✨ Superintendent's Address to Provincial Council
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the 2nd of last month, will inform you of the action I have taken, since the rising of the Assembly, to promote the decision of the amount which will belong to the province of Canterbury. As you are aware, the County of Westland will have a claim upon a portion of these funds. I have not thought it advisable to count with certainty upon the receipt of any considerable portion of them during the current year, and, unless further conversions take place, it would not be safe to calculate upon ultimately receiving more than £15,000.
Of the £10,000 which you will be asked to appropriate to immigration, it is proposed to take £2500 from this source. I shall be glad if you see fit to authorise further engagements under this head, contingent upon larger receipts, to secure a steady flow of immigration during the next two years. It is necessary to know beforehand, with tolerable precision, the amounts which will be available for the purpose, in order that engagements may be entered into with certainty of their being carried out. With this view, I am of opinion that you would do wisely to decide upon the appropriation of the whole of this fund, as it accrues, to the introduction of population. It appears to me that there is no fairer way of appropriating funds in which all parts of the Province are alike interested. The fact that the securities in which the funds are invested could be realised in London from time to time as they were required, is an additional reason for adopting this course.
It is unnecessary for me to express my hopes that nothing will induce the Province to forego the continuance of the introduction of population. The stoppage of immigration would entail absolute stagnation in the various industries of the Province, and prevent the healthy maintenance of the revenue alike from Customs, Land Sales, and Railways.
I cannot forbear expressing my satisfaction with the pains which have been taken in the selection and despatch of immigrants during the past year by Mr. Ottywell, under direction of Mr. Selfe.
You will be asked to authorise the construction of a female gaol, part of which I should propose to devote to the purpose of carrying out the provisions of “The Contagious Diseases Act” passed during last session of the General Assembly.
My views on the subject of the representation of the province were placed before you during the last session.
I have already too far exceeded the ordinary limits of an address to admit of my entering on the present occasion upon this and other subjects of interest which will probably engage your attention during the present session.
I now declare this Council open for the despatch of business.
W. ROLLESTON,
Superintendent.
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Canterbury Provincial Gazette 1869, No 45
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
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Superintendent's Address to Provincial Council
(continued from previous page)
🏛️ Governance & Central Administration9 October 1869
Provincial Council, Canterbury, Financial Report, Revenue, Expenditure, Railway, Loan Account, Economy, Immigration, Gaol Construction, Contagious Diseases Act
- Ottywell (Mr), Selection and despatch of immigrants
- Selfe (Mr), Direction of immigrant selection
- W. Rolleston, Superintendent