COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3114, 10 February 1879, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING.

A special meeting of the' Thames County Council was held at the Council Chambers to-day for the purpose of electing two persons to represent the Council at the Harbor Board, under regulations of the Governor'in-Council,, as provided for by " The Harbors Act, 1878." There were present:—A. Brodie, Esq., Chairman ; Crs J. Brown, L. J. Bagnall, Coutts, Deeble, Greenville, Porter, and Thorburn.

The Chairman explained the object of the meeting, and then read the regulations under which the election must take place. He called upon the Clerk, Mr E. W. Hollis, to read the circular convening the meeting, which was done.

Cr W. L. Thorburn proposed, and Cr A. Porter seconded, the nomination of Cr L. J. Bagnall as one of the representatives of the Council at the Harbor Board.

Cr W. S. Greenville proposed Cr W. Deeble, representative of Kauaeranga Eiding, to be a member of the Harbor Board. The ratepayers of the Kauaeranga Eiding had returned him (the speaker).aiad Cr Deeble as their representatives, which showed they had faith in them, and he thought they should be represented at the Harbor Board, and the circular convening that meeting stated it was for election of a representative for Kauaeranga Riding. Cr Thorburn seconded the nomination of Cr Deeble.

Cr Bagnall proposed that Cr J. Brown be one of the members of the Harbor Board. With reference to the circular stating that the meeting was to elect representatives for Waiotalii and Kauaeranga Hidings, that was a mistake. The business was to elect representatives of the Council, and it was not absolutely necessary to elect two of their own members to represent them, they might choose persons outside the Council. The constitution of the Harbor Board, and the regulations were no doubt peculiar, and were capable of amendment. He might say that there were places having an equal right with Enuaeranga and Waiotalii to representation which were completely ignored. He would nominate Cr Brown as one of the Council's representatives at the Harbor Board. (Jr Coutis seconded the nomination. The Chairman said, with reference to the circular, it had been issued before the official regulations had been received. Cr Deeble wished to know whether, under the Counties Act they must not confine the business of special meetings to the purposes for which they wero called. The Chairman—They were not then acting under the Counties Act, but special

regulations under the Harbors Act. If there was no other name to propose he would proceed to the election, which, by the regulations, was by show of hands, j The Clerk would give the names in the order proposed. The names were then put by the Chairman and the show of hands resulted as follows:— For L. J. Bagnall: Crs Brown, Coutts, Porter and Thorburn. For W. Doeble : Cr Greenville. For J. Brown: Crs Bagnall, Coutts, Porter and Thorburn. The Chairman then declared Crs Bagnall and Brown to be duly elected representatives of the County Council at the Harbor Board. Cr Greenville said he was not satisfied with the result, and he might inform them that he intended bringing the matter before the Government in the morning. His constituents were dissalified at not being properly represented on the Board before, and they would be more dissatisfied now that they .were ignored altogether. The business here ended and the Council went into Committee of the whole on some matters the Chairman wished to bring before members.