hope to see it completed at an early period, it appears to me desirable that the work should be at least commenced without delay, and proceeded with as speedily as the resources of the province will permit. Measures will be proposed to you for providing the wharfage accommodation immediately necessary for the traffic of the port.

From information which has recently been made public, it appears probable that an important goldfield will shortly be established on the West Coast; sufficient time, however, has not yet elapsed to enable me to form any positive opinion as to the real character of the discovery, and the way in which it will affect the future prospects of the province. I have, however, thought it desirable to apply at once to the General Government for a delegation of such powers under the Goldfields Acts as may enable me to deal promptly with any emergency which may arise.

I propose, further, as soon as the season admits of it, to cause a survey to be made, in order to determine the best line of road for rendering the district easily accessible from the settled portions of the province.

The steps which are now being taken by the General Government for the extension of telegraph communication throughout the Middle Island have brought under my attention the desirableness of placing all the lines of telegraph in the province under one system of management. You will learn from papers to be laid before you that his Excellency’s Government concur in the advantages to be derived from such a course, and you will, therefore, be asked for authority to give effect to such an arrangement.

The re-organization of the Public Works Department authorized by you during your last session has been carried out. The wisdom of the measure you adopted has been fully evidenced by the greater facility and expedition with which the public business has been carried on, as well as by the reduction which it has enabled me to effect in the staff attached to the office of the Provincial Engineer.

Sufficient time has now elapsed since the transfer to the several Road Boards of the charge and maintenance of the roads throughout the province to afford the means of judging of the probable operation of the system. The results, notwithstanding partial failures incident to the establishment of a new system of administration, has proved upon the whole satisfactory, and tends to show that the general application of the principle of local self-government is likely to be productive of beneficial effects to the community. Some amendments in the existing Ordinance, which the experience of the past year has shown to be necessary, will be submitted to you.

I notice with great satisfaction that by careful and energetic administration of the law for the inspection of sheep, the spread of the disease which a few months ago threatened to bring serious consequences on the province, has been checked, and the number of diseased sheep has been much reduced.

In pursuance of the intention expressed by me at the opening of the last session, I have directed the preparation of such modified plans for the building of a Supreme Court-house and Gaol as the financial condition of the province will justify me in carrying out.

No time has been lost in giving effect to your wishes for carrying out the recommendations of the Commissioners appointed to report upon the improvements of the landing service at Timaru. Important works are already in progress there, and orders have been given for the boats and other materials recommended in the report; I trust that the new service will be in operation by the commencement of the next wool season.

I have caused a very careful examination of the lower portion of the River Waimakariri to be made with a view of ascertaining by what means its further encroachment upon the Island at Kaiapoi can be averted. A report, containing the result of this investigation, which will be laid before you, will place you in possession of the fullest information as to the facts of the case. You will, I am sure, share the regret I have experienced at finding that the very serious injury with which landed property on the Island is threatened, could only be permanently averted by engineering works of great magnitude, and such as would involve the province in very large and uncertain expenditure.

After full consideration of the case, I determined to take upon myself the responsibility of incurring such expenditure as I was advised would be sufficient to prevent immediate danger until you should have had the opportunity of giving your consideration to the whole question.

It will be most satisfactory for you to find, from the statements of accounts which will be laid before you, that, notwithstanding a large expenditure on public works during the past year, and the existence of considerable monetary depression which has prevailed for some time, the finances of the province are in a sound and healthy condition, and that there is a considerable balance in the provincial chest.

The Ordinance passed for the management of the Christchurch Hospital was found upon trial to work less successfully than was anticipated, and the governing body have requested to be allowed to resign their responsibility. I accordingly felt it incumbent upon me to resume the management of the hospital; at the same time I have come to the conclusion that the maintenance of this and similar institutions ought not for the future to remain a burden upon the general revenue of the province. A measure will therefore be submitted to you for the purpose of raising funds for the maintenance of hospitals, and for other charitable purposes.

The Ordinance passed by you in a previous session, constituting a Board for the administration of the sums appropriated to education, has hitherto worked satisfactorily. Though the total number of scholars under instruction has been steadily on the increase, the expense of maintaining the schools has been considerably reduced, while at the same time their efficiency and organisation has been proved.

The Board of Education Ordinance, 1863, left a large discretionary power in the Board, which, however necessary for correcting some of the evils attendant upon former arrangements, is one which should as soon as possible be limited and controlled by some definite rules. In order to give effect to this principle, a Bill will be laid before you, chiefly for the purpose of creating local organisation, independent to a certain extent of the Board, so far as regards the localities with which they are connected.

The shortness of the period which has elapsed since you were last assembled for the despatch of public business, will I believe render it unnecessary for you to be detained at this session for any considerable