NEW ZEALAND

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE,

PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

Published by Authority.

All Public Notifications which appear in this Gazette, with any Official Signatures, are to be considered as Official Communications made to those persons to whom they may relate, and are to be obeyed accordingly.

By His Honor’s Command,

WILLIAM ROLLESTON,
Provincial Secretary.

VOL. XL.] TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1864. **[No. XXXIII.]

ADDRESS OF HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT

On Opening the Provincial Council, on Thursday, 11th August, 1864.

MR. SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN OF THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL—

At the termination of the last session I declared the Council prorogued to the 30th of June, but I subsequently found that for several important reasons it would not be advisable to call you together before the present time.

I was anxious to be in a position to give you more definite information with regard to the means of carrying out those great works of internal communication which were under your consideration at your last meeting, and, moreover, a longer time than I had previously anticipated was requisite to enable me to obtain such information with respect to the requirements of the different districts throughout the province as I wished to lay before you. In pursuance of the resolution adopted in your last session, I have entered into arrangements with Messrs. Doyne and La Touche, civil engineers, for detailed surveys of a line of railway from Christchurch to the Rakaia, and for the preparation of plans and specifications for the various works connected with it, including the bridge over the Rakaia. These surveys are now rapidly progressing, and I trust that I shall be able before the rising of the Council to announce to you that all the necessary preliminaries for the letting of the contracts for the construction of the railway and the bridge have been completed.

I have caused negotiations to be entered into for the acquisition of land required for this railway, and a considerable number of purchases has already been effected at rates which appear to me to be reasonable.

The Railway Commissioners are still engaged in investigating the best route for the proposed line to the North, and I have no doubt that their report with regard to the more important portion of the work will be laid before you very shortly.

Recent information from England having confirmed the impression previously entertained by me as to the difficulty likely to be experienced in disposing of debentures issued by Provincial Governments, except at a considerable sacrifice, I deemed it expedient to enter into communication with His Excellency’s advisers for the purpose of ascertaining how far the assistance of the Colonial Government might be depended upon, for placing the securities of this province in such a position as would secure their negotiation on the most advantageous terms in the English market. With this object I instructed a member of my Executive Council to proceed to Auckland, to represent my views to the Government, and I am glad to be able to state that a proposal will be made to the General Assembly, at its next meeting, to guarantee the existing loans of this... in common with those of the other provinces, on conditions which appear to me fair and reasonable.

I have directed copies of correspondence relating to this subject to be laid before you.

The report of the Commission of Engineers appointed in London for the purpose of considering and reporting upon the subject of the harbor and wharf accommodation in the port of Lyttelton will be laid before you. The character of the permanent works which will be ultimately required, it may be assumed, are determined by this report, and although the cost of the undertaking is so large that I cannot...