BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Kumara Times, Issue 1368, 18 February 1881, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council was held at the Town Hall last evening > present—His Worship the Mayor (J. O’Hagan, Esq.) in the chafr, and Councillors Campbell, Pearn, Horne, Pollock, Simmons, and Galland. The minutes of the last meeting, after a slight amendment, 'frere confirmed, as also the minutes of an adjourned meeting held subsequently. The outward correspondence was read and approved of, and the inward read, received, and considered. A letter from a firm in Invercargill, offering to supply their celebrated Alpha gas machines, or to give an exhibition of the brilliancy and power of this gas by lighting up any of the public buildings gratis, provided the Council took one of the machines, and, if not, the bare expenses of the exhibition to be charged, was first considered. Cr. Pollock : I think yon have gas enough already in this town ; and I should like to know if the ratepayers have any knowledge of this firm being asked to supply their celebrated Alpha machines here. The Town Clerk: The letter came in the usual course, addressed to the Mayor; ftnd the offer was an unsolicited one. The Mayor : I think this question could be held over for the present.

Tho, consideration of the letter was postponed sine die. The Town Surveyor was instructed to give the levels required by Messrs Smith and Kroener for the purpose of building an addition to their premises. The Town Clerk : I have to report to the Council that the grass seed sown in the 1 Recreation Ground is growing capitally j but it will soon be spoiled by the children running over it, and it would be advisable to have the ground fenced in or enclosed in some manner. Cr. Pollock - : The ground ought to be fenced in. What is the good of us getting a Recreation Ground made for the* public, if all the children and goats in the town are to be allowed to run over it ? I shall move that tenders he called for fencing in the Recreation Ground, at once. Or. Pearn: I am in favor of that course and shall second the motion. The Mayor: I must vote against the motion, as although I pointed out in the first instance to the Town Surveyor and several of the councillors that the goats would be running over the ground, if I recollect rightly the Town Surveyor said that would do no harm. The Town Surveyor: Ob, ho! you are mistaken your Worship. The Mayor: Well, I labored under that opinion; but, however, I should feel bound to oppose the motion, for the simple reason that I do not see my way to spend, the money, and I do not want to run the Council into debt, and there are far more necessary works required, I fully expected this motion would be brought forward to-night from what occurred at the last meeting, and it appears I was right in my ideas, Cr. Pollock : You The Mayor : You have already spoken, and I cannot allow to speak again unless in explanation or on a point of order. Do you wish to make an explanation % Cr. Pollock: Oh ! all right; never mind, it doesn’t matter. Cr. Sin »uons: From what I have seen of this Council it appears to me that there are certain Councillors at this table who want to get in the thin edge of the wedge : and they intend to drive it home. Cr. Pollock : Speak to facts ! Cr. Simmons: I am speaking to facts, and you know it. What is the Recreation Ground required for? Why the ratepayers, in some cases, cannot get in or out of their houses for the want of a load of gravel, which wants attending to far more than the Recreation Ground. Ci\ Pollock : I should like to know what we cleared the Recreation Ground for, then. 1 Cr, Simmons: So should I like to know. The Mayor: Order! order ! Cr. Pollock ; I call for a division. The motion was put, with the following result—Ayes : Councillors Pearn, Campbell, and Pollock. Noes: The Mayor, and Councillors Galland, Simmons, and Horne. The report of the Finance Committee, recommending that the sum of £4l 19s be passed, for payment, as per accounts attached, was received, and the items considered seriatim. Item ; “ Clerical assistance, £4.” Cr. Simmons: I want to know if that amount was authorised to be incurred by the Council. The Mayor; Since the change has been made in regard to the valuator, the Council agreed to employ clerical assistance. Last year the amount was £5. The item was passed, and the report adopted. Tenders for deepening the drains in the Recreation Ground were then opened, and, as the two lowest tenders were equal, at £5 5s each, lots were drawn, the tender of R. M. Taylor being accepted. Cr. Simmons, on being called upon for his motion, notice of which was given at the last meeting, said—“ That, to secure good management, I move that each member of this Council be sup. plied with and receive into his own possession copies of all the Acts of Parliament necessary for carrying out the functions and powers invested in this Council. And that the said Act be allowed to remain in their possession during the term each Councillor holds office." The reason I have tabled this motion is simply because I saw the great want that existed amongst the members of this Council for these Acts, so that they could refer to them when required in carrying out the business of the Council. As I shall have to stand here time after time, I do not want to be making constant inquiries of the Town Clerk as to this or that Act. I am surprised that the members of this Council have allowed themselves to remain so long without having the Acts necessary for carrying out the functions of the Council. Probably ifc might be used as an argument against

me that the necessary Acts could be seen at the Town Clerk’s office. This was no argument, as a persori—[Cr. Pollock 1 “ Buy them at your own expense the same as I have done.”]— As, I was saying, a person conld not be always running away from his business to consult whatever Act he required } and I consider a man should study the acts at hothe, to make himself an efficient councillor. I am given to understand that the Governmeiit charge most exhorbitantly for copies of these Acts, and, considering that they fotmed these municipal institutions, I think it is a most arbitrary proceeding on their part. The Acts, I believe, should be obtained, as the Council required all the knowledge they could muster to overcome the difficulties of their position. The Rating Act for instance [Cr. Pollock I have got it at home and I paid for it.] The Mayor: Order 1 Councillor Pollock ! it is very ungentlemanly of you to interrupt a brother Councillor when speaking ; you will have an opportunity of replying, if you wish it. Cr. Simmons: I can see the difference in the Councillors at this table as some come here who have the Acts off by heart, and they dictate to the Council, while others who have them at home know very little about them. Cr. Galland : I will second the motion, pro forma, for the sake of discussing the matter. Cr. Pearn : The motion is a most indefinite one; and I cannot support in its present state; but I would do so if the words “ willing to pay for same ” was added after the words “ members of this Council.” Cr. Galland: 1 have tße Municipal Corporations Act and the bye-laws of the Borough, and that is enough for me to work on. I cannot agree with Councillor Simmons’ idea of retrenchment, and then wanting to go tcf this expense. The Mayor: There is certainly something in the motion, but, like Councillor Pearn, I do not think it is definite enough, as the various Aets of Parliament are very expensive. So far as I can make out from the drift of Councillor Simmons’ motion, he wants the Rating Act procured. The rating business is, however, over now for twelve mouths, and I think that it would be advisable fou. Councillor Simmons to introduce his motion and bring it forward at some future date. The Municipal Corporations Act and the bye-laws of the Borough are, I consider, quite sufficient to guide Councillors in the transaction of business, and every Councillor was provided with a copy of them. I have no doubt when funds are more plentiful that Council-' lor Simmons’ motion will receive the support of the Council. Cr. Pollock: I am surprised to hear Councillor Simmons get up here and advocate such an expenditure after going round the town telling people how he meant to go in for retrenchment. I don’t know what he calls it; but I call it wasting the ratepayer’s money. Cr. Campbell : I would have no objection to the motion if a few dictionaries eucyclopsedias, and treatises, were added to the part in the possession of every Councillor, and Councillor Simmons might make his motion more complete by adding—that the Borough Solicitor be retained to interpret the various Acts to each Councillor, as I find from experience that when you are in possession of the Acts, half-a-dozen people do not interpret them in the same way, and the lawyers could not tell much about them. I do not thick we want this table loaded with Acts of the Imperial Parlhtment, as we are not in a position to obtain them, and the ratepayers’ money should suiely not be squandered in this manner.:— [Cr. Pollock : “ Hear, hear,”] Cr. Simmons : It appears to me that the mind, actions, and tone of certain Councillors have changed altogether. I have heard the word “retrenchment” to-night for the first time out of the mouths of Councillors Campbell and Pollock, and then only in a sarcastic manner. No Councillor, I say, should stand up and shew his ignorance.— [Cr. Pollock: “ Hear, hear.”] I am ignorant of the Acts required, but the Electors Act is a most necessary one for Councillors. I have never been provided with a copy of the bye-laws, and I say it is the duty of the Town Clerk to furnish every new member taking his place at this table with a copy. I say that if you do not carry my motion, yon want to keep the Councillors in ignorance ] that is what I say. The motion was put and lost, Councillor Simmons being the only one in its favor. Cr. Simmons: I have another motion, which may perhaps be lost like the other, I move “ That this Council at its next meeting, consider, and adopt mean?, with a view to carry out a svs-

tem of retrenchment.” My reason for moving this is simply that I tlrMfc the town has arrived at a stage vnUrr a system 6f retrenchment ought To be carried out in ihilny things Connected witli this BoroUgh, which costs loti, of money; From, a rough guess I think £BOOO to £IO,OOO has passed through the hands of this Council ; and I speak within bounds when 1 say that 30s in every £IOO has pot been expended in public works. What Has become of the money ? where is it gone ? There have been donations to the Hospital and Literary Institute; I know; and some salaries to pay; but where is the rest of the money gone 1 I want ari explanation; [Cr. Pollock: “Doyou!”]. When I one from Cr. Pollock I will ask it. [Cr. Pollock : “ I’ll givq you one pretty sniart if you want it.”] Cr. Simmons resuming : “ I nbw move “ that a committee of tlie whole council be formed at the next meeting for the purpose of taking the question of retrenchment into consideration.” I do this as I Want every member of the Council to have a say in the matter; as I do not want a picked committee, although I know the are useful sometimes. The Mayor: Ido hot like throwing cold water on the motion of a new Councillor, but this is another niotiori tacked on to the one you previously moved. Cr. Pearn : Before the motion is put; I should like Cr. Simmons to . specify in what particular direction be would make retrenchment, and I might support him. Cr. Campbell: The motion is simply that we have misspent the funds; but I think the Council so far has done justice to the ratepayers. To adopt such a motion as this is impeaching ourselves. The motion speaks of retrenchment, but it does not specify how that is to be effected. We > are asked ttf form ourselves into a committee to find out something. If Cr. Simmons Wished this hobby of his ventilated, or had found out some tangible way of effecting retrenchment, then let him state what it was,' and he could depend on the Council judging the matter impartially. Cr. PollockDor awaiy with the Town Clerk. arid appoint Councillor Simmons treasurer.- Let him spend the money, and he wifi bri all fight, f want to hear him explain this rfeferfc’rihhmeut business. Cr. Campbell: Mr Mayor 1 , f s6’uld suggest that Cr. Pollock stands?, when addressing the. Council. *’V' , Cr. Simmons: It appears very curious to me that the old Councillors do not know where the money is gone. I chould like to know what check has the Council for instance on the gravel supplied. [Cr. Campbell: Question.] That is the question. I know that electioneering gravel has been put in front of Councillors doors. It was necessary the committee be formed;-why, how about the kerosene supplied to the Council—was there any check on that ? The party who supplied it might be charging two tins for one [Cr. Campbell : Hear, hear.] The Town Clerk was reduced from £350 a year to £250, and I how find that reduction meant bringing his salary from £1 2s a day to £1 12s. You may say this is a strange fact: but I tell you it is a fact. [Cr. Pollock: “ wouldn’t you like the billet ?”] —I cannot— Cr. Pollock: I rise to A point of order. What is he talking about 1 we are not discussing the Town Clerics salary. The Mayor: I rule that Dr, Sirintionai is in order. Cr. Simmons, resuming: It WOtihl be advisable for Cr. Pollock to go home and read some ,of the Acts he has there—[Cr. Pollock : I paid for them.] I do not believe the Town Clerk’s salary should be screwed down; he should be paid up to the handle; but you must not throw the ratepayers’ gold— On Campbell: Mr Mayor, I rise to a point of order. What is the motion before the Council! The Mayor ; So long as the speaker confines himself to the question of retrenchment, he is in order. Cr. Simmons again proceeding: With regard to another matter—the day labor man’s salary. I say every man is worthy of his hire, if he does a day’s work. Where was this man employed? [Cr. Pollock : In front house, pretty often, spreading gravef*— I say, no ! he has been at the ReftJktion Ground for the last six weeks, and he gets more than 10s a day. Why have I to stand here and fight for the interests of the ratepayers, and none of you assist me? The first motion proposed by Councillor Simmons, was then put, the second being illegal through notice not having been given. Cr, Galland: I have studied the motion for half.an.hour, and cannot make