NOTES FROM NELSON.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 268, 10 April 1886, Page 2

NOTES FROM NELSON.

(from our own correspondent.)

A SNUFFED OUT COUNCIL. Owing principally to the fact that the Provincial Hall was engaged for other purposes there was a delay of nearly a fortnight between the time the indignation meeting was first talked about and when it came off. In the interim the councillors and their henchmen were industrious in reporting that the whole thing was gas, and that there would be no meeting. They reckoned without their hosts. The Committee, who took charge of the preliminaries, was composed of a very few individuals, but, as subsequent events proved, those few performed the task they had set themselves in a very thorough manner. Their resolutions were not made known outside their own circle, and when Henry Levestam, Esq., M.H.R., took the chair, he plaintively informed the audience that he knew nothing about the resolutions to be put to the meeting, or who was to propose them; in fact, he conveyed an impression to the meeting that he felt himself aggrieved at the apparent want of confidence reposed in him. The Provincial Hall was more than full; the body of the Hall, the gallery, the lobbies even were packed, and most of the councillors occupied the front benches. Before the proceedings commenced the promoters of the meeting had reliable intelligence that a few choice supporters of the brewing interests were primed up to create a diversion, and so were fully prepared for them. So that, when the ball opened by Mr John Graham ascending the platform, the meeting at once recognised the fact that whatever resolution was going to be put to them, that it was in good hands, and the speaker having a popular subject, and being well posted up in his details at once annexed the sympathies of the msetiug and carried all before him. With a view of removing any doubts which might arise as to the promoters being a dissatisfied few, or of having a charge brought against them of having acted in a hole and corner way. Mr Graham read out the names of some 200 citizens who had signed the document convening the meeting. During the reading ot the list the mayor entered the hall, unseen by the speaker, who directly afterwards expressed sorrow at the fact of the mayor's absence, when the burst of merrimeut from the audience at his mistake had the double effect of putting the speaker on his mettle aud his audience in a good humour. Then came the indictment against the mayor, the councillors and the engineer. The speech was a catalogue of sins of omm ssions and commissions, an I took in a period of delinquencies extending back to the time of the floating of the £4OOO loan, some eight months ago. As charge after charge of wasted money, useless works and general incompetency, was hurled at the heads of the offending corporation the meetiug cheered to the echo, and the mayor and his satellites with solemn visages writhed under the lash. A diversion was attempted by the professional brawlers, but unsuccessfully, for one portly individual who plumes himself ou his spoiling kuuwledge having

interjected a rem irk with a view of interupting the speaker, ho was s:it upon so effectually that he metaphorically took a h ick seat and was heard no more during the evening. Perhaps the most telling charge against the council was their neglect in providing a proper plan of the town showing the levels. In previous letters to you on this subject I have referred to the necessity of such a map. The Municipal Corporations Act of 1876 has three or four clauses on the subject, and the wording of them is very distinct ami imperative, making it the duty of the council "as soon as convenient" after the passing of the Act (ten years ago) to prepare a street map and drainage one. That wilful neglect or gross ignorance have prevented this being done is manifest, and no defence, whatever, has been set up by the council for having, during the past decade, formed streets, ' excavated drains, and built sewers, without having any definite scheme by which these works would dovetail eventually , iuto one another, so as to form a perfect system. It was stated that the principal sewers in the town were constructed so that they would not clear themselves, that sewers on a low level discharged into others on a higher level and consequently became silted up. and dangerous from a sanitary point of view. This atrocious waste of the city revenue is alone sufficient to doom the council as unworthy of any longer controlling the expenditure ot borough funds ; in fact, it is a question whether they are not personally liable for expending public funds in defiance of the statue. Mr Graham in a very forcible manuer showed how the ratepayers had been deceived and hoodwinked into voting for tiie X'iIXHJ loan, for a lot of needless works, and showed how the expenditure of that loan, so far as it had at yet go le, had not only been thrown away, but also had to be supplemented out of ordinary revenue to complete the scheduled works. When the sesolution was put to the meeting there was no further question as to public feeling, for it was carried by acclamation. The second part of the play was then gone into. Mr Akersten moved a resolution to the effect that all works requiring engineering knowledge should be stopped, as the council an.l its staff were incompetent to carry them out. The first speaker having pretty well monopolise I all the arguments, left very little for Mr Akersten to say, and he seemed to have an axe of his own to grind in respect to matters in his owu quarter of the town, and floundered iuto several subjects which had no bearing 011 the resolution he moved, and no connection with the council consequently it gave an opening to the mayor to get in a word or two. This he proceeded to do in the Old 15iiilej r barrister style, by heaping abuse upon the conveners of the meeting, and holding up the citv surveyor as a pattern and a genius, attributing to him all the blessings in the shape of water and gas works we possess. This statement fetched the audience, for a roar of derisive laughter showed the public opinion of the mayor's advocacy of his engineering protege. Mr Fell then went on to accuse the promoters of the meetiug of having been actuated by feelings of rancour, malice and spite, and of having a desire to step into the city surveyor's billet. The Old Bailey business was just about what was wanted by the meeting to make the whole thing a success, audjafter his worship had received a castigatiou at the hands of his opponents, the motion was carried.

Then came what was really the pith of the matter, although it was put to the meeting iu such a form that very fewunderstood the real bearing of it. The mover, Mr Jesse Piper, evidently did not, or if he did, he did not explain it. Neither of the editors of the newspapers did, for they passed it by in sileuce, but the motive for it was far different from what was understood. The resolution was to the effect, that it was desirable to abolish the ward system. This is no doubt desirable, but it was not of itself of sufficient importance to have been brought forward at the meeting, inasmuch as the other matters d smssel were quite sufficient to deal with. Ostensibly the abolition of the ward sy; tem was sought; really the abolition of the prasent council, for the act provides a nong other tilings that as soon as so important a change takes place, then all the councillors at once yacate their seats, and a fresh election takes place. The motion was like the rest, carried, and these ended so far the first step taken by the conspirators, as they are termed, towards reform in borough matters. They do not intend staying their hands at that point. A thorough reorganisation is needed, and the men who have taken this first step will not halt on their way in tnture. Korari.