THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1872.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 238, 13 July 1872, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. SATURDAY , JULY 13, 1872.

We have before us the draft of an Act, prepared by the Secretary of the Waiotahi District Board, constituting that district a Municipal Borough. The Bill appears to be well an,l carefully drawn, and its provisions for the management of local affairs, and for endowment, are calculated to meet with general approval. It is very probable that the Kauaeranga Board will cooperate with the Waiotahi in this matter, and the district from the Shellback to the Hape Creek could then be formed into one Municipality. We understand that a public meeting will be called at an early date next week to discuss the merits of the proposed Bill, and in the meantime, in order that the people generally may become acquainted with its merits, and have the opportunity of forming a sound opinion thereon, we publish the clauses which seem to us to be of most importance. Our readers will bear in mind that at present the Bill applies to the Waiotahi Highway District only; — The persons who shall be in office as members of the Waiotahi District Board at the time this Act comes into operation shall be members of and compose the Council of the said Borough until the first annual election of Councillors in like manner and to all intents and purposes as though elected under the provisions of this Act and they shall at the first meeting of the Council of the Borough by the majority of the votes of the Councillors present elect one of their body to be Mayor until the first annual meeting of the Council and at each annual meeting of the Council the Councillors present shall in like manner elect a Mayor for the ensuing year and the Mayor shall preside as chairman at all meetings of the Council at which he shall be present. Until the completion of the first Burgess Roll for any ward or wards within the said Borough tlie person whose name appears on the assessment list of , the Waiotahi Highway District for the year 1872-73 shall be and be deemed to be burgesses of the said Borough or of such ward or wards of the said Borough within which such ratable property shall be situated and for which in such list they stand assessed.

At the fiist ordinary annual election of Councillors the persons entitled to vote at such election shall in addition to the Councillors to be elected as hereinbefore provided also elect so many persons capable of being Councillors for such ward or wards in the Borough as shall be equal to the number b) which the Councillors of such ward or wards of tue Borough at the coming of this Act into force shall have fallen short of the number assigned uuder this Act as the number of Councillors for such ward or wards.

At all elections hereunder at which persons shall be entitled to vote by reason of their being on the assessment list or rate book of the said Waiotahi District Board such persons shall not be entitled to give more than one vote each whatever may be the value of the qualification of such persons and at all such elections the form of the voting papers hereinafter mentioned shall instead of the column headed “ number of votes ” have a column headed “on the assessment list or rate book of the Waiotahi District Board ” and such column shall be filled up with a statement according to the fact before the same is delivered by the voter to the Returning Officer. Whenever any extraordinary vacancy in the office of Councillor for any ward shall occur the Secretary to the Corporation or Town Clerk shall within seven days from the date of such vacancy by advertisement published in the Borough in form prescribed in Schedule H give notice that at the next ordinary meeting of the Council and naming the day thereof a Councillor would be chosen to fill the vacant office and that up to noon on the day previous nominations of candidates for such office would be received by him in form of Schedule I.

On the day named in such advertisement as aforesaid the Council shall proceed to elect by their usual manner of voting one of the persons so nominated for every vacancy in such Council and the person so elected shall become a Councillor of the ward in which such extraordinary vacancy occurred and for which he was elected but shall continue a Councillor for and in the place of and for the same time as the person who vacated such office to which he was elected would have retained it.

On some day between the 7th and 15th of June in each year due notice of which shall be given by advertisement at least three times in a newspaper published in the Borough a public meeting of Burgesses of all the wards of the Borough for the election of two Auditors shall be held by the Mayor between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in some convenient building within the Borough and at such meeting called as aforesaid and presided over by the Mayor or in the absence of the Mayor from illness or anv other cause then by some chairman appointed by the Burgesses present at such meeting elect by open voting two of the Burgesses of the Borough other than Councillors or Burgesses in the empioy of the Borough Council as Auditors to audit the accounts of the Burougb Council at the end of each financial year ending 30lh day of June in each year and the person presiding over such meeting shall forward to the Superintendent of the Province of Auckland and to the Secretary to the Corporation or Town Clerk the names of the Auditors so appointed and who shall be the Borough Auditors until the appointment of the r successors at the next annual meeting for the election of Auditors.

All powers vested in the Council under this Act may be exercised until after the first annual election by any three or more and after the first annual election by any fine or more of the Councillors present at any meeting holden in pursuance of this Act and no business shall be transacted at

any meeting of the Council unless the said number of Councillors be present. Provision is made for regulating the formation and maintenance of wooden and other footpaths and crossings made over water tables and for compelling the owners of houses and allotments fronting any street to lay down repair or maintain any wooden or other footpath in front of any house or allotment and for regulating the height and level of such footpath and crossing and all other matters relating thereto.

For regulating the filling-up of hollows and holes with earth or other substance in any yard or allotment whether vacant or occupied or built upon by the owner or occupier thereof and fo# the regulating making and maintaining wooden or other shoots or pipe drains to carry off storm water or surface water from any such yard or allotment to any water table or drain and generally for all matters relating to the same. For regulating or preventing the flow or discharge of any sludge tailings or house-slops dirty or offensive water animal or vegetable matter or refuse of any kind either liquid or solid into or near any street road or water table.

For regulating and compelling the owner or occupier of any building chimney wall or erection of any kind or any parts thereof which shall by the Council be deemed dangerous to passengers or residents to remove pull down or secure same in accordance with instructions given to such owner or occupier by the Council or its proper officer and for enabling to the Council to pull down or remove all such dangerous erections or buildings or parts thereof at the expense of such occupier or owner. For regulating the business of sharebrokers legal managers managers or secretaries of public companies and auctioneers and for defining what shall constitute such business and for requiring persons carrying on such business to take out a licence for same the sum to be paid for such licence and for the revoking and cancelling any such licence and for regulating all matters connected therewith.

For regulating and determining all matters relating to the landing of all goods or chattels or merchandize brought by any boat or ship and landed within the limits of t.te Borough or carted or carried by cart dray or other conveyance from any boat or ship and delivered at or carried through any part of the Borough and for causing the owner master or chief officer in charge of such boat to forward to the Council, of the Borough a true statement of all such goods brought by such boat or ship and paying to the Council as landing fees a sum to be decided and levied by the Council not exceeding per ton on all goods chattels and merchandize brought in such boat or ship and for regulating and deciding what goods shall be measured by the ton and what weighed by the ton in connection with such landing fees. The ordinary revenue of the body Corporate of the Borough shall consist of the monies following that is to say All revenue derivable from that part of the foreshore of the. Thames between high and low water marks within the described boundaries of the Borough and which by this Act is granted as an endowment to the Borough and which foreshore may be reclaimed by the Council and let on building leases or for the purposes of dry docks ship builders’ yams or for any other purpose but it shall not be in the power of the Council to take an) T fines for granting such leases and such leases shall not be granted for a longer period than twenty-one years. Rates tolls and rents of tolls rents or monies derived from any properties tramways buildings or erections belonging to or under the control of the Council. Monies derived from and by virtue of any Dog Nuisance Act or Grahamstown Fire Rate Act. Monies received by the Council under any grant or appropriation by the Act of the General Assembly or Act or Ordinance of the Provincial Council of Auckland.