MUNICIPAL AFFARIS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2950, 8 September 1882, Page 2

MUNICIPAL AFFARIS.

SOUTH-EAST WARD. A meeting of burgesses of this ward, took place at Stone’s Hotel, last night. Mr W. Hall Jones was called to the Chair. About 20 burgesses were present. The Chairman explained that the Committee desired the burgesses to decide this evening, for whom they wished the Committee (elected at last meeting) to work. The Committee had proposed to obtain the mind of the burgesses by (passing , round slips of paper, on which each burgess should write the names of the three whom he desired to support. He would sngigest that the candidates [present should express their views on municipal matters, and called on Mr John Gore Allen, first. Mr Allen said he could only state that he disapproved of the past administration of affairs, and if elected, he would devote the energy, ability, and experience of a thorough business man, to all matters that might come before the Council. He supposed that would be valued above eloquence, which he did not pretend to possess. Mr Oullmann said as he was one of the old hands of the Council, he would prefer hearing the new blood address the meeting. < Mr Jacob Hill said the point on

which he felt most strongly, was the borough valuations. Mr Lough, he thought, was quite the wrong man for this duty. He made his valuations on a wrong basis altogether,and he had no time; to discharge that duty In addition* to his ordinary office work. He gave instances of altogether unfair valuations, within his own knowledge. He thought the valuator.-should be an outsider, not 1 under the control of the Council. Another grievance was the water rate for motive power. The rate now imposed -was prohibitory, and much higher than in Dunedin. The assertion that the pressure was insufficient had not been proved. He thought the exhaust water from the; motors would flush the sewers, if so diverted. , In this ward things bad been mismanaged. The permanent levels had been made, but while the side and cross roads had been cut down, the hill had not been reduced as ordered by the Council. This was the fault of individual Councillors, who had traversed the decision of the Council. He referred to Messrs Gibson, Shepherd jahd .Sutter, whose interests lay in other Wards. The consequence was the side streets were not fit to build on, The next thing was the unequal distribution of lamps. Councillors Ross, Greenup, and Cullmahn bad done their best for the ward, but not being [on the Works’ Committee, they bad not seen to the carrying out of the Council's resolution as to road-making. This - ward had been neglected, ; and what had been done had been injurious, Mr Cullmann said Mr Hill bad made a mistake about the rating of one or two properties he had mentioned, -and he brought forward figures to prove hip assertion. As to the. gas, he bad canvassed the ward and found no one willing to take the gas;} and the gas Company, when appealed to, refused to 'supply gas to the neighborhood under such circumstances.

Mr Hiil said the Gas Company ought not to be approached with such deference. If the Gas Company had piomised to light the town, let them do it properly, or else let the Council -do it with,kerosene. T , . :

Mr Stone that the rating Was unfair. His property had; been; assessed at a ridiculous, figured For a property of his fetching £2 per week, Mr Sutter had been put into the box and swore it .. was worth £5. per; ; week, and he (the speaker) had been assessed accordingly! i Mr Jones (of Jones and Peters) thought the assertion that our rates were-higher than the Oamarii rates was" incorrect. As to. valuations, he approved of Mr Lough and thought the principle of valuation.' wouldbe altered’ if Mr Lough were asked to look into the, matter. He thought highly of Mr Lough. As to the levels, he agreed that money had been thrown ,away, unfairly, and the leyels were notproperly or equally attended to,' As to the gas supply, he had heard much.'. He had ho interest in the Gas Company, and be would .do his best to get the price lowered. As for the water supply he thought nothing, convincing had been said on the alleged insufficiency of the water supply. He bad no desire to go to the poll; he would be agreeable to withdraw. The Chairman said no candidate 1 had yet spoken on the important subject of drainage. Mr Watkins said his views had been already stated. As for the Gas Company, he observed that they bad been compelled by the opposition of . the waterworks (as to motive power), to lower their price. This proved the Company was squeezable. He thought if the,, price of gas was lowered, the Company would have an augmented income i The larger their business the more profitable it would become. He knew that if gas were low, many cooking, stoves wouli be used. He objected to personalities, but he considered no officer of the Council ought, to be its valuator. He desired to. ,see ; a market established for the good of the town, and the enhancement of the value of property in this ward. He thought a councillor should be free, disinterested, and independent. And such was he. Mr Cullmann (having been informed that all the new blood had spoken)’said the speeches just made were all very sweet, and. Timaru bad lost much by not having the speakers in office years eigo. If elected, he would do his best, as he always had done for Timaru. A burgess asked;- Mr '; Watkins’ view on the water supply. Mr Watkins said he thought the first consideration should be to fully supply the people at large with Water, and use the surplus for motors. He thought the Valuations were unfair and unequal. Mr J. Hill said the Engineer of the Waterworks had stated that there was a 20 years supply for Timaru, and that the income from machinery would always be considerable. He understood that pressure or power Was wasted at the waterworks.

Mr Watkins said, if elected, he would consider the water supply fully. Mr J. G. Allen said the revenue from water at Oamaru was £I6OO per annum,, and it was intended to augment .the supply, when a revenue was expected to accrue of £3OOO. There bad been much more difficulty in constructing works there than here. They gave encouragemeat to manufacturers—hero they would have charged him about £3OO a year. ' Mr Jones thought there was no danger of the water supply failing. He believed there was abundance..

Mr Watkins said in that case why hot supply water for machinery ?, But first of all let the people he kept fully supplied. The Chairman now called upon the meeting to decide who were to go to the poll. A burgess asked why Councillor Filmer was conspicuous by his absence. Was be depending on going in as one of the old family party? Mr Stone proposed that all candidates should go to the poll, 'This ‘meeting should not decide for the ratepayers. The motion was seconded, and harried unanimously. A burgess protested against the unfair rating of his property, while men who were councillors worked it so as to be rated low. Several other burgesses spoke to similar effect. - A vote of thanks to tho Chairman, and also to the Press, terminated the proceedings.