LAWRENCE.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 248, 11 August 1874, Page 6

LAWRENCE.

[from our own correspondent.]

August 5,1874. Municipal matters as regards elections are now at rest. The mayoral contest was in favour of Mr M. Hay, who polled 80 votes to 76 for Mr A. Ferguson, thus giving the former gentleman a majority of four. There was very little excitement over the affair. For councillors, our elections were 'equally quiet. Mr Sheath had a walk-over for Middle Ward ; Mr Cox beat his opponent, Mr Bumphrey, for East Ward by one vote,—the polling being, Mr Cox, 37 ; Mr Humphrey, 36. For West Ward there were no nominations ; so the compulsory measure was resorted to, and five gentlemen were proposed, several of whom had declined to give their consent to become candidates. The polling gave almost a unanimous vote in favour of Mr James Middlemiss, who was the only one who held a meeting and canvassed the Ward. Messrs Squires and King were elected Auditors. The personel of the new Council i 3 as follows : Mr M. Hay, Mayor, and Messrs Ferguson, Cox, Walker, Middlemiss, Sheath, and Armstrong, Councillors.

The first meeting of the Council as at present constituted was held in the Council Chamber on Monday evening last. There was a full attendance. The Mayor delivered an inaugural address, in which he expressed a hope that all would work in harmony, and for the benefit of the town and district, and that due economy would be practised in the expenditure of Corporation funds ; also that all matters in cornection with the recent Municipal elections would sink into oblivion. The salaries were next gone into, when that of the Town Clerk was fixed at £75 per annum, and 5 per cent, commission on licenses ; for Assessor, £ls ; and for Inspector of Nuisances, £ls. It was also decided to get as many as possible of the prisoners who are committed for short sentences sent to Lawrence from adjoining districts, as there was plenty of accommodation now that the new gaol was finished, and a number of hands could be employed in forming new streets. It was also decided to write to the Education Board, asking that [a number of reserves belonging to them may be put up for sale, so that the Corporation would derive some revenue in the shape of taxes. A discussion then took place in reference to alleged irregularities in connection with the Eevision Court, but nothing of a definite character was done. After some other business the meeting adjourned. A Good Templars' Lodge is to be opened at Havelock on the 14th instant, and it is expected that a large number of members will be initiated.

A very satisfactory meeting for the formation of a Fire Brigade was held in the Commercial Hotel on Wednesday last, when a number of persons were enrolled as working members. The meeting tben adjourned to this d/iy week, when permanent officers will be elected.

An accident happened on Friday morning last to Mrs M. Gannon, matron of the Hospital, who fell down and broke her leg above the ankle. The Resident Surgeon soon set the limb, but it will be two or three months before she is able to resume her duties.

Two Hospital boxes which had been placed on the works in connection with Mr Goodfellow's contract were opened last week, and the very handsome sum of £7 6s. 9d. was found in them.

A meeting in connection with Hospital matters was held last evening, and as you are starting an institution in your district, a resume of the proceedings, extracted from the Tuapcka Times, may prove interesting to a number of your readers : " We regret that we cannot find space in the present issue, owing to the lateness of the hour, for our report of the adjourned quarterly meet. ing of subscribers to the funds of our local Hospital, which was held last evening in the Commercial Assembly Room. The large attendance present on the occasion showed the great interest evinced in the subject which it was expected would be discussed, and which has been the topic of conversation amongst subscribers for months past, viz., the excessive consumption of alcoholic and other drinks in the institution. E. H. Carew, Esq., President of the institution, occupied the chair. It was not thought necessary to read the Visiting Committee's report, as full publicity bad been given to it; but the Chairman read the recommendations of the Committee,

which the meeting could approve of or otherwise. Before entering upon "the discussion 6t these recommendations, the Rev. Mr Menzies, moved on behalf of the subscribers, that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to the Visiting Com* mittee for their report. Mr M 'Coy seconded the motion, which was carried. The Rev. Mr Menzies, after a short speech, in which he disclaimed being actuated by any but the, purest .motive, namely, a sense of his duty as a,subscriber, to the Hospital moved that all paid officers of the Institution be called upon to resign. The motion was seconded by Mr W. H. Cox pro forma, to elicit discussion. Mr Fraer questioned'whether the subscribers had the power to elect officeAn ordinance had been passed by the Provincial Council at its last session investing that power in the hands of the Committed, but he was not aware whether it had received the Governor's assent. At this Stage of the proceedings the question was raised as to who had power to vote at the meeting. The rules.and ordinances were referred to, after .which-the chairman ruled that none but contributors,.these being persons who had paid their subscriptions since the first of January of the current year, had the right to vote at the meeting. This ruling placed the meeting and the committee in a very peculiar position; as only one gentleman present, Mr Jamison, had paid his subscription during the current year, thus leaving the meeting powerless to do anything. If the ruling is correct we question whether the members, of sommittee have any business to occupy.the position they do. The most of them qualified themselves to act this year by paying one guinea in December last, so that unless they paid an, ad* ditional subscription during the current year they according to the President's ruling, are not qualified to. act as members of committee, and their actions during the current year must therefore be illegal. There being apparently no way out of the difficulty, the President vacated the chair, which brought a very unsatisfactory meeting to a close. We shall give a full report of the meeting in our next issue, and point out the course we think should be adopted.