Meeting at Paeroa.
(FROM A. COBBEBPONDENT.)
A meeting of the ratepayers in the Ohinemuri Riding was held last Saturday evening to consider and discuss the proposal of the Thames County Council to impose a special vote, under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, 1882, upon the Ohinemuri Riding. Before the meeting commenced, the ball was crammed with an audience representing the miners and settlers of every part of the district. On the motion of Mr F. Lipsey, seconded by Mr E. Quin, Mr C. F. Mitchell was called to the chair.
The Chairman opened the proceedings by reading aa advertisement in the Hauraki Tribune calling the meeting, and also the advertisement of the County Council notifying its intention to impose a special rate, and to take a poll of the ratepayers upon the proposal/ A portion of an article contained in the Thames Advertiser of Thursday last, professing to give the rates paid by himself and others, was read, and the Chairman produced a letter from the Thames County collector, and the printed rate notice of the County, showing that since the institution of the County his yearly rate was £6 ss. He remarked that would settle his part of the matter, and having shown the Advertiser's statement to be purely and simply a falsehood, he would thankfully accept the Advertiser's disclaimer of having any connection with them. (Loud cheers). Mr Jno. Quin, of Rotokohu, asked what the Thames County Council had done with all the money they had already got, and supposing they collected this f d m the pound rale, and the £40,000, what would they do with it? The Chairman answered that he sup. posed they would peddle it away as they had done all former monies.
Thomas Logan, Mr A. J. Thorpe: Mr E. Qain, Mr Jno. Kitchie, and others, asked questions of the Chairman as to the position of the ratepayers with reference to the county, Mr Thorpe stating that the rate was only for four years. The Chair* man read the different clauses of the Hats ing, and Eoadsand Bridges. Construction Acts, showing that the rate was for ten years, and not four, and that the rate was only one of four that would be ultimately imposed.
Mr Edward Quin then moved in a very pithy speech, which was loudly cheered throughout:-"That in the opinion of this meeting it is not desirable at the present time to impose a special rate on the Hiding of Ohinimuri." he said that the attempted imposition of such a rate, was merely to hand the settlers of this district over in pawn, for the purpose of finding the Thames County Council money to squander as they had hitherto done. After seven yeara of their existeace, the Ooun-ty had not made a single mile of reasonably good road in the district, and it they were entrusted, with the spending of this money, in ten years more they would be just in the same position. Mr Thos. E. Shaw seconded the resolu- j lion, and asked how it was that the Borough Endowment and ofier large properties on the left bank of the Waihou were exempted from the operations of the rate, and why the Turua sawmills were in the same positun. He complained bitterly of the absence of notice by the County Couaoil
when tenders for works were called for in the Obinemnri district, and of having on every occasion to go to the Thames, whate?er the valne of the contract might be. Mr John Quin and Mr D. Snodgrass spoke in opposition to the rate.
Mr Thos. Logan said he was at first inclined to vote for the rate, but as !.e now saw the question, he would not give one farthing to support a member who makes his living out of bis membership. (Loud and continued applause.)
Mr John Goonan said the Goverrnent j already not a very haudsoiue revenue out i of this district; the miners drank grog, ' smoked tobacco, wore clothes, and eat tucker, the same as other people (beers), and on top of all that, they had to pay. Is 6d p;>r ounce gold duty whenever they got a bit of gold. T<*>e agricultural settlers bad no title to their land, for; which they were now rated by the Council, and for which they were called upon to pay rent to the Government ; and he could see no sense whatever .in their being called upon to tax themselves to farther enhance the value of the lands in their occupa* tibn, when—if ever— they came tobe sold to them. '1 he Chairman then put the resolution to the meeting, and it was carried amidot load and long continued cheering. Thanks were given to the Chairman by acclamation, and the proceedings closed.
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Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4456, 17 April 1883, Page 2
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796Meeting at Paeroa. Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4456, 17 April 1883, Page 2
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