AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL. Saturday, February 28, 1852.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 615, 6 March 1852, Page 2

AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL. Saturday, February 28, 1852.

The Council met at 3 o'clock. Present: — His Worship the Mayor, Aldermen Dignan, O'Neill, Powditch, and Mason ; Councillors Davy, Abraham, Hay, Newman, Norman, Haultain, M 'Donald, and Taylor. The Minutes of last Meeting having been read and confirmed, The Town Cle k read a letter from Mr L. OBrien, one of the candidates for the office of Town Treasurer, stating that if he were appointed to the office he would be satisfied w th whatever saL.ry should be allowed by the Finance Committee and that he would not hold the members of the Council in any wayresponsible. The adjourned debate on the Report of the roads committee was then lesumed ; Councillors Taylor, Abraham, Newman, and Aldermeu Mason, Powditch, and Dignan taking pait in the discussion and supporting the report. Councillor llaullain stilt dissenting from it. Ultimately the Report was adopted, the latter gentleman being the only member in opposition to it. Alderman O'NeUl, according to his notice of motion, now moved that Mr. JLachlan OBrien be appointed Treasurer — salary to be referred to the Finance Committee. The motion w«s ; seconded by Aldemian Dignan. Councillor Davy moved .as an amendment that Mr. Christopher A. Hanis be appointed Treasurer at a Salary of £25 per annum. Councillor Newman seconded the motion. The Mayor called for the Report of the Finance ( ommittee on the amount of security that should, be required irom the Treasurer. The Report was read, xwhich recommended that the Treasurer should give security himself in £500, and two surejties £500 each. The Mayor, in order to avoid any advantage being given .to .either of the candidates over another, suggested that instead of putting tl c amendment first, as in the ordinary way, both names ahould be brought at once hefore the Council, and then each member to meution the candidate for .whom he wished to vote. This mode was agreed to, and the numbers stood— for OB ien 7, for Harris 5 ; Mr. OBrien w?s then/declared the elected Treasurer. Councillor Abraham then asked for information from the Council as to how the Charitable Trusts' Committee were to proceed with refert nee to the bringing up of their report, which they .could not complete unlil certa n information were received by them from the Committee of Subscribers to the Lunatic Asylum. He had, as chairman of the Charitable Trusts Committee, addressed a letter to Rev. Mr. Thatcher, Honorary Secretary to the Lunatic Asylum Committee, requesting that gentleman to attend the Committee for the purpose of affording info.mation, but Mr. Th .tcher' had replied that his committee would prefer that the questions for information should be written down and sent in to them for answers. He, Mr. Abraham, had forwarded a set of queries (which he read), but instead of being favoured with direct answers to the questions, he had been referred to the Local Government for the required information. Now he wished for instruction from the Council as to how he was to act with regard to the report ; he felt no way ambitious to carry on any further correspondence with the Lunatic Asylum Committee. After same conversation on the subject, Councillor Haultain recommended that the report should be brought up, deficient of that part of it relative to the Lunatic, Asylum, which might be made into a seperate report afterwards. Councillor Hay approved of this course, for as the Lieutenant-Governor was daily expected, the information that the Committee required would most likely soon be conveyed to them. It was then agreed that the Committee should bring up their report, so far as complete, and any further information coming before them to be embodied in a subsequent seperate report. Councillor Newman then laid on the table a draft of a Petition against the expenses incurred in locating the Pensioners in, this Province being saddled on the revenue of the Colony. The petition having been read, Mr. Newman gave notice that he would move its adoption at the next meeting. (There were several blanks left in the petition, which will no doubt be filled up before the adoption of ,it,is moved, and when once completed we will publish it). Alderman Powditch gave notice that at the next meeting he would move that a Committee of the whole Council be formed to take into consideration the reports of the several Committees, that one general report might be adopted by the Council. Alderman O'Neill gave notice that he would

move at ihe next meeting that the ivemoiial to His Excellency the Go\ernor-m-Ciuef, for a portion of the Pailiamentaiy Giant to be set apart for the orec'ion of a new Government House at Auckland, be signed and forwarded Councillor Abraham wished to enquire whether any communication had been received by his Worship to the effect that the Government had ceased opeiations on a 1 public works within the 80-ough, This was generally believed to be the fact, since the publication of the Gazelle of that morning in which appeared the appointment to another office of Mr. Reader Wood, the Superintendent of Works. The Mayor said he had no direct official notification that such was the case, but from a letter he had received, he believed that the Government did not intend to ea ry on any further local works. It was then agreed that the Petitions from the Corporation to the Houses of Parliament, against the New Zealand Company's demand, should be forwarded to His Grace the Du-ke of Newcastle, and to Mr. Gladstone,. for presentation. ' Council then adjourned.