AROWHENUA CEMETERY BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1135, 16 August 1883, Page 3

AROWHENUA CEMETERY BOARD.

The usual monthlv meeting of the above Board was held last Tuesday afternoon in the Star Hotel. Present—Messrs K. F. Giay (Chairman), S. D. Barker, J. Patersonl J. Bljth, J. Meyer, J. Brown, J. T. M.Hayhurst, and M Quinn. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Ihe following letter from the Under Secretary for Lands was read.

' General Crown Lands Office, ' Wellington, 20th July, 1883.' * Kdith Forbes Gray, Esq., « Chairman Cemetery Board, lemuka ' Sib,—l nave the honor by direction of Mr Rolleston to transmit a newspaper clipping, with a request that you will be good enough to state whether it is a correct report of the proceedings of the Arowhenua Cemetery Board. ' With regard to the proposal to lease a portion of the cemetery to Mr Hayhurst, who is a member of the Cemetery Board, I am to point out that any lease the Trustees may enter into will be entirely illegal. 'Will you please return the clipping with your reply. ' 1 have the honor lo be, Sir, your most obedient servant, < H. J. P. Shott, 1 Under Secretary,' The Chairman intimated that he had forwarded the following reply. « Temnka, 31st July, 1883, 'H. J. P. Shott.Esq., ' Under Secretary, Wellington. ' Sir,—ln answer to yours of 20th July No. 413,1 have the honor to inform you that the newspaper report as per clippiug enclosed of the Arowhenua Cemetery Board meeting is substantially correct. I also enclose copy of minutes passed at a meeting hold on sth June. I may further state that it was agreed at the previous meeting that if Mr Hayhurst would give a fair rental for the reserve, he was to have the same, with an agreement to hand it over to the Board when called upon to do so. The reserve in question will not be required for burial purposes for the next twenty (20) years, so that no injustice to the public would have been done, and the rental accruing would have considerably augmented the funds of the Board. I shall lay your letter before the next meeting, and will communicate the result to you.—l have the honor to be Sir, your obedient servant, ' K. F. Gray, 1 Chairman Arowhenua Cemetery Board, Temuka.'

Mr Barker said that evidently the Chairman was laboring under a misapprehension. No arrangement had been come to with Mr Hayhurst at the meeting referred to in the Chairman's letter. The Chairman said that he was not laboring under a misapprehension. He had a distinct recollection of everything that took place, and ho could certainly say the arrangement referred to, ! waß come to with Mr Hayhurst. The Board gave him a month to consider.

Mr Barker said they gave themselves a month to consider, and Mr Hayhurst said he intended to apply for the lease. It was his own suggestion that they should wait a month.

The Chairman said that he had acted in the matter as circumstances dictated. He believed it was better to have obtained rent from Mr Hayhurst thin to let it stand idle, and whoever sent the newspaper clipping to Wellington had acted very unwisely. It was a piece of interference that was very wrongfully taken, because it entirely debarred them now from making any use of the ground. Some one had been communicating with Wellington, who might as well have left things alone. Mr Barker said that to say the land would not be wanted for cemetery purposes for 20 years was rather a rash statement. It mteht result in Government taking the land away from them altogether. The Chairman said it was a piece of land they had never applied for. They had applied for a piece of land behind the cemetery, and were rather astonished at finding what they got gazetted. It was unsuitable for a cemetery, it being shingly and difficult to sink graves in. The object in asking for the land was to let it so as to get a revenue from it. It was not because they would want it for cemetery purposes for the next 20 years. Mr Blyth said he would move the motion of which he had given notice.

Mr Brown proposed—'That the action takeo by the Chairman, in replying to the Under Secretary's letter be approved.' Mr Hayburst seconded the motion.

Mr Blyth said that in five years time the old cemetery would be filled, because persons generally took several sections. He thought the 'land would be required before 20 years. The Chairman said that the part of his letter which referred to the 20 years was his own view, and the Board was not bound by it. They could disapprove of that if'they liked. Mr Quinn said the danger was that the Government might take the land from them on finding they did not want it. The Chairman said that the Board was not responsible for the statement. As regards the statement about an understanding having been come to with Mr Hayhurst, he certainly felt be was correct. If it were not, and it was shown he had misrepresented facts to the Government, he was not fit to sit (here either as Chairman or member.

Mr Quinn would certainly back the ChairmaD up in saying that the statement was correct. Messrs Paterson and Brown also supported the Chairman. Mr Barker said that evidently the majority thought he was correct, although he had no recollection of it. He would move as an amendment ' The the Board approve of the Chairman's letter, with the exception of the clause statiDg that the reserve will not bo wanted for cemetery purposes for 20 years.' Mr Quinn seconded the amendment. After a few remarks the amendment was put and carried. Mr Barker moved—'That in answer to the letter from the Under Secretary re leasing of the lately granted reserve, the Chairman should write stating that the Board re"ognise that they have nr> lfgil power to let the reserve, and would not have fallen into the error they did, had they heen supplied with copies of the Cemeteries Act of 1882, under which th»> Trustees w«*re appointed, and now they rexpw'tfully request the Government to supply each member wHh a copy of the Aot,

The motion was seconded by Mr Blytb, and agree! to. Permission was granted to Mr J. R, Wardle, monumental inason, of Timaru, to erect a monument to the children of Mr Spillane, on the motion of Mr Quinn, seconded by Mr Paterson. Some accounts wore passed for payment.

Mr Quinn said it was a pity they could not make some use of the land. He thought if they had been brought up charged with no greater offence than having taken money for it they would escape ' scot free. Mr Brown suggested to give the use of it to Mr Hayhurst, and made a motion to the effect that Mr Hayhurst should have it at £l3 a year. Mr Blyth suggested that they should postpone any action in the mitter until next meeting, and move an amendment to that effect, with the view of giving the members time to make themselves acquainted with the Act. Mr Barker seconded the motion.

The original motion was carried. Mr Barker suggested the advisability of erecting a mortuary chapel in the cemetery for the use of all denominations. Mr Quinn thought that only one denomination would make use of it. The Wesleyans did not always take the dead into the church, neither did the Scotch, the Catholics would not make use of the chapel, and consequently there would be only one denomination to use it.

The matter dropped, and the meeting terminated.