CITIZENS' MEETING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 252, 4 November 1879, Page 2

CITIZENS' MEETING.

In compliance with an advertisement a meeting of citizens whs held at the Provincial Hall last night to discus, the desirability of dividing the town into wards, the Mayor in the chair. Mr Stringer said that in order to open up the qnestion he would propose "That this city be divided into wards." At present the Beach was represented by a majority of the Council, while the outskirts were unrepresented. It had been said that dividing the town into wards would increase the expense, but he did not think the .Council studied expense much or they would never have wasted a lot of money in making up Halifax street, to the neglect of other parts of the town. (Hear, hear ) If the City Surveyor did his duty the outskirts would not be in their present state, but he did not believe he knew much about them. They would be better re presented and have more attention paid to their wants if the town was divided into wards, and he hoped to see it done. Mr Wymond seconded the resolution. He travelled about a good deal and found that Nelson was the only town of its size that was not divided into wards. It ought to have been done long ago but it was not too late to do it now, and then all would be represented, there wouid be justice as be tween man and man, and the poor man who paid his jolly shilling would have his interests looked ufier as well as the others. They talked about extra expense, but be defied them to show it. At present the money was laid out on the block aud if they wanted to experiment they chose one side of tbe street and left the other untouched. Let them all stand on their merits and have all parts represented fu rly. Mr Orsman said that the outskirts were completely neglected, and iv his part they never got a sixpence spent. If he spoke to any of the Councillors they told him they were not paid to look after it. They had a City Surveyor, but he could not put a load of gravel on the streets without asking the

Councillors. If you went to a public house with some of them and stood champagne you could get any amount of work done. (Cheers and laughter ) He believed that two or three of the Councillors were drunk when it was agreed to build the Selwyn-street sewer. (Cries of " Name," "Don't name," and general uproar.) Let them all be fairly represented, and then they would get good roads in the outskirts as well as in the centre of the town. He couldn't read or write, and a good job it was for the Councillors, or he would have been bn to tbem loiig ?.go, (Cheers and laughter) but he had been told that one of the papers said they had the best men iv now, but he didn't believe it, indeed he was quite ashamed of the Council. (Loud cheers ) Mr R. Burn* wa3 sorry to see so small a meeting, for the question was a very import ant one. It was probable that the division of the town into wards might entail addi tional expense, but notwithstanding that he was prepared to support it. Ma Wymond rose to speak again but was ruled by the Chairman to be out of order. Mr Field was not an orator but he had a few words to say. For 25 years the outsiders had been paying rates, and at the present time they had in wet weather to wade through tbe mud to get to their houses. t was time thi9 was altered. At present the elections were a mere farce, for what with plurality of votes and lots of beer the outsiders had no chance. He had heard one of the Councillors say tbat they could put in who they liked, and in the endeavor to stop this state of things the expense would be a mere flea bite. If it cost much let a Councillor or two go round with the hat and the money would soou be subscribed. Mr Levestam was glad the meeting had beeu called, as it gave an opportunity of discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed change. He had always been in favor of it, but without thinking much about it, but he had now carefully enquired into it, aud thought that the expense, which he reckoned would be nearly £150, was too great to justify the step being taken. He then produced a number of figures showing the revenue and expenditure, and said that tlie additional expense would be so large a percentage on the whole that he would not support it. There would have to be a separate electoral roll for every ward, a separate Returning Officer, a separate Poll Clerk, a separate booth, aud separate accounts. Mr Stringer hud said the Council only made good roads worse, but dividing the city into wards would not ensure a remedy against this. He did not see tbat the fact of other towns being divided was an argument in favor of doing the same here. It was stated that five Councillors lived at, or were connected with, the Port, but these must have been elected by the ratepayers generally, as they could not have been by the few at the Port. One of the great objections to the proposed system was that it would lead to log rolling, and another was the corrupt practices to which it would give rise. Tbe best remedy was to do away with the plurality of votes. (Cheers.) In order to give Mr Wymond an opportunity of speaking again he would move as an amendment, That it is not desirable to divide the City into wards. Mr Robertson seconded the amendment profnma. Mr J. A. Harley had always been an advocate of dividing the town into wards, but had always been met with the cry of unnecessary expense, hut if they obtained greater justice and more fairness the expense was Dot worth considering. It was all very well for Mr Levestam to come there with a lot of figures, but his figures like his actions geuerally were simply nonsensical. At present the Port waa represented by five members, worthy men every one of them, but who, he would ask. represented his part of the town? (Mr Wymond : " The prisoners." Laughter and cheers.) He believed those five members were good men and could not be bettered much, but when people had a grievance they should wipe it out. t Cheers). Mr Wymond said the papers had not enlightened them much in the matter. He knew quite as much of finance a9 Mr Levestam and asserted that his figures were a fallacy. Not a sixpence was spent in his district, aud the Mayor, Councillors, and the whole jolly lot of them could not gainsay it. He made his money here and spent it here and did not want to be ignored. (Cheers and laughter). Were they going to be jumped on like that ? (Cries of No and laughter) Some time ago the Council had agreed to repair Trafalgar-street south, but it was now about the worst road in the whole jolly town. (Cheers). Mr John Graham said they had come there to seriously discuss an important ques tion, and not to turn it into ridicule. Hitherto most of the speakers had been too earnest to be eloquent. He had come there unbiassed, and unprepared to speak, and not like Mr Levestam armed with an array of figures. For himself, he was not good at figures, (A voice : Gammon) but he had followed Mr Levestam, and was sure he had overestimated the expense which instead of £150 would, he thought, be about £10. It had been stated that the division into wards would lead to log rolling, but that was done now, or Trafalgar-street south would not have been left iv its present; state while it bad been found convenient to make up another street with two or three people in it. (Mr T. Harley : What street is that ?) He alluded to Halifax-street, where Cr Harley lived. (Loud laughter, and a voice, "Had you there, Tom.") A Councillor had said to him that he bad not time or inclination to visit every locality, but must trust to the Surveyor, but if they depended entirely upon their public servants they would be leaning on a broken reed. He thought each part of the town should be represented. Mr T. Harley said they could not expect him to speak as fluently as one who had offered himself for the House of Representatives (Laughter), but he hoped he would make himself understood. The ratepayers ha i met there in the interests of the town, and they had his heart with them if it could be carried. It was a very important question indeed, and he hoped it would not be messed amongst them. He would like to see the plurality of votes expunged. If that were done, several who were now in the Council would uever be elected by the people. He did not want to get too warm, but he wanted to show the evil of plural voting. Mr Graham accused him of makiag a road to his house, but he denied it. He was making an important improvement to the city, and he wished all the Councillors were guided by the same principles and ideas as himself for then would the City progress. (Cheers and laughter.) He was sorry Mr Graham had mixed himself up in the cause without having some approximate ideas of wbat his priuciples were before he spoke. It seemed as though he was looking cut anxiously for I a seat in the Council. (Mr Graham : No.) He would now give them some ideas of his own as to what tbe Couucil should do (Cries of ' Question," " Shut up," «• We don't want tc bear tbat," and much laughter.) He had j'ist returned from the House of Parliament and knew from what he had seen there whether he was in order or not. (Roars of laughter.) In speaking to the resolution before the House he had a right to (Increased uproar.) As the noise died away, Mr Harley was heard to be still quoting hia Parliamentary experiences, and he went on to say that he should support the resolution. [The Mayor : The amendment is before the meet ing. J Well, he would support the amendment. He thought be had a right to be heard, and if he talked a lot of rot they could go out. It Sir George Grey came there they

would listen to him, ahd nis principles w^te precisely the same as Sir George's, so rtbf wouldn't they hear him. [Here the laughter became deafening, and the uproar and ironical cheers con inued, and a scene unprecedented at a Nelson meetiog ensued, Mr Harley insisting tipoh being heard, and the meeting being equally determined hot to allow him to speak ] Tbe Mayor, after rising frora his chair and resuming his seat several times eventually left the chair saying that he could not continue to preside over so noisy a meeting Believing that the fchpeting had closed onr reporter left the room, but .rom our morning contemporary we learu that the Mayor was induced to resume the chair, after which Mr. A. S. Atkinson said that he did not think much of the question of expense if the change would ensure an equitable division of the expenditure, but the promoters of the meeting had failed to show that this would follow. The true remedy for the grievance' of which they complained was to be very careful in the choice of their Councillors, apd then they would bear no more of those painfully grave charges that had been made that evening. Several others spoke briefly, and eventually the amendment was put and lost, Sad the original resolution carried.