BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 39, 11 January 1883, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

LAST NIGHT'S MEETING. Present — The Mayor, (m the chair) Crs Linton, Snelson, Walker, Ferguson, Mowlem, McNeil, Leary, Palraersons and Marrincrr. Cr Linton read and signed the usual declarations and took his seat as Councillor. CORRESPONDENCE. From the Clerk of the Licensing Court notifying the necessity for the appointment of returning and presiding officers. liesolved that Mr Haul tain be appointed Keturning Officer m connection with the election for the Licensing Batioh. . From the Minister of Lands, declining to alter the appropriation of the Wellington, College reserves applied for I bythe deputation tor hospital k purposes, except by special fcglislation. Cr Linton thought th 6 Hbections might be secured by' consent of the Governors of the Wellington College, possibly by offering some pecuniary consideration. Cr Snelson suggested the appointment of a committee, and moved that the M*yor, and Crs Snelson, and Linton be the committee to deal with the matter. Seconded by Cr Linton and carried. From the District Engineer/ forwarding tracings of land required for rails wag purposes. . ! The Mayor referred to the question at some length, pointing, out the.--pru-dence of requesting the government to i/ive a quid pro quo for the land given. At this sta^e of the question the Council went into Committee to discuss the matter, when it was resolved thac the subject be dealt with by the Public Works Committee, to bring up a report to a special meeting of the Council . Any councillor having suggestions to make m the meantime, to forward then, Mr Milverton wrote asking the attention of the Council to the grading of Main-street. Cr Linton said the condition of the street m question was undoubtedly a hardship to many ot the ratepayers; Letters was referred to the Public Works Committee to be dealt with. THE WATER SUPPLY. Cr. McNeil asked why there was such delay m starting the artesian wells? The Mayor explained the correspondence that had taken place, and the ; cause of the delays. Cr Ltnton suggested inviting applications from competent men capable of trying the experiment. \ Cr. Snelson seconded the suggestion, which was adopted. He remarked that the natives of Awapani were to start their well on the following day. THE POUNDKEEPER's REPORT. , This showed a credit balance of 1.6s §d m favor of the Borough for the inohtn. Cr. Snelson remarked that it was stated that persons m the emp'oy of the i poundkeeper were m the habit of impounding cattle, Cr. Linton and other Crs. remarked that many complaints were abroad m reference to the management of the pound. Ore. Mc'Niel, Mowlem, and the Town Clerk were requested to institute inquiries, and bring up a report on the subject next meeting. accounts., , Accounts were passed for payment, each duly certified to. THE HOSPITAL. A claim by the Wanganui Borough for contribution to the additions to the Wanganui hospital was not entertained. Cr. Linton objected strongly to send« ing money out of toe district to support a hospital, whern they were hoping to establish a hospital m their own town m the ourse of time. He remarked the delapMated condition of the hospital, when the victim of the late fatal accident was taken there.' j PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE'S REPORT. | We, your Public Works Committee, have the honor to report that we have accepted tenders for the following works as under. Formation m Scandia and Princess* streets, and drain m Ferguson-street, { J. H.Anderson at £93. We have had before us the Engineer's monthly report and have instructed him to have the metal m the drain now being 1 made m Botanical road saved. We have likewise instructed him to prepare a report of the formation required m Main-street East, shewing m what manner it could be made available for the cemftery. Duang a flood a tree has become entangled m the piers of the Fitzherbert bridge. We ha?e instructedthe Engineer to have chid removed now that the water is low. As the drainage work upon which the Council is now engaged was not included m the schedule of works for which the Engineer was engaged, we would recommend that ho be paid m addition to his ordinary salary a com* i mission at the rate of s.,per cent, upon the post of such works.

THIS TOWN H\LL. Cr Ferguson roe to inquire what he hnd befcn charged with inhis absence by '"r Walker. He had iearnt from the Press that Cr Walker had made a series of charges against him, and that "the fun had been bo good" that none of t^e Councillors had cared to ask him to desist. Crs Snelson and Linton. deprecated the ve-Of eaiag of the debate, as likely to engender ill-feeling, and for the reason that no possible good could result. ' > Cr Ferguson objected to the term " infamous" haviug been us d by Cr Walker as characterising his actiou as a councillor. Also he hud heird that. Or Walker said he (Cr Ferguson) and been " picked out of the street." This Cr Walker distinctly and em» pathically denied. It was not his custom to make use of language of this kind. He knew how to observe pro- i priety m every relationship. .No such words had ever passed his lips. The Mayor proposed that the sense of the Council should be taken as to whether the question should be reopened. Crs Snelson and rvTr Neil asked leave to withdraw, which was negatived. Cra Leary and Marriner considered that if certain charges had been made by M one councillor against another it were belter that they should be fully investigated. It was then decided to hear Crs Walker andJFerguson on the matter. Cr Walker at considerable length stated the grounds of his com* plaint Put as briefly as possible,'his charges were to the effect that as a member of the Hall Committee he had granted permission to Mr H<h j , the Secretary of the Horticultural Society, to hold their Show m the Hall, on the distinct promise that the Hal was left m a clean state afterwards, and all debris remove!. On a subsequent visit he (Or. Walker) had drawn Mr Hoe's attention to the fact that the forms had not been replaced Mr Hoe spake of the matter to Cr. Ferguson and the Town Clerk, who I were there at the time, and Cr. Ferguson said Graff, the custodian, would replace the forms, as it wad his duty to do so, and if he refused to do so he would report him to the Council, Mr Hoe urged that he had given a promise to Cr. Walker that the forms should be replaced i but Or. Ferguson replied that he would take the responsibility off his shoulders. What followed was that the forms were not replaced, but lay outside exposed to the destroying influences of the wheather for some^hree.weeks, and all through Cr. Ferguson's impudent and "unwarrantable interference. Cr. Walker characterised Cr. Ferguson's remark that ie was Graff's duty to do this work, and that he would report him to the Council if he refused, as m?an exacting. Or. Ferguson's interfere ence at all was such intolerable itnpu* dence that he could not pass it over. ■It-rwas treating . the. Palmerdton Borough Council and the Hall Committee, and himself with perfect coatempt, and showed a want of consistency of courtesy, and of decency, which m Cr. Ferguson's position was utterly inexcusable. He himself had nothing to with' draw of what he had said the previous evening, he had nothing to excuse, or explain. He reiterated every syllable he then affirmed, and maintained that Cr Ferguson should tender an apology for the unjustifiable and impudeut interference of which he had been guilty. He felt that he himself had been inn suited with the utmost rudeness by Cr ;Fergußon's most objectionable' conduct, which m his opinion was intolerable, and was such as he could not think of submitting to without protest. He considered his action jvas unpardon* .able impertinence, all the more revolting because of the menial duty entailed on the Rev. Mr Wilson, of having himsflf to carry m the forms on a broiling hot afternoon, for a lecture he was to give m the Hall. Possibly Cr Ferguson was not intimate ! with the Rev. Mr Wilson, and did not think any special consideration should be shown to him. Cr Ferguson's whole conduct was perfectly hexcusable, and revealed a m^an, exadnjj disposition, .and an intolerable impidenoe that was unsurpassed. He cotld never acton a committee with anyotß who could so flagIran tly transgress ordnarv etiquette as had Cr Ferguson. He was not going to submit to such nsult. Not a charge .or 'expression nade by him on the former occasion did he now wish to withdraw from or retract. What he had said he f&s fully prepared to verify.; : , Cr Fergusoi, who appeared to be suffering considerable mental perturba tion under Cr Walker's' pungent animad versing said he wished to explain that his .htention was not to cause Cr Walkpr annoyance when interfering as h n h»i done m the matter. His ultimate motive m saying ie would briuer tbe matter before, the Council was to Arrange a scale of charjes for the use of the Hall, which at pres-nt did not | exist, and the absence o; which caused v^y great confusion from time to time. I The remainder willarpear to-morrow.]