PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 2, 10 May 1873, Page 12

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

TV,* s£w ?™ /£" ?f? f provincial Council was opened on Tuesday. The SPEAKER (Mr J. L. Gillies) read the proclamation convening the Council, and afterwards announced the return of new members for the following districts-:— Mr R. Stout, Caversham ;Mr H. Driver, Wakan jMr W. Wood, Waihopai ; and Mr H. S. Fish, jun., Dunedin. The Superintendent in the course of a longthy address, said *.- The declared value of the imports dnring the past financial year has been £1,884,998, while the import duty amounned to £262,000, or equal to about one-third of the Customs revenue of fhe Colony; Of thw sum none found its way into the Provincial Treasury. The gold exported during the year was 169,212, as against 166,372 ounces during the previous year. The total value of Provincial produce exported, inclusive of cold, amountsto £2,279 668 as against fil,l«O.O0O for the year before This is equal to £70 per head for eacn statute adult in the Province, an amount which is unequalled in any other part of the world The revenue received fiom gold duty, miners' rights, and business tr P^uf yet^ d8 ' *" *"" ™* **> as st WlS* The total receipts from all sources into the Provincial Treasury during the year has been £336,900, as against £289,000 during the STHXWrt;- La9fc y earwe^g a °^th a Sank overdraft amount ng £16 698 3yeatWe COmmenne wifch a balance in our favour of lS a ;^7oSX%U Aheen eipen3ed " - dB .Ws g and 4n 1 S? in iT gg £ tiO V r^ the ? nifced Kingdom fox the year amounted *° 1 »g 6 » whlle _ th e«> had been born in the Province 8,000 souls amollm a 4 T S ° ld 2 ° 3>138 x BCreS Of ruTal land, "distributed sSdffil»n d 5 Tri rC^T rBS . Of tOWn "Hotmwrtß th«e had been SnMflS SE ' vaI 1 dlfferpnt Pr chaßere '' agricultural leases on .Ooldfields there had been granted 136, covering an area of 10,389 acres. °PAn rS i, a - 86by T b ?. n ? made - An expenditure of some 2ffr ff ? gI W d) Wh , lCh i 9 believed would amply recoup wvf™ . ?V °? tabl l ""Vto&Mrt to a large numher of people who must otherwise have left the district. wMn Pf? had w Ot r L en , C ? a tlmfc dirai^tion of its gold production a}^fZ TT UU ™ el ? heMl *} th 6 Otlier goldproduch/Provinces of New Zealend. The increase for the year, small though it be, was !!13 e t I' B66l^^* a Renumber of miners had been -induced to engage themselves on other works, and seeing that water tor sluicing purposes during the past six months had been exceedingly scarce in many districts. He could not over-rate the importance of facilitating as much as possible mutual co-operation of the investing S« fIS I " terestß ; f With a view to mpre complete development o? the Goldhelds, and the mitigation of grievances to which the mimng community were at present subjected, a new Gold Fields Bill h£t^ which, ifc was hoped, would become forfwTSH Ofth ff ce ® eiieral In regard to the bonus tLtl- v * t^ me ?. tof a P a P er frefcay, a bond had been entered theMt Q ' WlUmulfcina P a P« will on the banks of

*97 X? Btatemen ' farn «hed by the Inspector of Scoools, at least ff5 W v^ my ir P Tl eftde9Ußtß 8ch ° o1 accommodation, an amount which, in addrtion to the annual educational charges, involved a much larger dram upon the ordinary revenue of the Province than f r?I?° r ?f warrai l te(3 - There seemed to exist a good deal of dissat,sfaction with regard to the Dunedin Boys' High School. Z o a ol Waß /? q T/ as *P adequate number of scholars tolttend the Sv \°J °- t - mk w t any change of management would eS-ect ACommißßlon h ad been appointed to enquire into the

th« m! subm I ltted » «*«ne providing for the construction of links on 1 £*¥ ° n 1 Wa ?? & tKe 8al " ° £ lmd& > and whicil he f elt assured, if ™ I v? 5 g oloi ? ial & °™™ment, would mfc fee done fof d « fa to th« Snff v °^? r?" c ** unb «*en li» e °* rail from Waitaki £ fh« »? f * WakatipU > enabling agriculturalists to compete lTfnL? n *T£ T d S i Ting T a lar S e Portion of the annual expenditure upon meta led roads. It was intended this year very considerSt UlOreM *i appropriation towards the mainrotd to the Lakes both by way of Nasoby and Roxburgh. The estimated revenue fcr (lie current year would enable a larger amount of public works to be undertaken throughout the interio/of the Province than had been tno case for several years past. Local ?f°£2 £°£i ir U ?wi c P £ 9t yea , P l* ad beca B « bs i d ised to the extent of £2 to £1. Should the General Assembly continue its Road Board subsidy, the same rate would, it vas anticipated, be maintained during S'lW 8 ? T ar f y CBUSei ** Was P r °P° sed t0 subßidiße out of Provincial revenue to the extent of pound for pound. It was proL° d! t°^V ' A% "I c <"^ution3 on gold fields to the same extent as District Road Board rates and Provincial revenue. The Colonial Legislature had authorised a special loan of £70,000 for certain public works m the north of the Province. Of this £24.000 was being expended on the breakwater at Oamaru, which promises to be a great success. A further sum of £25,000 was to be expended on a tramway from the main line up the valley of the Waitaki. The sum of £13,000 was available for roads and bridges, upon which it was being uxpeaded. A tender had just been accepted for the erection of stone bridges across the Otepopo Jliver and the Island Stream The remainder of the loan was to bs devoted to harbor work at Kakanui and Moeraki,

Papers would be laid before the Council relative to the defence of Otago against external aggression. A contract had been entered into on beha f of the Province for the resumption of Messrs. P. Henderson * D , A 0"A 0 " 5 l lne of cmi e rant 8b >PS from Glasgow to Otago direct, and Mr Auld had been urged as to the expediency of conducting emigration by teamers direct to this port.

An important proposal to be be made was the removal from the present Lunatic Asylum of all incurable able-bodied patients of which there were now upwards of 40, to a farm in the country, makine their labor available for their own sustenance, the support of the Asylum in Dunedin, and with advantage to their individual comfort. A proposal would be submitted to throw open the Dimedin Hospital to the medical practitioners in the city. Should the University Council establish a School of Medicine and Suigery, he agreed to the further endowment of 100,000 acres of land; it might be well to arrange that the Hospital should be connected with that school under the direction of the medical and surgical professors. &c was also disposed to think that the Lunatic Asylum should be under the direction of the Professor of Mental Science in the TJniversitv. If money could be raised, the establishment of a Harbor Trust would be a step in the right direction. The work of deepening tha approaches to Dunedin wharf was being vigorouely prosecuted^ and in the course of a month vessels drawing twelve feet could be berthed and swung at Rat tray street pier.

The practical removal of the administration of the Waste Lands Act fiom the control of the Executive Government, and the vesting thereof in an irresponsible Board, he regarded us the weak point in the Act — one which was very likely seriously to prejudice the public interest. Although it might be amended in the 'House of Representatives, there was little or no hope of such amendment being agreed to by the Legislative Council.

The Council's approval would be solicited to blocks of land being open for selection on deferred payments, to the extent of 30,000 acres, the maximum area allowed by law to be so dealt with this year. This limitation precluded the setting aside of areas on similar terms in other districts. The extensive depasturing district of Wakatipu had not been so satisfactorily administered as could be desired, and a local Commission had been apponted to enquire and report on the subject. Tt would be a question as to land of superior quality, the value of which would be greatly enhanced as the country became opened up by the extension of railways, how far it might not be expedient to increase the price. In Canterbury, in which agricultural settlement was being greatly extended, the price had never been under £2 an acre. On Wednesday, the most recently-elected member, Mr H. S. Fish, jun., moved the Reply to His Honor the Superintendent's Address, and as soon as he had resumed his seat, Mr Reid moved the following amendment : — " That this Council is of opinion that the appointment of the gentlemen at present occupying the Government benches, and their retention of office, is in direct opposition to the system of responsible Government sanctioned by the Council, and this Council hereby records its protest against any Government being appointed or holding office under such circumstances." The debate wa9 resumed on Thursday. [The Debate ended on Thursday night by the Government resigning. A division taken on a motion for adjournment showed that Mr Reid had 25 supporters to the Government's 13.