Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3208, 31 May 1879, Page 2

Thames Borough Council.

A special meeting of the Council 'Was held at the Council Chambers yesterday afternoon for the purpose of considering Cr McGowan's protest re tho Orphans' Home. Present — His Worship the Mayor, Crs Ehrenfried, McGowan, Wilson, Hansen, Speight, and Brassey. ' The Mayor said the meeting was called in consequence of his receiving the following protest of Cr McGowan:— Pollen street, May 26th, 1879. To His Worship the Mayor of Thames. PHOIEST.

I hereby protest aga'nst the proposod, expenditure of-Borough funds towards the erection of (he intended Children's Home.' The following are my reasons for the j protest: — l , Ist. Tho sum asked, and originally proposed' to be expended, is greatly exceeded hij the, present estimate.' j 2nd.' The application for assistance towards its erection vrtii not autlioiised by thej , Council. j 3rd. Six months haying elapßed nnco thej matter was referred to the Sub-Om-i mittee, and, the sf'*ong probability of )eglslation in that direction by the Parliament of New Zealand at an} orrly date, convinces mo, that it wou'd be wiao to defer tho matter stills further, or at least u^til we know to . what extent the County Council will assist. <.' 4th. 11 bel'ove the estimate of working the' institution has boen very much undei • estimate i, as np provision is made fornaodior' attendance, and /he general jpi?celleneous expenditure connected 1 "J ' with such Hetiutions. (Signed) Jambs McGowak.

The Mayor of Thames. Cr Ehrenfried said he thought that the 'protest was a perfectly reasonable one, and it was only for them to go into the matter of figures. Cr McGowan said he had shewn why he had \\ i'itten the'protest, and he would now try and show why the Council should take notice of it. Jtie had not objected before, as he thought the scheme had fallen through, it having been so long in abeyance. He considered the figures made out by the Town Clerk re this Orphans' Home to be unreliable. He might say he had not endeavored to make a most excellent case for himself, but he would try to place the matter fairly before them. He put down the cost, of the master and matron at £100, per annum.; It had boen said that the master arid; matron would be ; sufficient to. dp all the work connected, with; the Home, with the help of the children.. . This he denied, and had therefore put down' £25 per annum for a eervant. The; children wou!d also requiro clothing; which, at least, would cost.; thirty shillings each per child per annum.medical attendance would be required which he had put down at £10. For gardening the ground, providing manures, 1 etc., he had put down the cost at £30* The cost of keep for 28 persons would be about £436 per arnum taking-it.at.the low rate of 6s per week per head. He had also put down £26; for horse hire for members of Covncil visiting the Home. Expending a sum of £1000 on a building as business men they would ueed to look at the annual depreciation of the value of tbe property which' he had put down at £70. All this would cost £780, for which the Council would have to pay interest. In this list he had not included a number

of minor expenses. At present the keep of th© children at Auckland only cost the Council £200 per onnum, end by the change the loss to the ratepayers would be £255 eunuaHy. - { The Mayor said that the minutes of a meeting in JN ovember laat shewed a resolution authorising the establishment.of an Orphans' Home not to cost more than £500.

The Mayor suggested that the different items mentioned by Cr McGowan be gone through .seriatim..' Cr Wilson said he had understood that if they spent.£soo they were to get it back from the Government. Mr Dean had said so. Cr Speight contended that the Committee had not expended more than had been authorised.

' The Mayor said it was true that the 'application,for aid to Government had not been authorised by the Council. Ho ex.plained the circumstance under which he had applied to the Premier for aid for the Orphans' Home. ■.-, .■■,. v j Cr McGowan said that there was a resolution in the minutes that no application ot the kind should be,.made to the Government without the sanction of the Council. He wondered why the Town Clerk shad not placed ; that amongst the extracts from the minutes bearing on the i matter; >. f ''■ ' i The Town Clerk and. other Councillors said the resolution referred to by Cr KicGowa'cwas passed owing, to the action 6f the late Mayor in sending peculiar telegrams. ' The Town Clerk read a statement showing what he estimated the cost of the Home would be. He estimated the total annual cost, including* food, salaries, interesf on expenditure, etc., at £464 10s, jon which they would receive a Governbent subsidy of £232 ss, bearing the expense to the Borough £232 ss. If the toaster wa* able to teach, the Home could be made a public school, and the Borough 'would get £90 from Board of Education Itowards teacher's salary, and subtracting ■that amount,from the,^232j6s> sthentotal jcost toi Boroughfir. ould only^s be £10 ss. jHe had also prepared an estimate based |on Letheby's lectures on food, which ! showed that the cost would be even lower than his own estimate. He quoted from the last balance sheet of the St. Stephen's ! Orphans' Home, Parnell; whjeh gave the 1 annual cost of fobdr lighting! washing, ! coal and firewood, for 63 persons, as £310 Slss, or an annual cost per head of £6 Os ilOd. \ * Cr McGowan said that the Town Clerk was > debating >..the// matter which he Ijeoied toi as Mr Dean was not a Council;lor. ' .?/:.■■.;/:■!?;;;T.:i7!V(;.A-

Cr Ehrenfried thought the remark was wholly uncalled for. <> : ;j;.vr ' :i m; Cr Hansen said that Mr Dean wa« not debating, only supplying; information. Or .Brassey considered that Cr McGowah had done his duty to his constituents in lodging the pro^^^ but he thought that it was desirable that the Home should be erected. He mored that the erection ofnhe'Home be proceeded with, and that: the money beroted by the Council. ! ' i

Cr Speight seconded, and in doing so said it was childish to try to Upset the matter after having 1 gone so far. If they were commencing: againtfe riovo he might be disposed to thiak tliat it would be well to wait a while., Hairing gone so far, howWer, they should not go back^ but endeavor to carry out the affair in a manner creditable to themselves. _■.-,.

The Mayor said that his own feeling had been that it was not advisable to move the'children down here, but the gift j of £500 from the Government placed « different face on the matter. . He considered that Cr McGowan was deserving of the thanks of the Council for bringing up the matter, and enabling them to discuss it. There was, no doubt, some difference of oninion among Councillors, and few members, except the Cheritable Aid Com* mittee, were aware of the true position of the matter. Cr McGowan had never lolly approved of going; on with the build* ing of the Home, although a member ofi that Committee, snd his statement that ho thought the matter would fall throiigh was sufficient excuse for his not bringing the matter before the Council in the' way he had done at an earlier.' date. The undertaking wai a large ..one, and it was proper that the Council shouldbe, if possible, unanimous in opinion, on commencing such a.work, and had it not been for. Cr McGowan there would not have been an opportunity for > fully . discussing •: the question. Councillors, •as .well: as other people, were Very fond of being..wise after the event, with such remarks as/ " i! told you so; I always objected to'the work going on, &c.;" but the response bility had now been taken by the Council^ which for ever ended the discussion,' whether it was advisable' or otherwise to undertake the care .of. the destitute children, and support a Home out of Borough rates. , , v<< The resolution being put, was can led, Cr McGowan only dissenting, which ended the business. \ - •