CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 2965, 20 August 1872, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

A special meeting of the City Council was held at 4 p.m. to-day to consider the question of telegrams. There was a full attendance. The Mayor explained and road the telegrams he produced at the supper given to him last week. He said a fair construction to be put on them was that some person or persons—he did not say whom bad been telegraphing to Auckland and Wellington, and using the name of the Town Clerk improperly, knowing as he did full well that the Town Clerk here had not sent any telegrams which would have elecited a feply. He, therefore, thought ho was fully warranted in making the remarks he did, which no councillor had the slightest right to take exception to, seeing that no councillor s name had been mentioned or even hinted at, and he thought Councillors had gone entirely out of their way in calling the meeting. (His Worship then read telegrams between himself and the Mayor and Town Clerk of Auckland, from which it appeared Mr Ramsay had telegraphed to the former, asking how much the Mayor has paid, and the latter had replied in mistake to the Town Clerk.) He thought it would have been as well had the person or persons telegraphing, if actuated by a spirit of fairness, to have also ascertained the duties performed by the Mayors referred to. Mr Ramsay was about to read extracts from the Mayor’s speech, but was called to order. He went on to say that a majority of the Council were incliued to think that the Mayor had falsely made imputations against Councillors, in wishing the people of Dunedin to believe that some Councillor or Councillors had forged the Town Clerk’s name. He admitted that the receipt of the telegrams referred to by the Mayor might have excited a good deal of surprise ; hut he did not see that they gave his Worship cause to heap unmerited abuse upon the heads of .certain Councillors. He (Mr Ramsay) had good reason to believe that ho was one of the three named, whose early retirement from the Council was predicted. His Worship : Allow me to assure you, Mr Ramsay, you are not one of the three. Mr Ramsay continued to say that he was grateful to hear it, although lie looked to the ratepayers of High Ward and not to the reelected Mayer of Dunedin for his seat. Tie went on to say ho sent the telegrams in his private capacity lor the purpose of getting information, and was justified in doing so. Mr Rossbotham wished to say a wo d or two in reference to the remarks made by Lis Worship the Mayor at the dinner given to him by his tenant* on section 6 Mr Barnes rose to order. He was not •ne of his Worship’s tenants. Mr Rossbotham repeated the statement. The Mayor threatened to fine if Councillors did not sit down when called to order. He would not be insulted. Mr Neale and Mr Merger thought the Mayor’s observations at the dinner uncalled The Mayor objected to the Council constituting itself a board of examiners of anything he might say outside the Council. In answer to Mr Rossbotham, the Mayor said the cost of the telegrams were paid by the Corporation ; but be would pay for them himself out of the liberal salary voted to him, if the Council thought it came within Rossbotham thought the Mayor should pay. Mr Rossbotham thought the Mayor should apologise to Mr Ramsay, and so end the matter. ■ After a few more observations the matter dropped.