Taken to Task.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 6, 5 June 1885, Page 3

Taken to Task.

Crs Abrahams and Park got rather, severely handled by Cr Hawkins at Wednesday's meeting of the Borough Council for certain action of thoire an members ot the Finance Committee. It appeared that while, the two Crs named had made certain objections to passing an account m connection with expenses incurred m taking the poll for the Borough Loan on the grounds of its possible illegality, Cr Hawkins pointed out that Cr Park had actually as member of the Finance Committee passed an account to Himself for £7 0s 7d, for goods supplied, m direct contravention of the Act, and had thereby rendered himself liable to a heavy penalty if any person took the trouble to lay an information. Cr Hawkins also pointed out that Crs Park and Abrahams had rendered themselves further liable by passing <jn account of nearly £19 to the Manawatu Times m which both were pecuniarily interested, at any rate as agents, if not m other respects. Cr Hawkins 'did not spare the two members of the Finance Committee for this glaring inconsistency. Both endeavored to give a kind of explanation, but they had evidently suffered so severely from Cr Hawkins' castigation that neither seemed able to express intelligibly what they wished to convey. Cr Park said something about that if he had to in6nr the rifk of such penalties, he would resign his seat. The Mayor stated that m his opinion there was not the least doubt according to the interpretation of the Act that the Crs named had rendered themselves liable to the penalty prescribed, oven though only as agents for" the 'sale of the paper re ferred to. He said the Act was roost stringent 7| as had been proved m the Spurdlu case recently at Wanganui, and which conviction the Court of Appeal had ypheld. The feeling of the Counoil was most unmistakeably hostile to the action of Grs Park and Abrahams, m demurring to the iiooount, and the other Crs appeared to foel the stop taken m questioning the account as a reflection- on themselves individually. The feeling of the Council; with the exception of the Crs named, was favourable to the accouut being.pajd at once. Cr Abrahams was so affected when replying, ami his voice quavered so perceptibly, that. at one time it seemed as if his surcharged feelings must find relief m a flood of tears,