THAMES MUNICIPALITY COMMITTEE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 276, 27 August 1872, Page 3

THAMES MUNICIPALITY COMMITTEE.

A MEETING of the Thames Municipality Committee was held yesterday at th/5 Pacific Hotel, Grahamstown. Present— Messrs Kilgour (in the chair), Swan, Burgess, Goodall, Brearley, Gudgeon, Hazard, Lloyd, Davies, Gibbons, Dean (Secretary). The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The following telegrams were read by the Secretary “Wellington, August 7th. “The Attorney-General lias not returned the Municipality petition to the Colonial Secretary. The delay is chiefly caused by the irregularities in the petition. It will be ready for the Superintendent's signature in a day or two. Will telegraph the result. Chas. O’Neill.” “ Wellington, August 24th. “The Superintendent dissents from the petition, on the ground of the boundaries including Tararu and Parawai and being boo extensive, otherwise he would gladly assent. He recognises the desirability of a Corporation, and will bring the matter before the Provincial Council. J. S. COOFER.” Mr Dean said lie understood the chief objection was that the boundaries exbended to tleep water. The SupsrinItendent was willing to have a Municipality •extending from the Hape Creek to the {Shellback. Mr Swan said it was an odd thing that the matter should be referred to the Provincial Council when there was a General Government Act. The Secretary said they could go to the House direct for a Municipality Bill. The Secretary suggested that some one should he sent to Wellington to look after the bill, if the expense was not too great. Mr Lloyd said the people here ought to get up a political league, so as to bring pressure to bear on Superintendents in these matters. Mr Davies said he thought it was not right that the Superintendent should have the power to veto what was the will of the people, and should be petitioned against. The telegram meant no wharf at Tararu or Kopu, where there was deep water. Mr Swan said, without the collateral advantages of deep water, he did not see much advantage to be derived from a Municipality comprising only Shorthand and Grahamstown. The plan of Supcrintendental delegation enabled the Superintendent to do what he liked. Mr Davies suggested that a committee should be appointed to draw up a bill to •establish a Municipality, and to send it to The House after calling a public meeting, ■when the people would have an opportunity of expressing their approval or •disapproval of it. The question of boun•daries to be left to the committee, hut to include Tararu. As to Parawai and Block 27 he did not care so much, as they would cost a good deal more than would be got over it. Mr Swan said lie should move that it be an instruction to the committee to include Kopu and Tararu. Opposition might be offered in the Auckland Provincial Council on the deep water question, as it might ultimately affect the Auckland shipping. He thought if a bill were brought into the House it would not pass, as the Superintendental party would say it was for the Provincial Council. Dr Kilgour said that the present Government were in favour of a Thames Municipality. Mr Swan said the Government would not override the SuDerintendent’s action without appealing to the public. If the local Board thought they could, well and good. The Chairman said lie did not agree with .Brearley’s views. It was still open to go to the Provincial Council, and the Superintendent’s dissent did not necessarily terminate the work of the com.mittee. Mr Swan said it was understood at the first meeting that the place was to be incorporated under the Act of 1867. He should like to know what the “ short” bill meant. It would be necessary to have all the usual machinery. He thought it would be futile to spend time on a bill that would never be passed. The Superintendent and the Goldfields Secretary would be against it. Mr Davies then moved that a committee be formed to draw up a bill, to be forwarded to the Assembly at once, asking for the places mentioned in the bill to be created a Municipality. Mr Lloyd seconded. Mr Brearley said he thought the Superintendent’s answer put an end to the work of the Municipality Committee, and that it was out of their province to move further. Mr Davies said whether this were so or not, it was the duty of the Committee to take action in the matter, so as to show that the Superintendent should not have all his own way unopposed. He thought the Assembly should know that the people felt dissatisfied at the Superintendent’s conduct in the matter. Mr Burgess thought the best place was to let the matter go to the Provincial Council.

Mr Lloyd said they ought to do all they ceuld to press the matter on, even to the extent of tarring and feathering the Superintendent—(laughter). Mr Brearley concurred with Mr Swan that it would be labour in vain to bring a Bill in the House that would be sure to be thrown out. Dr Kilgour said if there was a new Ministry, and Mr Gillies was one of the new Ministers, it would he of very little use to go on,"but if" thS“ present Government continued in office it would, he thought, be otherwise. Mr Swan pointed out that if Mr Gillies joined a new Ministry there would be another Superintendent. Moreover, Mr Stafford would be master of his own ship, and would give what was asked. The people, moreover, should be consulted before the Committee took upon itself to draw a bill.

Mr Davies’ resolution was put and carried by 5 to 3. Mr Swan proposed that the Ayes be the Sub-Committe. (Laughter.) The following were appointed a committee : —Messrs Swan, Kilgour, Gudgeon, Butt, Davies, Dean, Tyler, Hazard, Lloyd, Burgess, Goodall, Gibbons, Heron, Hudson, Taylor, R. Graham, Hazard, aud Wallnutt. Mr Burgess, Mr Goodall, Mr Hazard, and Mr Swan wished their names to be taken off the list, but the meeting said they could not spare them. Mr Gudgeon suggested that Mr O’Neill should be telegraphed to on the subject. Mr Swan said it was hopeless to expect that the bill should be passed. The Chairman said if Mr O’Neill said there was no chance of the bill passing, it would, of course, not be worth while to go on. The following telegram was prepared : “To C. O’Neill, Esq., Wellington.—lf a special bill to establish a Municipality is seut down at once, is it likely to get passed this session, Gillies having dissented from the petition.”