HIGHWAY BOARDS.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 471, 14 July 1871, Page 2

HIGHWAY BOARDS.

MOUNT EDEN.:'

The annual meeting of this Board, for the striking a rate for the ensuing year,' and electing trustees and auditors, was held on Thursday, at noon, at Eden Tine Hotel. There was a large number of ratepayers present, and the meeting was long and noisy. It • commenced at 12 o clock, and was not over until half-past three. Mr. Paton, the Chairman of last year's Board, occupied the chair. Mr. May read over the receipts and expenditure for the ;past year. The gross amount received was £389—the net amount £350. -The expenditure bad been £249 ; balance in hand," £100. He then' explained how the various sums had been expended. A qi\esstioA was -asked as to the expenditure of tbe sum of £24 10s, which had been expended ■on Weston's -road. ' ' The chairman, said that Weston himself had made nineteen chains of i .the (road at his own expense, and the amount referred to was for repairing that road. A good deal of dissatisfaction was expressed at a culvert being made near the Chairman's property, it was alleged, for the purpose of draining that property. I This had cost £10, and it was stated that if the work bad been performed so as to be of use to the ratepayers, it could have been done for ,30s. The i Chairman got very angry! Ati some of tha remarks made, and left the chair, but was induced to return by Messrs.G-i B, Owen and W. Aitken. He then explained tho divisions of the district, and the system adopted for apportioning the expenditure. He stated that tho Board had endeavoured to spend the largest amount of money in the district where the largest amount of rates was collected. Great dissatisfaction was expressed by some of those present at some of tho members of the Board having (so it was alleged) made roads to suit their own interests. The meeting generally, however, were in favour of what the trustees had done. After some discussion it was decided that the rate for the ensuing year should bo struck on the estimated value to sell. It was proposed that the ruto should be a halfpenny in the pound, then that it should be a penny, and another ratepayer moved that it should be a penny farthing. The last' proposition was not seconded. The other motions wore put, and tho halfpenny rato was agreed upon by a majority of nine—4o to 31. A question, then arose as to whether proxies Could be. used in voting for the rates. It was decided that they could. The Chairman produced a largo number, some of which wero afterwards not allowed. Great dissatisfaction was expressed at tho Chairman having so many proxies, and it was stated that he hijd been busily engaged during tho last month in collecting them. Mr. Aitken objected to the proxies having the words " I authorise the bearer, &c," and taking the proxies from off tbe table, jokingly remarked that he was the present bearer, and was entitled to use them. Mr. Paton, however, received them back, but did not make use of them. On the motion of Mr. Beetham, seconded by Mr. Q-. B. Owen, it was .decided to reject those proxies whioh. did not-bear the name of'the party to whoift they were given. A large number of Mr. Paton's proxies were thus rendered useless. It was said that originally he had no less than 45. The proxies were scrutinised by Messrs. Aitkenand Jos. May. The meeting then proceeded .with the election of trustees, and'over this there was far more . noise than over striking the rate. A discussion i arose as to whether it was legal to deprive Voters of a plurality pf votes. . Ultimately it jvas a'g&cjd that'the voters : niight eiercise'all their privileges—both those present and those represented by proxy. The books were then strictly sorutinised, to see how, many votes each ratepayer had; ;but; dne-or two were allowed to vote who lived in the district, but whose names were not on the books. Against this several of the ratepayers objected. The following gentlemen were then proposed astrustees for the ensuing year : —Messrs. Beetham, Tothill, Bhodes, Walters, Hirst, Paton, John May, and Kelly. When it came to Mr v Paton's a number;pf prqiies, out sof wbioL nine-wero acoepjed,, reprepenting ...nineteen votes. /He and his proxies voted"for the same persons, viz., Messrs. Tothill, Paton, May, Kelly, and Hirst. Considerable dissatisfaction was .felt at his wielding such influence, and it will be seen that three of the persons he voted for, including himself, were not elected, notwithstanding the proxies. waro»ai follows :—Tothill, 132; 'Beetham, 110; Hirst" '" li 4; Walters, 104; Khodes, 92 ; Paton, 55 ; >May, 54 ; ajd -Kelly 49. The first-mentioned ■five gentlemen were then declared duly-elected members of the Board. We>ol?ght to mention that Mr} Aitken was nominated; hut"1 * declined to stand. ' Messrs. Aitken and "G-reen were elected auditors. Mr. Paton then left the chair, which was taken by Mr. Beetham. A general meeting of the ratepayers was then held. On the motion of Mr.; L Q;. 8.-'.,-Owen, I seconded by Mr. W. Aitken, tlie following resolution was agreed to : —" That as the ballast and gravel carts cut up the road known as Aitken's .Road, the Board be re-"* quested to ask the Superintendent to levy an extra toll upon those carts, for the purpose of keeping the said road in repair." Mr. Beetham said the Superintendent should be memorialised on the subject. Mr. Green" then made some strictures on the outgoing trustees, and said he hoped the work would be better done future. The .sysjtem { seemed to lijMi Seen jvitH tho^fcrtibers of -'the Bopd,i^the%«j!yin|,b#of*W U& Baying, T

"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Notwithstanding; these strictures, votes of thahka. were passed to the old Board, after which the'-meeting separated, after being entertained in a very lively manner for about *threerhoura and a-half.