PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2082, 2 July 1864, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Thursday, June 30, ISS-i

The Speaker took the chair at 5 o'clock

1 resent,— Messrs. Hunter, Borlase, McEwen, JJransfield, Whitewood, De Castro, Carpenter, Wallace, Allison, Watt, Taylor, Johnston, Smith, Allen, Woodward, Brandon, Crawford, Duncan, Fawcett, Fitzherbert, Stokes, Bunny, and Buck. PETITION. Mr. ALLEN presented a petition from J. E. Nathan, of Wellington, relative to a portion of the unreclaimed land on Lambton-quay, which he had made an application to purchase-. This selection was considerably interfered with by a vote passed by the Council relative to the widening of the street, and the petition prayed that the House would rescind or modify the resolution, or grant him such relief as they might think fit. The petition was read, and on the question bving put that it should be received, a long discussion took place as to whether it was couched in such terms as to render it proper for the House to receive it. It was ultimately received and ordered to printed. STATE OF THE HUTT BRIDGE. Mr. McEWEN asked the Government— " What they intend to do with the piles standing in the Hutt River about two chains above the Hutt Bridge." The COMMISSIONER OF CROWN LANDS said that an engineer would be shortly sent to inspect the bridge, and to report thereon.

APPROPRIATION BILL.

The PROVINCIAL TREASURER formally moved — " For leave to bring in an Appropriation Bill for the year ending March 31, 1865."

Leave granted, Bill read first time, ordered to be printed, and to be read a second time on Tuesday next.

FIVH SHILLING LAND,

Mr. WALLACE moved — "That in the opinion of this Council no more land in the Province should be certified to as five shilling land until the Land Regulations of the Province have been amended." He said, that in rising to move the motion standing in his name, he felt that he was undertaking a difficult task, because the Returns which had been moved for bearing upon this important subject were not yet in the hands of members, lie should, however, endeavor to convey to the House the necessity of taking the steps indicated in the motion. On reference to the |Bth- clause in Section 3 of the Land Regulations of 1853 — (commonly called- Sir George Grey's regulations), hon. members would see the Commissioner of Crown Lands had the full power of certifying to ss. laud ; and in clause 14 of the same section, hon. members would see that lands applied for after certification, and three months notice given, be put up to auction. Section 5, clauses 20,21, and 22, also bear upon this important Subject. Clause 22 more especially states that lands put up to auction and not sold may be purchased at the upset price within three years, unless again put up to auction. .Now, what he (Mr. Wallace) contended was, that the time had arrived when a stop should be put to the frittering away the public estate nnder the existing Land Regulations, and as the Government had neglected to bring in any measure to amend these regulations — though they had in previous sessions promised to do so— Jie felt it his duty, as one of the representatives of the people, to bring forward the motion now before the House, as there was no other means that he was aware ot of altering the Land Regulations. It would be contended that it was too late — that all the ss. land was sold — anil that these steps should have been taken years ago. He (Mr. Wallace) would frankly admit that an alteration should have been made some years ago — and he, in conjunction with a large portion of the community, had endeavored to bring about that alteration — but to say that it was too lato he would not admit. He (Mr. Wallace J was personally aware that there were considerable tracts of land on runs yet for sale which were liable to be certified to as ss. land, unless the Council carried the resolution now before the House. Would any hon. member assert that the lands had been or were being sold at a fair price ; this ss. system might do years ago — when Sir George Grey "first introduced the present Land Regulations — but since then roads had been made and the country gradually improved, and he (Mr. Wallace^) would only refer to the present Estimates where large sums of money were literally being voted for roads, to where — why to the Ss. lands. The subject was too grave a one to bejtreatcd lightly, and he (Mr. Wallace) trusted that the Council would give the subject that consideration that its importance demanded.

Mr. McEWEN said that a more indefatigable Land Commissioner could not exist than the gentleman who occupied that position in this Province. He (Mr. McEwen) would like to ask the mover of this motion if he had ever been over the land which was sold at ss. an acre ? He had known land which had been certified to as ss. land fetch 14s. per acre.

The COMMISSIONER OF CROWN LANDS did not propose to make any comments on the motion before the House, as lie considered that its nakedness and nothingness should be sufficiently apparent to hon. members? He would go on if the Council desired, but he could not see the use of the time of the Council being wasted in discussing such a proposition.

Mr. DRANSFIELD considered the question before the House a most important one. He thought land should not be sold at so low a rate as ss. The members of the Council had a trust to fulfil, and they should be careful that they fulfilled it properly. They were dealing, it should be recollected, with the property of a future generation, and they would sooner or later regret the public estate being given away at so low a rate. When people bought ss. lands they came and asked for roads to be made to it, and he submitted that the speculation was not a good one. He wou.d support the motion.

Mr. CARPENTER rose with much pleasure to support the motion, and he thought the mover deserved credit for bringing it before the House, instead of being snubbed as ho had been by the Commissioner of Crown Lands. They all did their best to express their views clearly to the House, and if they could not do it with the eloquence and ability of that hon. member, it was no reason why they should be treated with contempt. The hon. member should remember that many of them had not had his advantages.

Dr. ALLISON would support the motion. He would very much like to see the Land Regulations modified.

Mr. WATT entirely dissented from the motion, as he considered that the selling of the waste lands of the Province at ss. per acre whs one of the wisest steps the Government had ever taken.

Mr. DUNCAN thought the time had arrived when the Land Regulations should undergo some alteration, but he did not see how it was possible to do it this session. Selling land at ss. per acre did not, unfortunately, bring a population" into the Province — if it did, he would vote for it being sold at 6d. per acre. He would support the motion.

Mr. WALLACE had not intended to address the House again on this important subject, but when he saw the lion . the Crown Lands Commissioner, by ' his manner, treating with contempt a subject of such grave importance, he could not allow the subject to be thus put from the chair without a few remarks. As to the expressions, and the mode of delivering those expressions by the lion, gentleman, lie would observe that they would not have the effect of snuffing him (Mr. W.) out ; as long as he had a seat in that House he would discharge his duty fearlessly, and unless he did so he was not worthy of representing his constituency — a large portion of which, he felt convinced, thought with him upon the subject — in fact the public generally have been looking forward to and expecting a change to be made in the Land Regulations, such a change as would prevent the public estate irom being squandered as it was being under the present regulations. The present system — us was properly observed by his friend Mr. Duncan — kept population out of the country, inasmuch as the lands were passing away into the hands of a few, merely for the purposes of sheep-farming, and under a more liberal system the means would Jbe afforded to the small capitalist to come and settle amongst , us, our population |would be greatly increased

and the Province would make more rapid progress. On the question being put, the House divided. Ayes— 7. Noes—ls Carpenter Fitzherbert Wallace Woodward Dmnsfield Brandon Allison Smith Borlase Hunter Crawford Stokes Duncan Taylor Fawcett Watt De Castro Allen Buck McEwen Whitewood Bunny.

VOTES FOR MECHANICS' INSTITUTES,

Mr. McEWEN moved—" An address to His Honor th« Superintendent, requesting him to place on the Estimates the sum of £30 for books for the Hutt Mechanics' Institute, and £20 for the Wai-nui-o-mata Public Institute."

After a few remarks from the Provincial Treasurer, and Messrs. Watt and Carpenter, the motion was agreed to.

ROAD FROM TE ARO TO KARORI,

Captain SMITH, in the absence of Mr. Johnston, moved— •' That the Superintendent will cause to be placed on the Estimates the sum of £500 for the construction of a road between Te Aro and a point on the Karori Road, known as Baker's Hill."

The PROVINCIAL TREASURER said it would have been more useful if the motion said Karori and not Baker's Hill.

Mr. SMITH thought so too, and if the House passed the motion, then he would speak to his hon. friend on the subject of amending it in Committee.

Motion agreed to.

MOTION POSTPONED,

Mr. BORLASE, by leave of the House, postponed the following motion until to-morrow night — " That in the opinion of this Council no Crown Lands in the Province of Wellington should henceforth be sold at a less price than 10s. an acre, except such lands as have been heretofore applied for to be put up at auction at ss. an acre." GRANT OF I/AND TO FREEMASONS. Mr. BORLASE moved—" That the petition of the Wellington Lodge of the Order of Freemasons be taken into consideration." He would ask that the prayer of the petition be granted, and that the Government be instructed to bring in a Bill to carry out the object. The PROVINCIAL TREASURER said that if the Government brought in the Bill they would not pledge themselves to support it. They would have no objection to do it, in order to avoid the trouble and' expense of bringing in a private Bill, but this was all they could pledge themselves to do.

Motion agreed to,

REPORT OF THE HUTT SETTLERS* COMMITTEE

Mr. McEWEN moved— "That a respectful address be presented to His Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to place on the Estimates the sum of £5 1 14 on purpose to carry out, so far as is at present practicable, the report of the Hutt Settlers' Committee of the last session."

The PROVINCIAL TREASURER said he had been Chairman of the Committee which sat last session, but they had never considered that their recommendation would amount to anything like so much money as that proposed. He would move as an amendment that it be referred to the Committee on Private Grievances.

On the amendment being put, the House divided. Ayes, 13, Noes, 7.

FORESTERS' GRANT BILL.

Mr. G. ALLEN moved the committal of the " foresters' Grant Bill."

A long discussion followed, lion, members complaining that the mover had not shown the Council what grant the Foresters' wanted, and what sort of building they intended to erect. The difficulty now of reclaiming the land was thought by some to be a great obstacle in the way of a society, which the lion, mover had said was only about to form a fund for building purposes. Ultimately the Chairman reported progress and obtained leave to sit again on Thursday on this Bill.