COROMANDEL.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3815, 21 March 1881, Page 2

COROMANDEL.

(FROM A COBEESPONDENT.)

Coeomandel, Saturday. As it is not every day that we have a Conference, end veiy seldom indeed that so much talent is collected in our Court House, everyone that cou!d get away went to hear the deliberations of the would-be leaders of public opinion. If my notes are worth printing, you ?re welcome to them, but as I am but si outsider, I may have been unable to see to the bottom of things, or what were the rlterior objects sought to be gassed by some 1 of the delegates^ Of conrse the comp-iment was paid to our local Chairman of placing him in the Chair, and although it was moved by bim of the Thames, your Mayor appeared as if he thought he should have been asked. JBut what amused many of the spectators w_as the introduction of Dr Kilgour, as if there was not quite enough of Thames ta'.ent n'ready. The Coromandel men saw that-no matter what question came up, voting was to be str'ctly prohibited, as in a division they would have been in the hands of. the Philistines. The first resolution, re the vote of money for the Thames aod Coromandel road, was moved by one of the energetic members for the Upper Thames riding, and! it caused considerable discussion. Dr Kilgour, who commenced his remarks in rather a pompous style and manner, reminded those present tbat. he was once Mayor o£~-the Thames,, an.d during the lime he thus honored the people a portion of the road referred to was completed. A banquet was of course held on the occasion, and he (the speaker) was in the Chair, jbut that fact did not prevent another person taking, a chair immediately opposite him, but within fhs County of Thf.tnesj:' 1 his chair at the head of the fable being' within the Borough limits. His opinion of late was that the road was much wanted, as he nnght wnnt to ride down to s:--j the electors. Cr Meikle, of Mercury Bay, thought it all very fine to go for a road to the, Thames, but the road to Mercury Bay was wanted much more. Cr Carpenter did not object to askiag for a vote, but had no faith in the present Ministry, and doubted if any success would attend the application. His Worship the Mayor of Thames made a very bright remark when he srid the road referred to was of very little consequence to the Borough of the Thames. Cr Brodie differed from His Worship, as also did Cr Veale, both being of opinion that it was as much to the welfare of the Borough to have through communication as it was to the authorities more immediately interested in having the work executed. Crs Blackmore and Greenville also expressed similar opinions. The second resolution, referring to a vote of £10,000 for Northern goldfields' roads and tracks, brought Crs Brodie and Porter to their feet, who aired their grievances about the distribution of the last two votes of P, Wiament for such works. Crs Luks and.Meikle with an exhibition of forethought, for which their nearest friends never thought them capable of, wanted the vote Apportioned at once, which they thought.would save considerable trouole to all' parties .when it was granted by Parliament. Crs Speight r id (pirpenter with equal .^ilflQl^il^j^aN^^fi"l6 drawn up tnen attd there biTworks to be constructed with the vote. Cr Browu would not support such foolish proposals; there would then be uo chance for himself aud colleague collaring (as he expressed it) £5003 for the Upper Thames, where thejj could spend that amount and much more. Cr Blackmore thought the Tiki road wanted the other £5000 spent upon it. The mover o:' the resolution, the modest Thames Chairojan, objected to a schedule, he wanted-; not £1.0,000, but £80,000 for his county^ but yet he : would like to <pei the £10,000 as a sort of start. The Mayor held his tongue, it not being a Borough -matier ! and .no new roads being requ;red within the Thames municipality! The six most basbfuh and withal, clever men present were loext appointed a deputation to see Mif Rolleston. They were told to try and get their hand into his coat pockets, and take what they could fjrnd there. Th&re was an understanding arrived at that the spoil was to be divided between the Counties, the Borough being already- heuvily endowed by—His Worship—and \ ' wanting nothing more." The very nice question, the new electoral boundaries was next, brought up, and to an outsider the game played was rather amusing, one delegate calling it a game of bluff, while others tried to make a little capital out of it for future use. Cr Brodie moved that a member be allowad to the Borough of Thames, County of Thames, and County of Coromandel. Cr Speight characterised Cr Brodie's action ls a game of bluff, as he well knew ,

Coromandel was not entitled to a member. The Chairman said he might as well tell them the intention of the people of the Goromandel. They were determined to have a member for themselves, and if n.ot with the present boundaries they would try and include Tararu Creek, but they would fight to have their rights recognised. Cr Lynch said he was not a fighting man, but he bad heard a great deal of c^; s from the Thames, and he could not ttv iz ! the Thames County Chairman was trea i g them honestly or at all fairly. Thsy .wanted nothing but their rights and they would have them. Cr Carpenter said that Cr Speight and himself would show reasons why Parawai | should have a member, j § Another thought the only reason was that they were a peculiar people, represented by a peculiar man. : Crs Blackmore and Luks said the population of Coromandel would increase sufficiently Jo entitle » tern to a member before the next election. Cr Porter wrs of opinion that Parawai should be included in the Coromandel County. They were agc;d voting people, for, while only 92 on the roll,-they were as good as 184, and in the way of petitions were unsurpassed. His Worsb':p the Mayor had also gone to reside there lately, wbich was of itself a recommendation. Cr Brown thought Crs Speight and Porter were doing a bit of canvassing. They were patriots o? the stamp willing to spill their brother's blood, and just now to give everjthiag to Coromandel. jais Worship the Mayor said Coromandel had no claijas to have a member. The discussion ended by a resolution staling that the entirei'disl ict was entitled to three members. The clauses of the Cha'.itable Aid Bill were discussed for over two hours, but very little resulted from th"c deliberation. There appeared to bo a feeling that the Government would carry the oil during next session, and only resolutions of a tentative character were carried; that no local taxation was to be levird, and that hospital endowments and such like throughout the colony shon'd be Mien possession of, aid a fund created for charitable aid purposes. If you arrive at the conclusion from these brief notes that very little of a practical nature was transacted, you will only co'ncide with the general feeling here; but I may meni/.on one fact >hat was very apparent, and that was., that the delegates appeared to enjoy themselves immensely; and I heard that the scores at Boyd's were veiy creditable to the dvinking capacities of the wonld be legislators.