GREYMOUTH IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 170, 14 February 1867, Page 3

GREYMOUTH IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.

. ; PUBLIC MEETING. : ; ?P :^ Pursuantjto advertisoment a public -meet- 1 ing waa-hdd^at; ; thej Religious institution Tooms, Gre3SQU:_street, -pi^ Tuesday evening, "to receive the report of the Improvement Committee for the past year, and to elect -a fresh Qonjm^tec'^^^ _ was only a slenderiattendance, and tho meeting did not ; coinnieiice -until sometime after the advertised hour. '■'.-.. Mr R. P. Baix was called to; the;: -chair, -and in opening the business of ; the meeting explained that as the periodof. office of theexisting Committee had terminated by :-effluxioii of time it Avas necessary that a, freshbody should be elected. It Avas essential. that there should be some recognised ;;body to look after the public concerns until a Municipal Couiicil Avas established. The report Avoultl be read, and it Avould lie for the meeting to say if the Committee had satisfactorily performed its duties;;;*;...;;. ; : •■• -. Mr ,MApLEAX,here stepped -.forward and handed ;^>pll of pajicr to the Chairaiau, Avhich -he^staterl he believed to be the report ; but heihjid;riot readit, and in fact it had not been read by the Committee at all, and as he Avas npt^ihclnied; to wade through seventeen pages of Mr P«ijtiq!s manuscript, he thought the meetingiijiightas well consider the report to have been adopt' it without any further iroaple.;^; Mr v and Mr Simmoxs (Loth members v of itheCominittec) ileeiilodly objected.jtorthe; adoption of the report Avithout it being'i^eail. Ifc was also mentioned that the- meeting had been callel without proper authority. ; - . • Mr ;Mpss,v another member of the C«nilmtteey'.^jV tlie; report ay.is not Hie report of the Comriiittee, but simply that of the Secretary.; •;•£ lf ihe meeting were not satisfied the member^: of Vthe Coir.niittee were quite willing to answer any question, or give any information that might be required. Mr llEyi?Li. wished to knoAV on Avhose authority^^ the inieeting had been called. It jippoared to; hiui that the Committee Avas not in a position to go on Avith the business, and he moved, that the meeting be adjourned for one ,weeti : v >/jj;.This proposal Avas seco-ided by MrLAiraAJC - - * M^fMivCLEAN'- moved as an amendment,that the reports of the Secretary aud Treasurer 'he >itsad. Mr -Wickes secioniletl the . , Messrs Hakkison and Simmoxs sni)porteil the motion of Mr Ee^fell. Mr Keneick consiJiered the Committee had been guilty of contemxrt towards the public^ . They.;were iimted to a-tlupt a report "wliicb; appeared; not to be recognised in any ; . way ,toy'i the Committee, and Avhich had been written by Mr P-ayne, at Brighton. He ; strongly A'oted for the adjournment. The niottoh and amendment haA^iug been pufta the meeting, the amendment Avas car- . On the production of the report a difficulty . arose as fo; who should it, but Mr Harrison '■■ volunteered his services and read the report. It contained '/£. minute history of the pro- ; ceeilings of ; the. Committee during the year, ; interspersed ->yith ori^itnl comments on '; public a.ffivjrsgenerally. [In this instance Aye limst depart from our usual practice of publishingvthe report.in full.] MrM:EAßLANEi(thelloi]. Treasurer) then came forwar^nd stated that as he ha<l received no lifitice of the meeting he 'had not .. ■ had timeJ^tp^prepare a prn]ier statement of accounts. ; . He^liad made a feAV notes of the ; varicm3. itemg Avhich had "passed through his hands, bujj'tliere Avere seveml matters Avhich conlil only -lie expLained liy M> Payne, avlio ; had^for a time acted as treasurer. He then read a s.tateihent, which, however, as it was uotadoiiteeij'Ave defer publishing. Mr Simmons- asked if it aa-hs true as stated in the Secretary's report, that the fire enenne '■■ -'j^ihad heen ordered ; and it Avas elicted •■:" that no eiigiise had lieen ordered, lmt enquiries ; . had be'cu ma ]c as to the cost of one. Mr Kkn'hick considered the report as in ; the highest decree alisurd, and proposed that their adaption be deferred. Mr Harrison seconded; the projiosition. ;: Mr Davies i.'thought that perhaps it would : }>c as well to adopt the report, and thus afford theTCommittee the opportunity of retsi^ning. ;He .proposed their adoption, pro forma. \y Mr BlAckmoke seconded the amendment.'. .Mr llEVicii.l. desired, on behalf of the Government,, strongly to object to the adoption of siicliy reports as ; had j ust been read They vrere a disgrace, he Avas surprised that. ! iiny one could consent to their adoption. The ■■GoA r enimeht.:h^i.;'.iri.a'de.ad\'finces to the Improvement Cbniinittee, and had a right to knoAV how the;xn6ney had been expended. There. wais;no ; ba^tnce^sheet, anil, the Treasurer Avas unable eyentb say Avhat Avere the liabilities.^ ■Mr \ViCKKS defended the report; the informiition Avanted could easily be obtained. Mr Harrison reminded the meeting thai unless a satisfactpry balance sjieet Avas made ont, thenew Gommittee Aroiilil h'iul it A*ery difficult to get any -help from Government, -* Mr KenriOK^iiW; willing to AvithdraAV his motion, if the Committee Avculd state the amount of its liabilities. The Hon. Ti^ASURBR Bakl he Avas not in a position toifurnish such a statemant. Mr King thought that as it Avas necessary that there!, should bb a recognised body to look after the. interests of the town, he proposed that the< meeting proceed to the nomination of -a fresh , Committee ; and thatt'-e adoption of the reports of the old Committee be deferi'eduntii; they Avere in a position to >..:..'.: hjy proper ones before the public. '•;''.-•■.■.. "'Mr-'RE^at-'secdnded the' niotion.-' Mr.^HALL^^'inoiyed as an amendment that the meeting be. adjourned uutil Thursday evening, toi enable the Committee to prepare ;-; proper fe^prter ': V Mr! Sijimoncs. seconded the amendment, AvUch^v^Qari^ed. ; ; A vot|Tqf^fianks to the chairman tei-mi-v';..i . : nated; thepJwj^sdingSi-