Blenheim Borough Council.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 180, 19 June 1869, Page 4

Blenheim Borough Council.

The Council met on Monday evening last. Present; The Mayor’, Councillors Robinson, Sinclair, Bythell, Nosworthy, Hodson, Dodson, and Hutcheson. Cr. Dodsox brought up a report of a Select Committee in the form of a draft of a petition to the General Assembly, and moved that it be received. Agreed to.

Cr. Hosworthy moved that the Council take into consideration the appointment of a Town Clerk, and also a Yaluer. Applications were then read from J. Gorrie, It. AY. Morley, J. Miller, and John T. Robinson, for the office of Town Clerk. Also from AY. Douslin, AY. Parker, J. Gorrie, and T. AVall, for the office of Yaluer. Cr. Dodsox moved that Mr. Robinson be appointed Town Clerk. He had considerable experience in the old Board, where he was very attentive to his duties, and was well up in the work. He did not wish, in saying this, to disparage others, but Mr. Robinson had given his attention to the business for many years, and showed an aptness for the work.

Cr. Bythell seconded the motion. Cr. Hgtchesox thought it but fair to propose Mr. Morley, looking to it as a mere clerkship. He thought him a better man, and fitter for the duties.

The amendment was not seconded, and Air. Robinson was elected on a show of hands

Cr. Robixson proposed Mr. Wall as A r aluer, considering him an experienced person, and the fittest among the names before them.

Cr. Hosworthy seconded the motion, and assured the Council that when filling a similar position under the old Board he did it with every possible fairness.

Cr. Dodson moved that Mr. Gorrie be appointed. He did so because he thought he would take a deal of trouble in doing the duties. He was always about in the town, and had ample opportunities for seeing and knowing the various premises, and he was cool and collected about all that he undertook.

Cr. Hutcheson seconded the amendment with great pleasure, as he thought Mr. Gorrie had had had more experience than Mr. Douslin.

On a division, there were four for and three against. On the motion of Cr. Robinson, the ordinary meeting nights were fixed for the first and third Thursday in each month, at 7 p.m.

Cr. ISTosworthy moved that six copies of the Municipal Act be got for the use of the Council.

Cr. Robinson wished to reduce the number to three copies. Cr. Dodson thought each councillor ought to have a copy, so as to be able to study it at home.

Cr. Sinclair would support the la s t speaker, on the condition that the retiring councillors gave up their copies to their successors. Cr. Bythell seconded the motion pro forma for the purpose of moving an amendment. On being put, the motion was lost. Cr. Sinclair moved that ten copies be procured. Cr. Robinson would rather vote for the money to be laid out on the roads. On being put, the motion was carried. Cr. Sinclair moved that a copy of the Roads Bill, 1868, be procured, as he thought it would be useful to them. Cr. Dodson suggested that the motion should be amended so as to apply to any act which might be brought forward this session. The motion was agreed to. Cr. Sinclair moved that an authenticated copy of the Education Resolutions recently passed by the Provincial Council be procured. He considered that this Council should take steps for calling a public meeting. The case was most urgent; although

it might not quite come within their scope, it was their duty. If passed into an Act. we should never get a good school here. He thought the inhabitants ought to have an opportunity of considering them and forward a petition to the Assembly concerning them.

Cr. Hosworthy moved that the Governor be requested to name a day for the appointment of assessors under clause 380 of the Act. He said clause 180 provided that they should be elected in March, but they wished to lay a rate as early as possible, and the clause in question cured the defect. The time was drawing near for preparing the burgess lists, and the step was therefore necessary. Cr. Robinson seconded the motion.

Cr. Sinclair thought clause 121 applied to the case, and would be glad to assent to the motion, did it not appear as if going against the clause quoted, but would not move any amendment. Cr. Dodson said the object of the motion was to ask the Governor to do that which we could not do ourselves.

After some discussion, the Mayor said he could not agree villi Cr. Hutcheson that clause 74 would apply, as that was to provide for filling extraordinary vacancies by the Council, while, under ordinary circumstances, the people elected the assessors. Ho and others had doubted from the first respecting this very matter, and while Mr. Conolly was in town, they consulted him as the very best legal opinion possible. He had freely given his opinion, after a careful consideration of the Act, to the effect that the proper course was to address the Governor in the manner proposed. The motion was then put and carried. Cr. Dodson moved the suspension of Standing Orders 7 and 11 ; the first in order to move that necessary repairs be made to Grove-road and other streets ; and the latter in order to save time in getting the petition away to Wellington as early as possible. Cr. Sinclair seconded, and the motion passed. Cr. Dodson moved that tenders be called for various necessary works. He considered that something should be done immediately, as winter was approaching. Grove-road particularly was all but impassable. He believed there were people who were willing to do these works, and wait for payment until rates came in. He should assume that the Mayor could call for the tenders, and proceed with the works at once without waiting action from the Council A very good chance occurred just now for getting road metal of the best quality, a shingle bed having been thrown up in the Opawa, the removal of which was desirable, and was accessible with a plank and barrows. There was also a bad place in Alfred-street near Lewis’s stables. He apprehended there would be no opposition to the rate, and all difficulties would disappear as we went on. Cr. Sinclair supported the motion, which was carried.

Cr. Dodson mo/ed the adoption of the petition to the Assembly, which, after mature consideration, had been decided upon by the committee. As the trunk lines were so few, they thought it best to ask only for the bridges to be excepted, accepting the onus and burden of keeping the roads in repair, but it would be a matter of impossibility as unfair, to keep the bridges in repair. One of them was now in a dangerous state, and would be expensive to alter; properly they belonged to the Road District, in which a small acreage tax spread over a large area would be sufficient for the purpose. Their argument was a good one, and one which no one knowing the district could object to. We did not object to tax ourselves for our own purposes, and our own Act would tax us soundly for local improvements, but these were strictly necessary. Cr. Robinson seconded the motion, and wished to know whether it would be possible for the same petition to include a request that the fees for publicans’ licenses, &c., and the control of the wharfs should be handed over to the Council.

The Mayor said it would not be competent.

The first three clauses of the petition were read and passed. Cr. Dodson said the Provincial Council had always acknowledged their right to maintain the bridges, even under the old Board, and moved an expression to that effect be inserted in the petition. Cr. Sinclair would prefer to see a request that a portion of the land revenue be allocated to the purpose. Cr. Robinson thought something should be said which would indicate that the Provincial Council had taken care to exclude Blenheim from any share of the land revenue.

Cr. Hod son considered it necessary to expedite the petition by all means in their power, in order that it might be laid before the Assembly in time, and thought it would be better to devote an evening to its consideration.

Cr. Dodson said the petition showed that there were two parties in the matter, the Provincial Council, who had sent up the Resolutions, excluding the town from any participation in the revenue whatever, and so necessitated the action of this Council. It was in consequence of a conversation which he he had with our representative in the Assembly, who wished them to strengthen his hands, that he moved the present resolution. He thought it would be better to except bridges, and leave them to Road Districts, than to accept the responsibility by receiving an endowment for the purpose, lie was quite willing to discuss the matter. Cr. Robinson moved that the Council go into Committee to consider the petition, Cr. Hutcheson in the chair.

The Council then went into committee, and afterwards adjourned till the following evening. On Tuesday evening, the Council in committee, Cr. Hutcheson in the chair. The different clauses of the petition were discussed, and finally passed as follows : “ To the Honorable the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled, —

“ The humble petition of the Mayor and Corporation of the Borough of Blenheim sheweth “That your Petitioners believe that your honorable House intend passing an Act during the present Session for the construction and maintenance of Roads in the Province of Marlborough, and your Petitioners desire to lay before you the following facts : “ That the situation of the Borough of Blenheim renders it subject to frequent and severe inundations from the waters of the Opawa, Omaha, and Taylor rivers. “ That groat injury is caused to the roads and bridges within the precincts of the Borough by such inundations.

“ That the main trunk line of road from the Kaikoura to the Port of Pictou passes through the Borough of Blenheim, ami that there are on this line of road, and within the limits of the said Borough, three costly bridges, requiring for for their protection and maintenance an annual expenditure of money far beyond the power of the said Borough to raise, even if the maximum rate is levied and applied entirely to the purposes of the bridges. “That the bridges were erected by the Provincial Government at a cost of £2,400, and up to this time have been maintained by that body, no portion of the rates of the late Town Board of the Town of Blenheim having been applied to that purpose. “ That the Petition from the Provincial Council of Marlborough to your honorable House, ‘for abolishing Provincial Government in this Province, and substituting a system of Road Boards in lieu thereof,’ does not provide for any apportionment of the Land Fund to this Borough. “ Your Petitioners, therefore, are of opinion that—in consequence of the situation of the Borough the main trunk lino of road traversing it longitudinally, and also from the fact of the country and through traffic over the said bridges being so much heavier than that of the town—the maintenance of the said bridges should more properly be borne by the Hoad District in which the town may be situated. “Your Petitioners, therefore, humbly pray that your honorable House will, in passing any Road Act for this Province, take the peculiar position of the Borough of Blenheim into your favorable consideration, and exclude the Opawa, Oinaka, and Taylor bridges from the control of the Corporation, and place them under the control of the Road District in which they may he placed by the Act, or make such other provision as your honorable House may .deem 'desirable. “ And your Petitioners will ever pray, &c.”

The Council met on Thursday evening, when, all the Council being present, the consideration of the design for the intended seal of the Corporation was postponed.

The Mayor was requested to write to the Governor, requesting him to fix a day for the election of Assessors, under clause 280.

Cr. Sinclair moved that the Mayor be requested to call a public meeting for the consideration of the Education Resolutions, considering it as a subject of the greatest importance to this locality, and that it would not be out of place for the Council to call upon the Mayor in the manner proposed, as he did not think it was a mere taxing machine; few were aware of the scope and drift of those resolutions. As watchmen of the Borough, it was their duty to-warn the public, and enable it to give an expression of opinion on the subject. Cr. Roswortiiy opposed the motion, on the ground that it was foreign to the business of the Council, and did not think it competent for one political body to criticise the actions of another’.

Cr. Robinson seconded. He thought the last speaker was quite mistaken. Was the town to be ruled by a few men from distant parts of the province, and not object to what they might do, and they trod on his toes. If they trod on his toes, he should be disposed to kick. Cr. Dodson supported Cr. Hos worthy’s view, and thought a requisition from the inhabitants most fitting. While he considered the subject one of importance, very little time or attention were paid to the Resolutions in the Provincial Council. He considered them of the very crudest description—a mere outline, in fact —and were considered by the members as not deserv-

ing much attention. Cr. Hutcheson opposed the motion. Cr. Bythell thought if more money was raised in the town than it needed, it ought to go to assist smaller districts ! Cr. Sinclair replied. On a division being called the motion was lost. Ayes ; Crs. Sinclair, and Robinson. Noes: Crs. Hutcheson, Hodson, Bythell, Nos worthy, and Dodson.