MR E. MACKIE AND THE TOWN BOARD. [to the editor of the Te Archa and Ohinemuri News .]

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 378, 19 June 1889, Page 7

MR E. MACKIE AND THE TOWN BOARD. [to the editor of the Te Archa and Ohinemuri News .]

Sir, — Will you kindly allow me, through your columns, to, publish my reasons for making the statements Ixlid at the last Town Board meeting, when my application fora slaughtering- license wasunder (discussion. Commissionei Eber-treada petition, which, to me, was .quite unintelligible, jthen, without even showing the said petition to the clerk, pioceeded to read from a book, which was quite clear to me, as I have the Slaughter-house Act nearly by heart, and I at once noticed that he was reading so as to vitiate the real meaning; and he wound up by stating that the Te Aroha Town Board had the same powers as a Borough, and therefore had no power io giant the license applied for 2»ow, sir, if I understand the Act, the poweis of a Boiough and those of a Town j)istrict are very different — a Borough having the right to control all slaughter Jiouses within and for a mile outside of its own boundary, while a Town District, even though it joins on to a Bppugb, cannot grant a license, nor have contiol of any slaughter-house within a mile of the boundary, without ti c consent of such Borough. Then, sir, the nearest Borough being over thirty miles distant, what has that got to do with us? I cannot answer the qu> sti< n, } c haps I am thick hea led, tor I know of nothing (o prevent the Te Arohn Town Board from granting a license to me, or any other man who applies in n jiroper manner. All such licenses exjme on December 31st of each year, so that if good cause be shown they need not be renewed. My premises aie well situ.ited for the purpose, and while there js no undue risk ii.curred in driving cattle jnto them I think it unfair in the extreme that I should be debarred from trying to lessen the misery of the struggle jto live, which I have experienced of late years. I ask no favours, only Fair play. . — I am, etc., Robert Mackie. Te Aroha, June 17th, 1889.