PROROGATION OF PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2388, 14 July 1866, Page 8

PROROGATION OF PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

On Saturday, 7th July, his Honor the Superintendent, delivered the following speech on closing the second session o! the fourth Provincial Council:—

Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen op the Provincial Council.

Having already assented to

" An Act (N^ 2) to alter and amend 'an Act to make void the election of certain members of tho Provincial Council, Session 1, No. 26.' "

I beg now to intimuto that I have also, on bcli'ilf of the Governor, assented to the following Acts passed by you during tho present Session viz : —

" An Act (No. 6) to indemnify tho Superintendent of the Province of Wellington for the expenditure of certain monies for (lie Civil Grovernment and public works and undertakings of tho said province." "An Act (No. to grant a retiring allowanco to John Wallace."

"An Act (No. 8) to amend an Act of Session 13, No. 10, of the Provincial Council, Wellington, intituled, 'nn Act to amend the Licenses Ordinances in force in the Provineo of Wellington.' "

"An Act (No. 10) to amend and consolidate tlio laws relating to scab, catarrh, and sheep inspectors," aiid "An Act (No 12) to appropriate the revenue of the Province of Wellington for the year commencing the Ist day of April, 18GG, and ending the 31st day of March, 1867." And further, that I have reserved for the Gtovernor's assent the following Acts, viz. : — "An Act (No. 1) to provide for tlio management of the Hutt Public Park and Eace Courso."

"An Act (No. 3) to authorise the Superintendent to raise a loan to ropay the loan raised under Act No. 4, Session 4, and provide a Sinking Fund for the redemption thereof."

- "An Act (No. 4) to provide for the management of tho Wairarapa Race Course." "An Act (No. 5) authorising his' Honor tho Superintendent, with the advice of, his Executive Council, to enter into a contract witli any person or company for tho construction of a railway from the City of Wellington to the Hutt District." "An Act (No. 9) to incorporate tho Board of Works for the City of Wellington and for other purposes ;" and " An Act (No. 11) to authorise tho Superintendent to raise a loan for tho purpose of extinguishing the Native Title to land in the Manawatu and other districts." " Believing, as I do, that, in common with other Provincial Legislatures, wo have fallen into the error of placing upon our Statute Book laws hastily framed nnd passed, I feel induced to congratulate you upon the increasing disposition of the Council to confine its legislation, as far as possiblo, to amending and consolidating Acts. " In tho Scab enactment of the present Session you have repealed no fewer than five Acts, and huve substituted for them a law intelligible to all. I sincerely hope that, when you next meet, the Government may bo found prepared to submit to you Consolidation Acts on other subjects. " While fully concurring with you in tho expediency of raising the price of land, I should have been glad if ample notice had been given of tho change, for I believe that a very considerable quantity of land would, in tho courso of the next few months, have been sold at ten shillings an acre which will not be bought at £1 an acre, thus causing a very material falling off in the estimate of your territorial revenue for the current financial year. " I trust you will pardon mo for saying that I very much fear that the occupation clause, undor which a purchaser can send up a servant to shepherd his claim for the period during which the land must bo occupied before he is entitled to a Crown grant, will, by letting in mere speculators, tend very seriously to mar the success of tho Small Farm Associations. This fear is now so fully participated in by the Promoters of the Small Farm Scheme that I understand, had time permitted, petitions would have been presented, praying you to reconsider your decision. " But be this as it m\y, it is satisfactory to know that under the system upon which the Awahou and Upper Manawatu blocks, will shortly be brought into the market, all lonn fide settlers will have ample opportunity of locating themselves, and that the provinco will reap the full market value of its lands.

" You will bo gratified to learn that I have succeeded in obtaining from the Mutual Investment Society a loan of £35,000 on security of the land in process of reclamation — an amount which will enable mo not merely to dofray tho expense of the reclamation, but also to retrieve the Provincial Revenueof a contribution of some £10,000 towards the cost of the wharf.

" Though for the first timo during my thirteen years administration of the Government, a change h»a taken place in mj Executive, you maj rest assured that there exists between them and myself an earnest desire cordially to co-operate in promoting the true interests of tho Provinco. " Thanking you, on behalf of tho Province, for tho services you have rendered during tho present Session, and especially for the efforts you have made to keep tho appropriation within tho limits of the estimated revenue, I now declare that this Council do stand prorogued."