Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 16 May 1896, Page 2

Notes and Events.

— _i_ I Troubles in Africa have curiously 1 brought to light an almost forgotten m scandal in which King Solomon in sj all his glory and the beautiful Queen^sMfl of Sheba are implicated. Menelik II of Abyssinia, the barbarian who ha3 so severely defeated the Italians, is, according to his own account, a |^| rather illustrious personage, though marked with the heraldic •' barsinister." He claim 3co be descended in the direct line from the Menelik I, Emperor of Ethiopia, and son of King Bolomon by the Queen of Sheba. It is true — there is nothing new under the sun. Paiuwwtoa North is a town which

prides itself upon its prodigious ad> vance, and to have secured this advance it would appear that the Town Clerk or certain of the councillors of the Borough had to resort to most extraordinary financing to keep the town alive. At the Palmeraton Police Court on Wednesday a tale was extracted from Mr Keeling which should bring a blush to the choeks oimany of the townspeople.

J^alr Keeling was a witness in the case against, T. Woods and on ciosdexamination averted thai the loaas referred to by Mr Moore as borrowed by the Borough were not borrowed by the Council, nor was tbe Council responsible for repayment. Certain members of the Council were. This is likely enough correct, but only in the sense that the Councillors who were answerable for these amounts were in a manner guaranteeing the loans being repaid to the Council. The loans were borrowed for the Counoil for Borough purposes. Mr Keeling cannot desire to suggest that all this trouble was taken separately from the Borough's business. The Counoil was. hard up and needed money — and got it — somehow.

The Councillors mixed up in this outside financing borrowed at different times £300 from their engineer ; £850 from J. Nathan & Co. ; £1200 from Mr Brookes ; and £200 from Mr W. T. Wood. No entries of these sums were made in the cash book of the Borough.

These direct loans had something of business about them to what the following statement has :— " Mr Keeling remembered the rate collector being sent out to get promissory notes for rates last year. The3e promissory notes were handed to two parties who gave the Council the money they represented. The transaction did not appear in the books. He did not know whether the Council got the exact amount of the bills, which wers supposed to be in excess of the rate; to cover the discount." This appears an extraordinary statement for the clerk to make, if he does not know who is likely to ?

Mr Moore was undoubtedly severe upon Mr Keeling when dragging evidence like tbe above out of him.. It appears he had a hotter pill still in store when he asked whether it was not a fact that the Bank overdraft became so large that Ihe Borough dara not pay into the Bank ? Mr Keeling, in denying this, admitted on one occasion several cheques were taken to Mr Miller, and Mr Miller's cheque taken in return for them.

i Loans, and how to raise ibf-ni. are i all explained in the Municipal C r- ' porations Act, and the evidence of the Town Clerk is an object lesson how some people can drive loans for any amount past the Act, so long as care is taken not to enter them in the oash book. He who runs may read that though no one suggests any wrong, except of course ignoring the provisions of an Act of the General Assembly, whioh i3 all right until found out, yet the system is one opan to abuse. It makes us ask how tha Auditor got past these snags? '