Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3795, 25 February 1881, Page 3

Thames Borough Council.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the abo?e Council was held last evening in the Borough Chambers. Present—Crs Osborne, McGowan, Bawdeh, Veale, Mennie, Marshall, Speight, and Wilson.

Cr Osborne was voted to the eliair, but declined the honour.

Cr Speight subsequently took the chair. On the reading of the minutes of the adjourned meeting of the lOfcb instant, Or McGowan said that he objected to the minutes of that meeting being confirmed, inasmuch aa the three Councillors present on that occasion had no right to adjourn until half an hour after the time fixed for the meeting. A most important fact thi.«, aa tending, to influence the legality of subsequent meetings. Or Osborne said he remembered being one .:. of those-pretent on the night of the 10th |f inst. He was obliged to leave before there »ac a quorum, and could not get back in ■ t-ime,. The Town Clerk would adjourn the v meeting. .- Cr Bawden said the fact of the matter was that the, motion for adjournment was illegal, and that the meeting Japsed. ■'I'-!JDr .lOsborne moved,..'." That the meeting ivlapsed, and was adjourned at the instance of She Town Clerk." ■ ■ ■ y~*&Speight poinfed out that it was'perfectly >igfl^,^ r ignore a fact., but the Council could Vjjbtiswear to a fact that bad not taken place ■f%r ThftxTown Clerk, said the business of the Council was to soy whether the minutes were a correct'record of ,the proceedings, and not, .• to dispute a'« to the'legality of adjournments. .., Cr McQoywti.saidlj^e fought a Councillor 'liad a perfect right, to question the minutes or the legality of meetings. Cr. Mennie ino'ved. and Cr Marshall seconded/" That, the minutes be confirmed." • This wap cnrried, Cr McGowan being the only dissentient. „, With regard to the minutes of the Water Supply meeting, Cr Osborne moved, "That 'tile minutes be not confirmed." He moved the resolution because be considered that the jCouncil should have read the minutes of the p're'Vh.-us meeting on that occasion. (The Cr read several extracts from the Municipal Corporations Act in support of .bis assertion.) 'On the occasion of the meeting he had asked that the minntes of, laet meeting should be read, tut t-heMayor bad.r^fuse'd, saying that it was unnecessary. 1: When fie had asked for a division the Mayor bad refused him, thus depriving him of the rights of a Councillor. Eindingthat the Mayor bad deprived him of sucfa'irights he considered the Council Chamber no fit place for himself, and consequently left. Cr Speight said that the question was, are the minutes correct ? The Council need not enquire as to the lpgality of the meeting. Or Osborne said he did not move his resolution with a view of upsetting the minutes, but. merely with a view of having them put right, as be bad bern debarred his rights as a Councillor. The .resolution was then put, but was negatived by 4 to 2—Crs Mennie, MrGowan, Bawdon, and Marshall voting against it, and I Crs Osborne and Veale for the resolution. The minutes were then confirmed. DBAINA&E. "Cr Osborne moved the suspension of standing orders. Mr Gran!; spoke on behalf of a deputation who waited on the Council to complain of the bad: drainage from Mary street, along Queen street to Karaka road, and who asked for a watertable in that street. Mr Grant said 'that be had had illness in bis family,and he" had riot the slightest doubt it; was caused by the filtby drains. The health of the neighbors living in that street was in danger thrpiigh the pestilential odours arising from tbe'drains. . ' Mr Lamb also spoke on the subject. '6r Speight said that they could not decide then and there, but would disouss the matter afterwards. I iThe deputation then withdrew, and the standing ordors were resumed. XIBBABY COMMITTEE. The Town Clerk re&cl a letter he had written to Messrs Upton and Co., asking them 'to discontinue sending the Nineteenth Century, and the Contemporary Eeviews, and other papers to the public library. Cr McGowan said the Committee had no right to act without the Council's permission. The letter was held over for consideration until Library Committee's report was brought up;-- ;' ;■■■■ ■ : ; :- ' • ,;( OBBHAHAGB 6EOTTNDS. MifH.Ni Smith wrote complaining that the Council had allowed him the use of the road through the Orphanage grounds, and then taken away the permission. He aeked for per"misßi6n to erect a gate on the boundary.— Granted.'

':<■■■.'■■■>■> OBPHANAGE BATES. A'let'ier was "read from Government stating the Council's voucher for County rates on Orphanage could not be passed, the institution not'being rateable.—Decided to forward lett9r to County Council.

': ■'-'■; r> ; ';. .taujn^s. Application from Mr Symonds to remove tailings near Lamb's timber yard waß referred to Works Committee.

■f,:. :'• •■; WATEB BAIBS. Mr H. t. Eoefoed wrote complaining of the excessive >ate charged for domestic water supplied him.—The matter waa referred to the Water Supply Committee.

SDAKA&E'TO OBPHANAGB GKBOTJHD. , Mr'RMf. Smith wrote asking the Council to>withdraw the information laid against him for damage done by his pigs to the ground of the orphanage, arid agreeing to refund potatoes so destroyed. * , Cr Veale moved, and Cr Marshall seconded, " that the information be withdrawn."

CrMonnio aaked if the Council were responsible for •■■every blunder made by persons connected with thk Borough? TheOj^ttOJerk|aid fchafc over £20 worth of<£amag6 to "lie. bad been done, and the pigs were rooting up grass that had cost the Council £o0 to put down. Cr Mennie said it was most extraordinary if such was the case. But it seemed that the officers of the Borough bad been neglectful in .reporting, the damage done. before. He thought the affair -was much exaggeratedHe knew that the/ Mayor denied having authorised the issue of the summons. {The Town Clerk s I am not used to having my word doubted by any Councillor. Cr Veale thought they should send a claim for compensation to Mr Smith. Cr Mennie said there were two sides t> the question. Mr Smith had complained of the damage done to the orchard by the children of the Orphanage. Cr Marshall contended that a claim ohould" have been sent first, before the summons was issued. Cr Mennie said the damage should be assessed, and Mr Smith called upon to pay the amount. ' ' Cr Osborne proposed—" That the summons should be withdrawn on payment of costs of Court and £1 to the Orphanage." Cr Bawden seconded. _Or -McOowan objected, saying it was not fair that Mr Smith should hare to pay coat*. Th« Amendment wan then put and lost, and Cr Veale** motion was carried. The Foreman of Works-' report was read «nd adopted. Several letter*, of wk&ot importance were dealt with. HASSOVB BOABD EIECXKW. . Cr Osbome •poke'strongly against the Jute^

election for members of the B.orough Council who were to sit on the Harbour Board. He moved that the Town Clerk be instructed to api.ly to the Governor in Council to appoint two Councillors on the Harbour Board, on the ground that the recent election was illegal. Considerable discussion followed, and it was subsequently decided to defer the matter for consideration at next meeting.

The Council adjourned at 11.55