SPECIAL MEETING.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2965, 16 August 1878, Page 2

SPECIAL MEETING.

THIS DAY.

.V special' ■ meeting of the Borough Council v. as held to-day at 11 o'clock. Present;— The Mayor, Crs Read, Renshaw, M.cGowan, Price, Butt, Gibbons* and Wilson. There was also a large number of the geperalpublic present.

The Mayor said that this meeting was a special one called by him inconsequence of the resolutions passed at the public ineeeting lately, which he read."

At the request of Or Bead, the Town Clerk read several telegrams which had been sent with reference to the matter. One of them stated that he (the Mayor) would leave for Wellington on Monday, another stated that at the public meeting it had been resolved to ask the Council to send the Mayor to Wellington. (These are some of the telegrams which Cr Butt referred to last night, and are published elsewhere.) Cr McGowan said that the Mayor's telegram re the resolution of the meeting did not agree with the resolution referred to. The resolution stated, "The Mayor or any other duly qualified and accredited person." At the request of Cr McGowan the resolution of the meeting and the Mayor's telegram were read. The Mayor said in explanation that the telegram had been sent hurriedly, and it might have been better to have sent the whole resolution. It did not falsify it, but only left it uncompleted. Cr McGowan said it was like with the lawyers—" the iru h, but not the whole truth." .

In answer to a Councillor, the Mayor explained with reference to his telegram to Mr Sheehan, that he would leave Auckland on Monday, the word " probably " was left out. He had written that word on the original sheet, but when being copied on to the telegraph, form it had been omitted.

The Mayor said that no other delegate was designed by the people to go down but himself, and the motion referred to no one bufhim.

Cr Butt suggested that it would be well to go back to the original position for .the consideration of which the meeting was called. He did not think it necessary to send a delegate now that the session was weir advanced. The Gold Duty was settled, and the Thames Valley Railway in the hands of ihe Premier. They could not afford it. Cr Read thought it was simply a. financial question how. Could they afford it or not ? ,■"■'■.. Cr Butt moved "That this Council having the fullest confidence in Sir G. Grey, and he being assisted by Mr Howe, consider it unnecessary to send a delegate to Wellington." - Cr Price seconded. He said that a fortnight ago he had voted to send a delegate down, but since that a fortnight of valuable time passed and the gold duty was now disposed of. AH the good that could be done by anyone going down now would not be worth a feather. In answer to Cr Read, Cr Price caid that Mr Brodie was looking after the Harbor Bill for ,the Harbor Board, and was attending to it :well. • ■ : . ■ ...... I

Cr Renshaw said he would propose an amendment for the sake of consistency, and not because he felt any great desire to get it carried. Whatjver he might have thought before, the Mayor's assumption in sending these telegrams shewed him he was not the judicious man he was taken to be. He did not think the sending of the telegrams was half explained. He hoped the Railway Bill was safe, and was glad that the Gold Duty question was settled lor this session at any rate. His amendment was " That the Mayor be re-, quested to proceed to Wellington to confer with our two representatives and act in conjunction with them in matters affecting Thames interests." Cr Read seconded the amendment, and in do'wu so lie said he cordially concurred and endorsed everything that had fallen from Cr Renshaw.

Or Kenshaw pointed out that if a delegate was sent down he would have limited authority, and would not be permitted to do just as he pleased. Or McGowan said that though some Councillors had changed their minds on this miter, he held the same opinion all along, having been from the first opposed to sending a delegate with public money. He might have been otherwise disposed if they,had sent a delegate earlier, and was of opinion that one reason why the matter was kept back was because it might have assisted "another gentleman who was supposed to be desirous of being appointed. With reference to the Eailway Bill, the Government were already pledged to it, and could not throw it over, besides which they had the tele« graph which was a quick and ready method of making their wants known. The Municipal Conference was over, and there was a gentleman from this district already there at the expense of the public. He did not see why he should abide by the finding of a public meeting. The amendment was then put, and two voted for it, and it was iost. The motion was then carried, with two dissentients—Crs Benshaw and Bead. Gr Butt moved that the contents of the motion be telegraphed to •our two members.

Carried unanimously. Cr Gibbons proposed a motion that this Council thank Mr Howe for his action re Gold Duty. The Town Clerk pointed out that that could not be done, as this was a special meeting called for a special purpose. The meeting then adjourned.