THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE

OF THE

PROVINCE OF MARLBOROUGH.

Published by Authority.

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

A. P. SEYMOUR,
Superintendent.

VOL. V.] MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1864. [No. 81.

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Picton Institute Bill

Picton Institute Loan Bill

Provincial Loan Bill

Education Bill

Watermens’ Licensing Bill

Wharfage Bill

Estimates—Supplementary

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1864.

The Council met this day, when His Honor the Superintendent delivered the following address:—

MR. SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN OF THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL:

It was my intention at the time of my election to have called you together somewhat sooner, or within the period for which you adjourned at your last sitting. The delay however arising from the non-arrival of the Commissioners for determining on a site for the Seat of Government, the time necessarily devoted to attendance upon them whilst in the Province, and my subsequent visit to the Goldfields precluded my calling you as early as I anticipated.

I have called you now partly in order that you may bring to a conclusion some matters which were left for various reasons unfinished at a late Session, and also to lay before you new matter for your consideration.

I beg to lay on the table certain correspondence from the Colonial Secretary on the Railway Loan Bill, of the Waste Lands Act, which have been assented to by the Imperial Government in certain amendments proposed by the General Government in the two Bills intituled the “Vagrant Ordinance” and the “Executive Council Ordinance.”

The Bills I beg to bring under your consideration are as follows:—

• Licensing Ordinance

• Awatere Shearing Reserve Alienation Bill

• Public Reserves Management Bill

• Blenheim Improvement Bill

• Picton Institute Loan Bill

• Provincial Loan Bill

• Education Bill

• Watermens’ Licensing Bill

• Wharfage Bill

• Estimates—Supplementary

With respect to the “Licensing Ordinance,” though it has not been drafted according to the wishes of the present Government, I was unwilling to allow this session to lapse without submitting it to your consideration, which would have been the case, had I withdrawn it and endeavored to get another Bill drafted, more particularly embodying the views of the Government, but recognizing this necessity for amended legislation on this point, I have thought the better course was to place it before you at once, and the Government will be prepared during the progress of the Bill to submit to you certain amendments for the purpose.

The Awatere Shearing Reserve Bill was postponed at the late Session for the purpose of having a clause inserted to remit the action of the bill until the time shall arrive when there may be a passable dray road from the Fairfield Downs through the Avon Pass. The bill will be submitted to you with the proposed new clause.

The Public Reserves Bill is a measure of great importance. The reserves of this province are numerous, and many of them now very valuable and would be to the Provincial Treasury a steady source of revenue had the government power to let for longer periods than three years.

I must inform you that at the present time there are very few reserves indeed in the hands of the government of this province which can be let for even that period of three years, as scarcely any of them have been granted to the Provincial Government. These appear from time to time to...