PUBLIC MEETING ON THE GAS QUESTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4819, 1 September 1876, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING ON THE GAS QUESTION.

A public meeting of the ratepayers ; was held yesterday evening at 8 o'clock in the Odd Fellow's Hall. His Worship the Mayor was voted to the chair on the motion of Mr. Hunt, and said that it afforded him much pleasure to meet so many ratepayers on the occasion. There was nothing better tlian a healthy wholesome agitation on public questions; and as !s'-yall knew that without an occasional stt*' the atmosphere of WeU lington beca ;nhea&y> B 0 with pnblic matters ago' .. br&, ezo effect. • At the request of a nunkier if- tha ratepayers he had cabled the meeting, to co" L. -; sider the propriety o|f the action of the Corporation in negotiating\for the purchase of the 1 Wellington Gasworks. \ His opinions on the subject were well known> but he was not there to give an opinion. HisV/luty was to see a free and fair discussion on the question, and that every person who wantecJ to speak had a fair hearing. He hoped that the business of the meeting would be conducted in an orderly manner, so that their opinions might carry due weight and respect. Mr. J. H. Wallace, in moving the first resolution, said that having signed the requisition to the Mayor requesting him to convene the meeting, he felt it his duty to come forward and give his reasons for so doing, as briefly as possible, but it would be necessary to refer to data and statistics. The question was no personal matter with them, but they had merely met to look after their own interests. The question affected their pockets, and they should not take a leap in the dark. When the Council met to consider whether they should purchase the Gas Company's works he was sorry to Bee the expression of opinion by certain Councillors that the consulting of the ratepayers on the matter was of no importance. He did not question the competency of the Council, but did not think they were elected for the purpose, and the principle of consulting the ratepayers was clearly laid down in the Municipal Corporations Act now before Parliament. Councillor Dransfield, in the course of his remarks, complimented the Empire Gas Company on having caused the Wellington Gas Company to lower their demands from £lB 12s. 4d. to £l4 10s. on £lO paid up shares, and then advocated the closing of the bargain at once. He also challenged the desirability of calling public meetings to get an expression of opinion on these matters ; but in his (Mr. Wallace's) opinion the Council was an entirely irresponsible body, and outside public opinion should be expressed to keep them in check. There was one other I point in the proceedings of the Council which he should like to call attention to, and that was that before the vote was taken as to the purchase of the gas works, the Mayor stated that he had received the requisition desiring him to call the present meeting; and yet in the face of this, and outraging common decency, they proceeded to deal with the matter, instead of adjourning the discussion so that there might be an expression of public opinion. Mr. Wallace then made a number of quotations from McCulloch's " Commercial Dictionary," showing that almost all over the world the manufacture of gas was in the hands of limited companies, and not of the municipal axithorities. He also quoted from the same source statistics as to the price of gaß throughout Great Britain and in the metropolis; and taking as a premise that the price of gas was doubled with the price of coal, drew an inference that in Wellington the price should, as in Alelbourne, average between ss. lOd. and 10s. 6d. per 1000 ft. He then read an advertisement from a Melbourne paper, in which the Collingwood Company intimated a reduction in price to 7s. 6d. per 1000 ft., add said that he was the more induced to come forward on the question because of the statements contained in the prospectus of the Empire Gas Company. The Mayor had stated that at the price asked the Corporation could not give cheap gas to the community, and when they considered the price proposed to be paid, £37,800, they could not but think that it was too much, or that there was something wrong with the new company which proposed to give gas at 10s. per 1000 ft. at a cost of £17,000 even Bay £20,000 —a difference of £17,000. In his opinion the Corporation should not purchase at all ; but if they were to do so, the question arose as to whether the price was not too much. He was not a shareholder, and had no interest in either company, but it was a manifest injustice to the ratepayers for the Corporation to carry out this purchase, considering this difference of £17,000. He begged to move, —That in the opinion of this meeting, the price proposed to be paid for the gasworks at £l4 per share, being a premium of 40 per cent, upon the paid-up capital, is excessive, and ought not to be accepted by the ratepayers. Mr. Hunt seconded th« motion.

Mr. Danes said that considering the statement in the prospectus of the Empire Company had not been challenged, it Bhould be an easy matter for the meeting to arrive at a conclusion. He had assisted in making the calculations on which the statement was founded, and as a ratepayer he had a right to protest against the purchase at the proposed price and the creation of a monopoly. It had been stated that next year they were to have a lighting rate, but in his opinion they had had one ever since the Wellington Company started. Since the prospectus of the Empire Company had been issued it had been stated that they could not obtain the gas pipes at the price mentioned, £5 17s. 6d., delivered on board the vessel at London. He had since had the pleasure of handing a telegram to the provisional directory stating that the pipes wouldbedeliveredat£s2s. 6d.,155. cheaperthan the estimated price. If the Corporation would not stand in their way in getting their Bill through Parliament, they would be prepared to run the Corporation themselves, and supply gas to the community at 10s. per 1000 ft. He begged to support the motion. The Mayor, in putting the resolution, Baid that notwithstanding the action of a minority in the Council he had no doubt the Empire Company would be able to carry on their work without opposition. A Ratepayer said that he would like to move an amendment, because the Council had already too much work on their hands, and if they would only attend to the roads and streets it would be a more profitable occupation than meddling with the gas companies. If tbey could not do road work they were not fit to look after the gas. The speaker then referred to the contract for the South-road, and after cries of " chair" was called to order. His amendment was in effect similar to the resolution, and being ruled as no amendment, the Mayor put the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr. Jeffs said that after the elaborate speech of Mr. Wallace there seemed little left to be said, but he would like to call their attention to the fact that for years they had been paying at an enormous rate for gas, and might have done so for all time, had it not been for the action of the promoters of the Empire Company. They should have no confidence in the old company, and they had nothing to thank them for, for it was only when pressure was brought on by the formation of the new company that they proposed the sale to the City Corporation. He did not think the taking over of the gas works by the Corporation would be at all advisable, for their management of the waterworks was anything but satisfactory. They paid altogether too much for water, and he was surprised the other day on looking at his water rate to find that it cost him for water two-thirda of the sum paid for bread for his family. In his opinion, it would be better to support those who had come forward and delivered them from the existing monopoly, than that they should continue that monopoly in the hands of the Corporation. He would move, —That in the opinion of this meeting, it is not to the interests of the ratepayers and gas consumers that the City Council should purchase tho works of the Wellington Gas Company, or in any way prevent the competition of joint-stock companies in the supply of cheap gas to the citizens of Wellington. Mr. Levoi seconded the motion.

Mr. Toomath said that he wrb of opinion that tho Corporation were not legally competent to make the proposed purchase; but even if they were bo, it was very undesirable that

they did notsee the advantage-of; continuing the monopoly, or that the tion could "do better, for them "thairrprivate: enterprise. They must pay for gas tp the; Corporation as a company, and the Corporation were in no better position than a company so far as the price of coal, labor, or material was concerned. Gas being a marketable commodity was worth just so much and no more. They had two companies. One said they 'could supply it at 10a.; the other said that it was impossi-, ble;,and the best thing,was -tolet.them try and see who was right, for the gas' consumers would be benefited in either case. If the Corporation had attacked the insurance, monopoly, he could have .understood the matter, ,bjit' why they should not give thi3 new gas company a chance he could not see. The real I question, if the purchase, was to be carried out, was the value of the. plant, and they were not going to give £40,000 for only £20,000 worth. They must submit to the Corporation their opinion that they were hot prepared to sanction such a proceeding. . In any case they should wait to see the "action of the Assembly with regard to the new Municipal Corporations Act before anything was decided. He supported the motion. The Mayor then put the motion, which was carried unanimously.Mr. R. J. Duncan moved,—That in the opinion of this meeting, the ratepayers of the city of Wellington should have been consulted before the City Council entered into any negotiation for the purchase of the gas works. He said that it was with great pleasure he attended the meeting, and more especially so because he had been enabled to hear the words of wisdom which fell from the Chairman in his opening address, and which he hoped would have a good effect. The gentlemen connected with the Press attempted to represent public opinion; but able and skilful as they were, they must of necessity have peculiar objects of their own to Berve. They had to make their papers pay, and were not always altogether a reflex of public opinion. In his opinion, people should meet more frequently in public to discuss their affairs than was now the case, and there would •not be those frequent jars which bo often occurred. He supposed he must confine his remarks to Corporation affairs. He was sure that if this was the case Corporation affairi would go on much more smoothly. The ratepayers would have an opportunity of expressing their opinion at the elections in a few diys much more strongly than they could by any resolutions at the meeting, and in the ward in which he himself was interested —Te Aro Ward they had an opportunity of returning a gentleman, Mr. Moeller, who —(cries of " question.") God forbid that he should refer to any other candidate, and he had no doubt that the citizens were deeply indebted to Mr. E. T. Gillon for his past services in the Council, but Mr. Gillon had undoubtedly conducted himself in this gas question in a manner entirely opposed to the expression of feeling at the meeting, and he believed that Mr. Moeller was entirely in accord with them. He would like to say a word or two as to a doctrine which was now getting very fashionable—that when men were once elected they had nothing more to do with the feelings or opinions of those they represented. Onquestions of moment the body of electors ought to express their opinion, and the representative ought to act on that opinion. As to this purchase, he thought it was not a business-like bargain, and he hoped the result of the meeting would be to knock it on the head. Mr. Cleland, in seconding the motion, said he had great pleasure in endorsing Mr. Duncan'3 remarks. He was glad that at the special meeting of the Council on the subject he had voted with the meeting, and had proposed a similar resolution to the motion now before them. Practical men had considered the price for which gas could be supplied, and he did not see why their estimate Bhould be doubted. The Mayor before putting the motion explained, with reference to what had been said as to the legal powers of the Corporation, that they had no power in the matter whatever, and that at the afternoon meeting they had resolved that a Bill to enable them to effect the purchase should be drafted, but was not to come into operation until the consent of the ratepayers was obtained. This was in effect that the whole matter was to be conceded to them. As to the Municipal Corporations Act, he was glad to say that it embodied a principle for which he had always contended, that the contracting of loans by corporations should always be submitted for the approval of the ratepayers. On being put the motion was carried unanimously. Mr. Toomath then moved, —That the previous resolutions, unanimously carried at this meeting, be immediately forwarded to the Council of the city of Wellington.

Mr. C. Brown Beoouded the motion. Mr. Carpenter considered that the ratepayers had been treated with contempt by the Council. The Council were utterly powerless, and could give no effect to the purchase. Their resolutions proposing to purchase were simply gas, and in his opinion the meeting should show their contempt for the Council, and not forward their resolutions as suggested. As there was no amendment the Mayor put the motion, which was carried unanimously. The meeting concluded with the usual vote of thanks to the Chairman.

There was a large attendance and all present manifested considerable interest in the proceedings.