CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 48, 23 December 1871, Page 8

CITY COUNCIL.

Wednesday, December 20. The annual meeting of the City Council was held this day for the purpose of having the accounts of the corporation read and its financial position explained ; also to elect a mayor for the year 1872. At noon, the hour appointed for the holding of the meeting, there wore present—The Mayor, J. Bransfield, Esq, in the chair; Councillors Borlnse, ■Rivklny, KLvull, Ramie, Moss, Mills, and abstract statement of the receipts and expenditure for the year had been furnished by the Clerk to the Council. This we place before our readers in the exact form in which it was supplied to the Council, any attempt to analyse its contents being rendered unnecessary by statements subsequently made by his Worship the Mayor :

The minutes of the two previous meetings bavin" been read and confirmed, _ The Mayor said : Gentlemen, This, you are aware, is the annual meeting, called in accordance with law, which provides that the accounts for the past year shall be laid before the Council for inspection by yourselves and by the ratepayers. This has been done. An abstract statement has been printed, and has been laid before you. I am sorry to have to report that the auditors have not found the accounts in proper order, and have ashed for further time in which to continue and complete their investigation. The following is the letter I have received from the auditors : of Wellington. Gentlemen,—We are unable to certify to the correctness of the annual statement of accounts, to be submitted to the Council this day, in consequence of the vouchers in support of the balance not being to our satisfaction. Under these circumstances wo think it advisable to ask for a delay of two or three days, at the end of which time we hope to be able to furnish a more detailed report.” That is the communication I have received from the auditors, and as we have power to adjourn the meeting, I would suggest that it would be advisable that we should adjourn for a couple of days. . Councillor Moss'.- Goes your Worship mean that wc shoild adjourn the whole ot the business? I think ve should postpone the consideration of the acecurts. but there is other business that might be gore on with. Could the Council not adjourn till this gening to settle the account s ? . The Mayor: No; wc cannot consider the accounts this evening. The auditors have asked for an extension of time till Friday. Councillor Miller: Should the matter not be adjourned till next week, so as to give plenty of time for investigation ? Several objections were urged, and Councillor Mills, to test the feelings of the Council, moved that the Council, at its rising, be adjourned till three o’clock on Friday. Tho motion was put and carried.' The Mayor : There is now no other business before the Council at its present meeting, except that of electing a person to fill the office of Mayor for the ensuing year. Has any member a candidate to propose. Councillor Moss: Gentlemen, I have very much pleasure in proposing, Jov the oliice of Mayor for the ensuing year, Mr Joe Dransfield, the gentleman who has occupied the position during the past year, and filled it with such capacity. I think from the experience the Council has had of that gentleman’s fitness, we cannot do belter than re-appoint him to the office. 1 think, also, it is due to that gentleman to say that ho has acted very energetically on behalf of the Council in the many very important arrangements which have been entered into during the past year, and we cannot do better than entrust to him the carrying out of those

arrangements to their completion during the current year. I think it is unnecessary xoi me to make any further remark than to say that I have worked in conjuction with Mr Dransfield, and have had opportunities of observing his course of action, and although 1 have differed with him at times, I can say that I have always found him active and obliging -when his services were required, which occurred pretty frequently, and he has consequently devoted a considerable amount of time to the business of the Council, for which he was deserving of our thanks. Councillor Buckley : I have very mucti pleasure in seconding the nomination of Mr Dransfield to the office of Mayor. Councillor Boklase : I do not rise to propose any other candidate ; I merely wish to throw out a suggestion or two, which I think the Council should take into its consideration. The Mayor has had a great deal of work to do, and has done it to the satisfaction of the town. The Mayor has many onerous duties to perform, and is subjected to many calls m virtue of his office, which he has to put his hand in his pocket to meet. Therefore 1 think the time has come when the Council should consider the voting of an amount ot money as salary for the Mayor, as is one in all other corporate towns in the colony, ibis salary I have no doubt will bo spent in that way in which Mayors generally spend their salaries. The time has come when such a proposal should be promulgated and discussed, and I now undertake to bring it forward m a short time. . . . , Councillor Mllls : In continuation ot tne same subject, I may inform the Council tia I proposed a notice of motion to the same effect some litttle time ago, believing that tbe services of the Mayor should be recognised in the manner suggested by Councillor Borlase. The resolution was ready for presentation to the Council, hut for some reason I need notes plain it fell through. I shall second the resolution of Councillor Borlase with great pleasure when it comes forward. The Mayor : Has any other gentleman a candidate to propose for the office ? This inquiry met with no response, and Mi Dransfield was declared duly elected Mayor for the year 1872. The Mayor : Gentlemen, I may at once inform you that in consequence of the receipt of the letter from the auditors this morning I have really been so up3et that I am not prepared to thank you in terms expressive of that feeling which I should, under other circumstances, have experienced from your kindness in again placing mo in the position to which you have elected me to-day. lour action shows that you have confidence in my actions —as well in those of the future as in those of the past. I need not inform you of the very important duties which have been added to our ordinary functions by the recent proceedings of the Council; you are all well’aware that we have taken upon us heavy responsibilities in the ad min situation of the property which has recently come into our possession—the reclaimed land, the wliaif, and the management of the water-works scheme These are all matters of very great importance to the interest of the town, and I trust that, with your assistsnee during the next few years, wo may work these properties in such a manner that the result will be what I have always been sanguine enough to imagine it would be—that these works will be productive of great benefit as well as of great profit to the city. I am satisfied in my own mind, as indeed I have always been, that the wharf alone will very nearly pav all expenses we shall have to pay. It may he that during the first, twelve months there will bo a slight deficiency, but I am confident it will be very slight. The waterworks, too, we cannot expect to return immediately the full amount of interest that will be required, but that will only be a passing difficulty—one that will easily be surmounted. As I have said before, the receipt of the auditor’s letter lias so completely upset my thoughts that I do not at present feel competent to speak on all the subjects on which I intended to address you. J PRISONER’S CHRISTMAS. The Mayor called the attention of the Council to the fact that it was the. custom of the Council to provide provender fora treat at Christmas, and it would be necessary to appoint one of their number to superintend the feast. , . ~ , After some little parley it was Councillor Krull should superintend the festival to be held at the gaol. THE WATERWORKS PLANT. The Surveyor, in answer to an inquiry, stated that the order for the waterworks plant would go home by the outgoing San Francisco mail, a duplicate also being prepared for dispatch by the Suez mail, to prevent miscarriage. THE WHARF. A communication was read with reference to the taking possession of the wharf. The Mayor said it had been understood all along that the Council should take possession on the Ist February, but it transpired, on reference to Mr Tonks.that his agreement with the Provincial Government extended to the Bth of the month. It was agreed that the matter should bo settled by reference to the agreement between Mr Tonks and the Provincial Government. "WHARF WATER SUPPLY. No reply having been received to a note addressed to Mr Beck with reference to the supply of water to the shipping. Councillor Buckley said ho understood Mr Beck was to be in attendance at the present meeting to afford any information It was agreed that Mr Beck should be requested to attend at the next meeting of the Council. the wharf sheds. The Clerk was instructed to write to the Provincial Government, and request them to make the City Council a present ot the plans

and specifications prepared for the sheds to be erected on the wharf. The Council then adjourned till Friday. At the adjourned meeting held on Friday the auditors’ report declared the account to be in a satisfactory state, the cash in hand being equal to the amount set forth in the books.

receipts. Board of Works 12 19 General Account 83 14 Contributions *'* " Bates collected w r Town Belt Rents m fi Reserves Bents ... 34 18 b Total ... 4716 9 5 To balance, 1st September, 1870 158 18 6 £4375 7 11 expenditure. Board of Works £638 6 5 General Account S 5 i? o Wages ... ••• ir o Tools and implements ... ••• 93 1.4 1 Materials ••• b 3 , ,, . , 4-99 14 6 435 17 6 Contracts •• n Rates overpaid and returned ... * U v Total ... 4740 5 8 By balance, 30th Sept., 1871 ... 135 2 3 £4875 7 11