✨ Provincial Council Proceedings
64
year on public works, and only to increase the cost of the ordinary services of the Provincial Government by the sum of £159 8s 8d. Instead of a contingent vote of £15,000 for public works and undertakings, as was proposed last year, it is only proposed this year to ask for £6,000. The total proposed expenditure for the year ending 31st March, 1874, may be stated at £85,821 17s 11d, as against a total proposed expenditure last year of £90,714 18s 2d. To meet which proposed expenditure there is an estimated income of £85,942 6s 3d.
Estimates of the expenditure in detail will be sent down to you by message in a few days. I may indeed state that the business to be submitted to you by the Executive is ready for your consideration, and only awaits your convenience.
Having laid before you a full statement in reference to the past year’s administration, and adverted to the leading points of the proposals of the Government for the present year, it only remains for me to express an earnest hope that your deliberations may assist in promoting the welfare of the Province.
There are signs of prosperity on all sides; laborers and mechanics have abundant employment at full wages; country settlers obtain remunerative prices; and consequently those in business are doing well. There is only one cry of distress to be heard, and it arises from those who have money to lend and cannot obtain the ancient rate of interest. But prosperity, as you are well aware, is not as a general rule an inheritance: in the long run it belongs to those who have striven after it. The inhabitants of this Province have had a long struggle, gallantly maintained under many difficulties; they are now attaining a leading position; and if it should happen from want of unanimity or any mischance of ours, that we should fail to take advantage of the favoring breeze, it will be easier for us to regret a lost opportunity than to regain our position.
I now declare this Council to be open for the despatch of business.
WILLIAM FITZHERBERT,
Superintendent.
Next Page →
Wellington Provincial Gazette 1873, No 10
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🏘️
Opening Speech of the Wellington Provincial Council
(continued from previous page)
🏘️ Provincial & Local Government5 May 1873
Provincial Council, Wellington, Superintendent, Speech, Policy Review, Immigration, Railways, Land Administration
- William Fitzherbert, Superintendent