NEWMARKET RATEPAYERS MEETING.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1682, 9 July 1875, Page 2

NEWMARKET RATEPAYERS MEETING.

The ratepayers of Newmarket held their annual meeting last evening at the Eoyal George hotel. Mr Jenkins in the chair. The secretary read the financial statement] which was as follows : —Receipts : Rates collected, £179 4s 6d ; amount received from Colonial Government, £67 ; Dog Nuisance Act, £9 Ss ; Thistle Act, £22 5s lOd ; total £277 18s 4d. Expenditure : For forming roads, £144 193 • metalling and channelling, £56 7a 5d ; bridges and culverts, £22 16s sd; other works, £25 Os. 3d; commission for collecting rates, £10 Is 6d; salaries and rent, £23 4s lOd ; Dog Nuisance Act, £1 & 6d ; sundries, £14 6s 9d ; total, £297 19s Bd. Balance from last year, £25 5s 3d ; balance in hand, £5 3s lid ; amount of rates payable for the year, £185 2s lid ; amount actually ' received, £176 7a Id; total amount of arrears of rates for past years, £11 0s Id." On the motion of Mr. Wrigley, seconded by Mr. MorgaD, it was agreed that a rate of one penny in the pound be struck. The following gentlemen were then proposed for trustees:—Messrs McNeil, Morgan, Osborne, Hunter, Agness, Barr, Clayton, and Keane, when, on the vote being taken, the five first-named gentlemen were declared to be duly elected to serve for the coming year. ' Mr. B. E. Turner was proposed as being a venerated old man, who had lived long and worked hard for Newmarket, but it was explained that Mr. Turner was not strong enough this year to stand for office. The numbers were : —Hunter,■ 41 ; McNeill, 34 ; Morgan, 29; Angus, 26 ; Osborne, 24 ; Barr, IS ; Keane, ]8 ; and Clayton, 16. Messrs. Dinnison and Tate were elected auditors, and Messrs. Heron and Whiskers fence-viewers.—Mr. J. Wrigley, in a few words, proposed : " That the Superintendent be requested to bring in a bill to the General Assembly, to alter the trust of the reserve at Newmarket, known as the public quarry—making it a reserve for public purposes for the district."—Mr Angus seconded the motion. Mr. Clayton thought that the Chairman of the local Board should call a special meeting for the purpose of discussing this question, as it had nothing to do with the business of the meeting. Mr. Wrigley thought he was doing the correct thing in bringing it before the meeting. Newmarket had not a piece of public land large enough to keep a wheelbarrow on, and he thought it was an injustice which they should not submit to in silence. —Mr. Clayton would like to know if the reserve had been given to the Young Women's Reformatory, how could it be got back again? Mr. Mullally highly appreciated Mr. Wrigley's endeavours to obtain the reserve for Newmarket. Otahuhu had its reserve, and he believed in sticking up for one's rights and getting back the ground.—Mr. Barr informed the meeting that the ground in question had been given by Governor Hobson for the purpose of a public slaughterhouse, and it was the right place for that establishment, only a few people in Newmarket wonld persist in interfering in a question about which they knew nothing.—The Chairman said he thought'the slaughterhouse had better be kept out of the meeting until later in the evening, when they might go into the debate. —Mr. Angus thought -it was owing to the easy disposition of the Newmarket people that the ground was taken from them, but if they grumbled a little more and made a forcible remonstrance, he believed it would be the means of regaining their rightful property. — The motion was carried. —It was also resolved : " That the trus j tees be empowered to erect and light two or three additional lamps in the district at their discretion."—After some desultory conversation, a vote of thanks was passed in due form to the Chairman, and the meeting dispersed, having been the most agreeable and orderly one held, and the result must be highly gratifying to the body of gentlemen who have again received such a mark of approbation from the ratepayers.