ANO ANO UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 357, 6 April 1889, Page 2

ANO ANO UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

' This above all— to thine own self bo trut, And it must follow as tho night the day Thqu cangt not then be false to any man.' SjIAKESPKARB. SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1889. In a leading article in our issue of the 23rd ult., we referred to the neglect on the part of the present Te Aroha Town Board to ptepare the Annu il Valuation Lists, as required by the Rating Act of 1576 ; with the result that Mr Northcrexft, Judge of tho Assessment Court, had no alternative but to take the whole matter out of the Eoard'shan Is, and have the woiU done for them. We also referred to the discourtesy shown Mr Northcroft, by neither the Clerk, or any member of the Board, or other person representing the Board, being present when the Assessment Court opened to hear objections, etc., on March 19th ; necessitating the adjournment of the Court j for two hours, whilst a messenger was despatched to hunt up the Clerk, Mr Ahier } who, at the adjourned sitting of the Court stated no Valuation Lists had been prepared. Since then an adjournel meeting of the Town Board has been held, at which Mr Ahier is reported to have infoimed the members of the Board that " Mr Northcroft told him that seeing the Town Board made a similar mistake last year, he thought they would have known better this year" etc. Mr Ahier is reported further to have gravely stated at this meeting of the Board that "he found when looking up the books that he Ivul not been appointed Clerk until January 20th, 1889, and as a consequence it was the dufy of the late Clerk to have seen the Valuation Roll was attended to/ In the R.M. Court on Tuesday last a witness undergoing examination at the hands of a solicitor said " I have not a bad memory, but sometimes I forget things." We trust Mr Ahier does not suffer- from a similar failing, as it would be specially objectionable in a Town Clerk; and we certainly hope if it is as Mr Ahier states, and that the minutes of the Board on being looked up really do show that he was appointed Clerk on the 20th January, 1889, that this entry is an exceptional one and the rest more accurate. We have looked up our files with respect to the procee lings at the Town Board meetings and find : That at the meeting of the Board on November 14th, the resignation of tho former Clerk, Mr J, M, Murray, was aocepted, and it was then resolved that applications for the position of Cleik be invited by public tender, which was done, three tondors being sent in, some as low as 5s per week, from men willing to devote the necessary time to keep open the Board's office, and transact tho necessary business. On tho 19th November these tenders wore considered I y the Board who then deemed it advisable not toappointasalariod Clerk at all (why then go through the faroe of opening tenders, why not have returned them unopened?), andMrlleathoate, one ' of the m ambers of the Bonru volunteered to transact the duties free of charge. And now mark the sequel ! Just nineteen days afterwards, at the meeting aP the Board held on December Bth, Mr Heathcoto tendered his resignation, Mr Ahier was appointed, and it w>s agreed to remove the offioe of the Board to his private house on tne motion of Com Mills, who stated that "in conversation with Mr Chns, Abier he had offered to not as Clerk and Collector free of all charge, on con lit ion thai the Town Board ofifieo was tran"fened to his (Mr Aider's) house." At the meeting of the Board held a month subsequently, via., on January 12th, this newly appointed Town Clerk reported . having collected. £4 10s dm ing the past

•uouth, and state I £60 was still dii" for rates, etc. Now lie stitcs on " looking up ihe books" lie 6 i.ls ho was not appointed unt 1 January 2 )t!i, 18b'9. Sounds funny does'nt it ? What valuable and reliable records these books will bo for future reference ; and what right had Mr Ahier to collect rates and adrasTown Clerk prior to January 20th if only appointed then. So much then for Mr Ahier's attempt to saddle others with the neglect of seeing that the 'Valuation Lists were prepared, by sttttng — with suuh admirable precision — that he wns not appointed Clerk till January 20th, just five days "after the L^ts should have been completed. And shall we be asked to suppose that he was then unexpectedly pitch Forked into the position of Clerk? Strangeif so, thatthe proceedings at the preceding meetings of tha Board, appear to so prepare the way for the appointment, as if all had be n pre-arrange I for some time. Rt turning to the question of the Valuation Lists and fie Clerk's stitement that Mr Northcroft referred t-> t'.iclate Town Board as having oommitted a similar 'mistake last year. > Wo do not say Mr Northcroft did not 'state this, When Mr AhieV- Bays he did, but positive we are Mr Northcroft made no such remark in' open Court, and vfe would fisk the Cleik to consider whether he * might not have dream* Mr Northcroft said this, For as a matter of faot the late Town Board did, not make any mistake, or exhibit any neglect with respect to tho preparation of Valuation List 9 last year. The Lists were oompleted, and advertised as open for inspection at the fciuiesappointed by, and in accordance with the provisions of the Rating Act of 1876 ; and the two valuators (who had to compile the LisU on that occasion for the first time, necessitating the expenditure of a great deal of time and trouble), were paid £2 2s each. But the Board objected to the Valuation Lists as ft "whole, considering the valuation as a whole Far too low, and the then Judge of tho Assessment Court (Mr Stratford), appointed new valuators, and allowed them £7 7s. This was how the Board had to pay £11 lla last year ; although reoently made to appear in quite a different light, So far as Mr Ahier himself is oonccrned we see no objection to his being .appointed Town Clerk, if hehasa banket ing for the position, and if the Board approve of him and see that he carrios out all the duties of the office satisfactorily. But we do strongly object to Mr Ahicr, or anyone else, being appointed Clerk unless paid a salary for his services, no matter how small ; and when competent men offered their services for so small a remuneration as £13 per annum, there could be no excuse on the score of economy. The result of appointing a Clerk at no salary, beyon 1 fivo per cent for collecting rates (which remuneration was voted for rate collecting by the late Board, and has never b> en rescinded) is that, the unfortunate few who happen to be a few shillings in arrears with their rates have a remarkable amount of attention promptly bestowed upon them, but such important matters as the preparation of the Annual Valuation Lists (from whioh the Electoral Roll must be compiled empowering the ratepayers to exercise their vote at local elections, etc.) is allowed ti "slide." We are strongly of opinion the Board have no right to appoint any man (unless one of their members elect to do the work) as Town Clerk, over whom they cannot exercise more control than can be possible in the case of a man doing the work for nothing, and who, not being pai.l, is practically an irresponsible servant. Neither have the B.mrd any riuht to discontinue the maintenance of a jyiblic office in a public place, If not satisfied with the office they ha !, by all means leave it for another; therearc plenty of other suitable places to be had for a trifling rent in the town. But it is an unheard of thing to have the whole of the books anil records o,f a Town Board carried off and shut up in a man's private house ; and yet we find this is one of t ! ie first things done after the present Clerk takes office. Who would care to have to go knocking at a private house, asking to be permitted to see the books of the local governing body, which the law expressly provides shall be open t ( > the inspettion of any ratepayer at cettiin hours, etc. We consider it is a disgrace to have, the books and papers of the Board so kept. We do not believe in u free clerking." It is against human nature for a man to do a lot of woik for a public body for nothing, or unless there is some prospect of a voturn in some foim or other at some time. Some men, however, can see a long way further in advance than others. Mr Ahier, who has been a member or! the Te Aroha Hot Springs Domain Board since its first constitution, undertook to do all the l< clerking "of that Board for several years for nothing ; and then, when it suited him, declined to act in that eapaoity any longer, We were rather surprised on examining the Share Kogister of the " Te Aroha Soda and Mineral Water Co., Limited' 4 (capital i$000) hist year to find Mr Ahier registered as one of the principal shareholders in the Company. Tin-. Company obtained a lease of the sole right to bottle 'md dispose of the "oveiflow" from the To Araha Hot Springs for ten years for the nominal royalty of o»e penny per gallon. Mr Ahier, in his capacity us u member of the Board, also voted in favour of that attempted piece of vandalism on the part of theßoard, viz, the proposal to grant a, way the solo right to make use of the Bath houses, etc., in the Hot Spviu.js Domain, for advertising purposes for five years, for a total lemuneratioii of Mil 2 ; which attempt on the part oi the Board was defeated, thanks to the then Minister of Land.", Mi l.ullanoe. Whether, had that piopo ul been successfully carried through, tlie lessee would have turned it into a limited liability company wo cannot say. There wus certainly u a good thing on " for whoever obtained the right on the terms (staled,

Piako Countj"Councll will hold their next nnlin iry meeting at Cambridge on this day week, One mutter thsit will no doubt be We brought up for consideration at that meeting i& the question of repairing the Lower Hill track, leading to the New Era Buttery, Mr P. Fergu .on has just returned from liis visit Home, where he made siirangemenls with u Glasgow syndicate for the B"pply of ample capital to have the reefs contained within the New Km Special Claim thorougly tested. Tenders- will be invited in the course of a few days for driving several tunnels on the main reef, also on the lateral reefs. The first shipment of machinery and material for the reduction works has just arrived in Auckland by the Aorangi, and will be conveyed to to the battery site with as little delay as possible. But, as a matter of fuc*j owing to a number of slips, rotten culverts, etc., it is utterly impossible to attempt to cart machinery over this track until put in repair. We trust therefore the County Council will give the matter their favourable consideration, atid authoiise their Engineer to have the nacestfaty work carried out with as little delay as possible. Mi Ferguson may reasonably expect the Council to assist him to this extent. Should the results prove satisfactory from the'new mode oC treatment about to be tried, ample capital will be foithcoming for carrying on work on a large scale.

The long; spe'l of dry weather has been broken at hurt. There was a steady downpour of ruin till Wednesday night, with showers on Thursday. Mr 11. 11. Adams invites tenders for the erection of a building on his property near Stony Cheek, known as " Carr's." On Tuesday next Mr, J. McNicol will offer at Ohanpo, immediately after the usual cattle sale, 1000 good crossbred ewes from Napier. Quite a number of men have left Ye Aroha and Waiorongom li within the past few days for Waihi, having been ongaged by the contractors for constructing the water races, tail race tunnel, etc., for the Waihi G. M. Co, Mr J. McNicol will hold alive stock sale at Wai ton on Friday next, I2th inst.; ho has written us to this effect, hut the list of entries intended for insertion in to-day's iijsue, and stated to havo bean forwarded, has not come to hand. Attention is directed to an alteration in the advertisement inviting tenders for the supply of timber to the Champion Gold Mines, by which it will be seen the time for reooiving tenders has been extended to Friday 12ih ; also that kami and birch have been added *o the list of timbers that may be used, Messrs Hanks and Garlick are engaged in carrying out some very extensive contracts on various estates. Mr Hanks for some time past has been at Whakatane superintending large ploughing contracts, and we believe has sufficient work on hand to occupy his teams in that district for some months to come. Mr Garlick has just undertaken a contract to clear off ti-treo and plough 500 acre*, and to plough 1000 acres that does not need dealing, for the Waikato Land Association, at Woodlands. We tru-t the firm will do well by these contacts, they are leliable workmen and not afraid to tackle large contracts when they offer. As may be supposed, the firm have a vory large number of teams employed in the carrying out of the works referred to.