New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4986, 16 March 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1877.

' . .» /. v—^ For the discredit attachable to the scene in the City Council yesterday Councillor Dransfield is plainly liable. A report , of the Council's proceedings appears elsewhere, and from that the merits of .the matter may be fairly, stated. . When the minutes of the special meeting at which the plans for the proposed Town Hall were decided upon came up for confirmation, Councillor Georgeobjected to them; and the Mayor pointed- out that, in accordance with the by-laws regulating the conduct of Council meetings, he could only hear objections to the confirmation of minutes on the ground of their alleged inaccuracy. It must be said at once that Councillor George in this question occii-' .pies a consistent and honorable position. At. the .special meeting he from .the first objected to what he' considered"a hasty decision on the plans for the Town Hall, and took no part in adopting those which were ultimately chosen. He yesterday explained that he objected'to the. cpn.fi r-; mation of the minutes of the special meeting because he -was anxious that the confirmation should be postponed until after the Council should have decided upon a motion he intended to.'bring;.forward, having for its object the upsetting of the decision arrived at at the special meeting. But - Councillor - ODransfield rose and questioned the accuracy of the minutes themselves; and when answered by Councillor Greenfield, demanded an opportunity of replying to that gentleroan. ThePMdyor very properly I .told Councillor _ Dransfield that^' ; having spoken'onoe, ; hecould onlybVheard-on a point of - order, whereupon Councillor Dransfield, forgetting not only the decent feeling which no doubt he would like to have credit for possessing; but the respect due to a position which he himself has felt pride in filling, accused-the Mayor of being, interested in. the .matter,.and of desiring to gag the Council. The Mayor, .under the circumstances, acted exactly as the Mayor Dransfield of former times would not have done. He left, the chair, declining to return to it until Councillor Dransfield; should have withdrawn his words. Mayor Dransfield i would havevstayed. in the chair, and turned the formal proceedings of the Council into the lamentable spectacle of which former experience has given so many . instances. The insult offered by Councillor Dransfield to the Mayor was as unprovoked as at was undeserved. Every one knows that in the interests of Mr.'TRAVERS, who is "opposing the Mayor as a candidateior Parliament, some of-the supporters of ■ the former have attempted to fasten upon the latter an accusation' like the disgraceful one made by - Councillor Dransfield yesterday. Councillor Dransfield is a warm wpporterof Mr. Travers. He may not Have niade ;his accusation yesterday in that:geiitleman'a interests. , If he did he deserve'd the reputation he got from Mr. Allen (also aaupport«r of Mr.,Travers) who bore honorable-testimony to the tact that of all ■;-, the -members present at the special,, meeting, none displayed less prejudice in favor of than did theMay.or. Councillor Cleland, too, .in the' informal and unregulated debate/ which'succeeded r . the vacatirigi- of "the chair-il>y the Mayorj showed that at the special meeting it was Councillor DransfiejQD v who had 'at! firatfJiurteied on Ahe decision on the plans of the * Town' najl;;.bad remarked that "they,''meaning the Council,.'fcould.nat.be kept.there- a : • month;'?; b.ad"rproposed the acceptance Of-: the plans'chosen; and had of a sudden, after- ihey had been aeleotedi '■ commenced a demand for delay. The upshot of Councillor Dransfibld's intemperate proceeding yesterday is to be found in our report. : Like a Very small boy at a very Bmall school, who will not r ,j)lay cricket unless allowed 1 to hayaafi innings ' in which nothing shall -be allbwSd to put him out, Councillor Dransmeld handed m his resignation, and in the manner Jvhich his ebullitions of temper have renderedius accustdined to," "took ;up his hat and done a most foolish thing from every'point-of view. He has prejudiced himself in the eyes of the public, andhe has cleared the Mayor from the very accusations he and others' of Mr.'TRAVERS' supporters hurled against' Mr.' Htjtohison. We are of opinion that special meeting of the Council should not .have decided so upon the-plans., There is no doubt that., thehasty decision was in good faith, .with ho impure motive from any' member, least -of . all ' from Vliis/Wotshipi the Mayor;!/ arid' 'there *' ; is t equally -no doubt. that' '.if ■;• tjie"."Council, ..after decidiiig; upon 'certain plansj. not.'a: little urged thereto' by" ; C6uhciilor pMANsfFiELD, nad then .their, a c ii° n » &^ en delayj they wo"i\la have acted iu the manner doiiricillor often acted, and that is—in foolishness, indiscretion, and ill-temper.__ One word, however, may be said as to the plan to which the> first ,premium /wasr awardedj Whej, adver'tiaement calllirig for plans "stipulated for a building affording certain accommodation, and limited the cost. The plan of

Mr. Turnbuli. was Ihe that fulfilled these conditions'. ')" In connection with .Mr. ■ Dbansfield's resignation, it* may be well to notice that in addressing ! the electors, last night Mr. Hutchison expressed an opinion that there was now no legislation under which that resignation could be accepted or a new election held. Mr. HutchisotHs in error. The 4th section of£he Municipal Corporations Act of 11876 interprets the term extraordinary vacancy.,as ~*? a vacancy arising from death, resignation, incapacity, ....&<?.,". and. provides; that ..''a resignation mustibe in writing, signed. by : ; th 6 person resigning, Sand delivered <to the Mayor or Town Clerk;■'? whilst ;the ierms "election'? and ■}" elected " mean an election or a person'elected under the provisions'of the Regulation' of Local Elections Act, 1876. By this Act we find the same meaning as that mentioned above assigned to" an extraordinary, vacancy;" and by the 46th section' the course to be adopted in such cases is clearly indicated. :'•■: - :\". '■■-■'..;■ -■.-<•■-■ .■■ ■ . '■■■'. -■