed scheme would open up most valuable land in the 40 mile bush which would be immediately cultivated* It would increase the population, and as the land would grovy almost anything, it would%rm an entirely new trade in that quarter. He hoped they would : get on as fast as possible witfi the preliminaiy 1 V steps, • ' ' "v"' !; ;'. Mr Hunteb said as he understood it, they were only called upon to express an opinion as to che advantages of a railway, and offer a premium for intro- ,;' r duction of English capital. They should be called] upon to guarantee a certain rate of interest upon; three or four millions of money, then the company would undertake the proposal. He felt convinced /' > they would be amply repaid for their investment. Mr Watt said the hon. the moycuc-^qf ' thia motion deserved tha best thanks of the uj.Oop^ili;".."" A great many of the resources of the Province could never be developed exoept by railways, 'Ti^e'aaV vantages of a railway to the district they hai jolt . acquired, no one could tell. ; He considered ttiej could not move too soon in the matter. It would prove remunerative to whoever took it in hand, ' and every one along the whole line would „b 0 ! - : "' benefi tted, and their land increased in value three hundredfold. He considered it quite aa important for the, Province as the erection of a patent slip, which, he had understood a sum. had been voted for before lie came from Wanganui. He thought one was a more lasting benefit than the , other. - ' ; "./■...■' : ']„s'■ Mr Ta*lob regretted that the footion did not go further. They might wait twelve months and rind themselves as far off the proposed scheme aa ever. '"•■-. Mr G. ALtEN supported the motion. . ' Mr Stokes briefly replied, and the motion waa agreed to. PUBLIC STREETS. Mr DiUNSFiaijp obtaiaed leave to postpoae the motion standing in his name till the following night, viz. : — " That it is the opinion of this Counoil that the, public street commencing at the Odd Fellows' Hall and terminating at Pipitea, should be not less than two chains wide, and that in the sale of the unreclaimed land provision should be made to carry this opinion into effect." COBBESPONDENCE. Mr J. H. Wallace moved— " For a copy of the correspondence between the Government and the Town Board Commissioners. He believed the correspondence was not extensive and his only object in moving for it was to bring the matter before the Council, with a view to ascertain what amendments the Government intended to make in the Town Board Act." Agreed to. v The House then went into Committeeof Supply. VOLUNTEER PBIZE CUP. Mr Pjgakk moved — 4 " That a respectful address he presented to His Honor the Superintendent requesting him. to place upon the Estimates the sum of £200 for the purchasing a prize cup, and for other prizes to be competed for by Volunteers and militia within the frovinoe." • He said he felt convinced that if some inducement was not held out. volunteering would soon die out in this Province He thought it was the duty of the Government to foster the movement.. On the Bth May, at Wanganui, when they were required, the volunteers went to .their posts cheerfully. It could not be denied that they were a very efficient force (both volunteers and militia), and he hoped the house would see the necessity Of placing the sum mentioned in his resolution -on the estimates, for the purchase of a cup to be given to the best marksmau. Mr Allison seconded the motion, . Mr BtJNNr would suggest to the hon. member (Mr Peake) that a Committee of this house should be appointed to regulate the distribution of the prizes, as well as to decide on the rules*to govern the shooting. In making these rules they wanted a little more of the civilian element. Several hon. members spoke in support of the motion, which was agreed to. MAINTENANCE OF BOADS Bill. The Cbowk Lands Commissioner at some length moved the second reading of the Maintenance and Repair of Roads Bill. Mr G. Allen seconded the motion, which Wfl» opposed by Messrs Carpenter and Borlase, the latter gentleman moving as an amendment that it be read a second time that day six months. : Messrs Wallace and Johnston supported the original motion, and Messrs Bunny, Watt, and Allisonfsupported the amendment. ; - ..'•"-" The Crown Lands Commissioner moved the ! / adjournment of the debate, and after some dfci- V ■-'..: cussion upon the subject, the House divided, with \C: the following result:— . . ,' \ V v^ ; . Aybs. 13. , . Noes. 7, ! "'■' v^^v^X Fitzherbert Borlaie > ->^ Woodward, Bunny .^ ■•,''}.•'-"'•-?.&£ Allen Rhodes^ ' ''•~ : "- } :-^?<$& Smith Carpenter! r . . H'v Johnston Watt r 'J '■'/.'■• •■'■'''"■"- : \'.r)i Taylor .Do .Castro • ' " : y - '.' f v ■' ■'•■' ; ;' <<■ Allison Dransifteld '"■■■'", ' ••' > >*'\- 1 "-' -^% * Hewitt .' ■■ ■ '.■•. ■" ■' '■" ■'■*■>■: ■■"' V%' i ";-%b& Peake .. ■ • "' " ■ " /: / "•■ ". '^'.s^Mm Fawoett • . . /" ; . :[- : . \ ; ; ;v^ : ; ]P^o4M . Wallace- . • : ...■■- ■-...;;■' <- : : ! - : ---MQc-'h" :^ Stokes ■ - - ' •' "' -'"'",' -■■.'Vv^r'-^.f^'g^^^^ „ . The debat4.wa9^ceordinjji^iadjoi^b^j^^l^il^^ - ■Thto : -Biil L wa^\re^'a/'Be^^;tlip^'^e^^^^^^^^ a tln'rd;tirne,t^mo^^^^^^^^^^M ; . -The,Hpuße-then>iajQu^edM^||,^^^^