PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF A MUNICIPALITY.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 11, 2 December 1863, Page 2

PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF A MUNICIPALITY.

A meeting of the ratepayers, convened by the Chairman of the Town Board, was heU^ on Monday night at the new Theatre, Conanstreet, to adopt measures to procure the establishment of a Municipality in Invercargill. The meeting, before the close of the pr-.ceedings, was largely attended. G. M. K. Clarke, Esq., C.T.8., presided as chairman of the meeting, and briefly explained the business by reading the following advertisement : — " A Public Meeting of ratepayers will be held at the Theatre .Royal, Conan Street, on Monday evening, 30th November,, at 7 o'clock, for the purpose of memorialising His Excellency the Governor to obtain a Charter of Incorporation for the town of Invercargill. G. M. K. Clarke, Chairman Town Board." Mr Pickford, in moving the first resolution, thought it might be termed premature in him, a young beginner in the town, to do so 5 but it gave him great pleasure to be called on, as he had had many opportunities q£ seeing the working of corporate bodies in Victoria, and the local improvements which they were capable of making. He contrasted the' advantages of those municipalities with the Town Boards. There the Corporations were not obliged to go to the Government to ask for the pounds, shillings and pence, for any work they had to perform. It was a well known 'fact that when those local bodies were formed they had always succeeded, frosi the reason that they were better able to govern their own affairs than those at a distance, (Hear, hear.) He Saw that the Town Board here were in the same fix as the Town Board in Dunedin, in regard to Dee-street. The Town Board here felt a diffidence in taking possession of tin street; but in Dunedin it had been clearly proved to them that in the main streets of the town itself, where the Town Board collected the rates from Hie people occupying both sides of the way, they had a perfect right to take possession of those streets and keep th->m in repair. The system in Victoria was that the local taxation was subsidized by the Government, and that was the main reason why it was so successful. It would be requisite, therefore, in any Act for making this a municipality to insert a clause to have the taxes subsidized by the Governunnt. He would recommend them, in petitioning the Governor on the subject, to be very careful in drawing it up to have a regard to brevity and explicitnoss. He believed that the Town Board had taken the proper course in the matter, seeing the local requirements of the place, and that they could not possibly get on without .a local enactment to form it into a corporate body, which if they obtained, he, from his own experience in "Victoria, had no fear of snecess in carrying it out. He begged to propose the following resolution : — Tlint this meeting cordially endorses the action lately taken by the To-srn Board, with the view to obtain an Act of Incorporation for the Town of I n vereargil 1, and pledges itself to co-operabe iv every legitimate way with the Town Board in obtaining so desirable an object; and that a Committee, consisting of Messrs Broad, Downos, Smith, and the mover be appointed to carry -oat this resolution." Mr Calder seconded the resolution. His opinion was that although they were quite young enough for the powers they were asking, yet rather than the town should continue to drag on a miserable existence, such as it had for the last year or two, he would prefer to see a corporation in the distance. With extended powers, they took out of the han<?.» . of the Government those Reserves, whicl. „ were very valuable, and which had been clutched by the Government with a death-like grip — for what reason it was not possible to tell. He would like to see those Reserves — which were uselcs at present— turned to some good for the town. If they could not get those Reserves, except by asking for extended powers, the quicker they got a corporation the "better. (Hear, hear.) But in asking for and obtaining those extended powers, he was well aware they were saddling themselves with more responsibility. The population of the town at present, was small, and taxatiou was exceedingly heavy — heavier than it was in Dunedin, with all its extensive public works. Now if it devolved on the Town Board — or municipality— to construct the main thoroughfares and main streets throughout Invercargill, without the aid of Government, that taxation, would, obviously, be increased to such an extent, that if the population did not receive a large accession of numbers, it Avould be almost unbearable. At present the tax, without the special rate for the gratings, was Is. 6d., which, with the special rate, would make the rate 3s. in the pound — a very considerable item. In connection with the duties of the Town Board, or municipality, he would stat^ what had been his opinion for a long time; That the main thoroughfare through the town being for the use of the Government, ought to be made and kept by the Government. (" No, no," an.l "Yes, yes.",) Well, that was his own opinion for a long time, and he had seen no reason to alter it. Those main thoroughfares were parts of one grand scheme of main trunk roads throughout the country— the fag ends, aa it were of those trunk roads - and he did not see why a trunk road should be made by the . Government just outside the boundary of a town and leave that portion just inside, to the inhabitants to make and maintain. (Hear, hear.) If the whole traffic on these roads was a benefit to the Province, the Province ought to contribute to the maintenance of them. ( Cheers.) Under th > present state of things, and if that opinion was not acknowledged by the Government, both Dee and Tay streets would be in the same state next winter as they were last winter. Therefore, in asking for these extended powers, those interested in carrying out the measure, should endeavor to bring to bear all the influence they had, in order to get the Government to make those main streets before the incoming winter, and to maintain them until the town was in such a position, from the possession of extended powers, to carry the work on successfully themselves. (Cheers.) Mr Watt expressed a different opinion to the suggestion contained in the resolution. t He thought the better way would be to get a bill brought before the General Assembly, in which a clause should be introduced, • enfranchising the whole of the ratepaj r ers. (Hear, hear.) He compared the position taken by the Town Board in bringing forward the question to that of the Engineer blown up by his own "petard,'' but he gave them great credit for what might be called signing their own death-warrant. (Laughter.) He did not agree with the opinion expressed by Mr Calder. If the Town Board had the right of taxing both sides of the way thay had a right to maintain the streets. (" No, no," and dissent.) It was only common sense to say that they should maintain the roads where they derived y the taxes. He referred to the disgraceful Icondition of Dee-street at the present time in consequence of the difference of opinion existing between the Government and the Town Board, and believed that "between the two stools " the residents- in that street would come to the ground. He believed if the Town Board were worth anything at all, they would t ike it in their own hands. He wouldsuggest, instead of the meeting adopting the resolution, and committing themselves by so doing, they should recommend that a short Bill be brought before the Assembly, embodying powers to declare the enfranchisement of the ratepayers. After a few remarks from Mr Piekford relative to the operation of t^he Municipalities Act in Melbourne, where a portion of the streets in one Municipality was maintained by the Government, and another portion maintained by the Corporation of the place through which the streets passed. Mr Calder asked if it was possible to have

\ a Bill as Mr Watt referred to, passed jpr the present Session. i/'Weston (the Solicitor to the Town jd) said it was not. He had every reason Relieve tk j,t the Session would terminate the 7th December. As he had alreiidy jrmed the Uoard v his opinion was that a i was the best course to adopt. The Goaor might or might not have the power grant what they desired ; but the Board jidered that it was advisable to obtain an ■session of the opinion of the ratepayers, jch would not cause any great deal of time je lost. iftcr some further discussion as to the best Jeto adopt, the resolution was declared the Chairman to be carried, no contrary jndroent being proposed. [r Watt then proposed the following as a jtantive motion : — hat this meeting recommend the committee appointed to frame a short Bill, as an Act of iteration for the Town ot Invurciirgill, to be snted to the Genernl Assombly, and that a sa be introduced, declaring all the ratepayers i enfranchised on the passing of said Biil. It Fitzgerald, in seconding the°motion did ftO the judiciousness of petitioning. He lght they might have to wait for twelve iths — until the next Session, but it would he thought, better to wait that time than lion a wrong course. ■he motion having been carried, concluded business of the meeting.