BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4963, 5 December 1884, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

A Lively Meeting — Parawai

Ward Annexed.

The regular meeting of the Borough Council was held last evening. Present— His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Bawden, Farrell, Elilgour, Mennie, McGowao, Renshaw, and Wood. Messrs Hume, Chappell, and MeAndrew took their sets at the table.

The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed, find

Mr McAndrew asked why he had not received the customary circular requesting him to attend the mreting ? The Mayor replied, " Because you are not a Councillor." Mr McAndrew wanted the Town Cierk to answer his question. Mr Dean said he had acted on the ruling of the Mayor that Mr McAndrew was not a Cr.

Mr McAndrew thought it was gross impertinence on the Mayor's part to give such ruling, he was a Cr till the ward was merged.

The Mayor informed Mr McAndrew that as long as he behaved himself he could remain, but if he disturbed the meeting he (the Mayor) would have to send for a policeman.

Mr McAndrew (excitedly), "Do so, no business shall be gone on with till I am recognised as a Cr. Mr Dean has acted as a partizan, and I will move that a vote of censure be passrd."

The Mayor : " If you get some one to move who has a right to do so I will take it, but not from you."

The Mayor then directed the Town Clerk to read the correspondent.

Cr Kilgour would like to see the business transacted in an orderly manner. It was a matter of law that had to be decided, and warmth need not be displayed over it. He asked why the Mayor refused the votes of the Parawai Crs.

The Mayor: " There is no Parawai Ward, and there can therefore be no Crs."

Cr Kilgour: " The Act said there was a Ward, and Mr Miller has given an opinion contrary to the Mayor's."

The Mayor: "He was not asked as Borough Solicitor to give an opinion, I have taken a better opinion than Mr Miller's, in addition to those of the Attorney»General and the Colonial Secretary, both leading legal authorities." tir Eilgour would be satisfied if the Attorney-General's opinion was produced. Anyone who could read English would conclude that the three gentlemen in question were Councillors till the Ward was merged.

Mr McAndrew 'once more broke in that the Mayor must admit that he was a Councillor.

The Mayor told the speaker to sit down, and he refused, he continued he would goby Mr Miller's opinion. Mr iVlcAndrew kept on, speaking warmly, and the Town Clerk commenced to read the correspondence. The Mayor asked Mr Fleming to go for the police.

Mr McAndrew (excitedly) : " I have as much right to order your removal, you are making a fool of yourself, and I will take steps to have you removed." He then went on in a rambling manner, making reference to back stair influence in Wellington, and betrayal of trust as a member, and during this time the Town Clerk was reading the minutes. Occasionally Mr McAndrew would subside and then return to the charge, continuing to tell the Mayor that he was a Cr, and accusing him of acting in a high-handed manner. Mr Hume would like to see the Attor ney General's opinion. The Mayor told the meeting that the subject of the Parawai Ward was before the Council in February last, and Crs McGowan, Kilgour, and Mr Speight, who was then a Cr, had condemned the action of Government. The three gentlemen named afterwards drafted the following resolution, which was, by the order of the Council, forwarded to Wellington :—

That this Conncil expresses its great regret that, such an insignificant portion of territory, having but 18 ratepayers resident therein, ►bould have been constituted a separate Ward of the Borough of Thames, a course whic'i would probaby have been avoided had the Government permitted an inquiry into the status of the petitioners who signed the memorial against the incorporation of the whole highway district of Parawai; and that, the earliest opportunity should be taken by Grovernment to incorporate the Parawai Ward with the S mth Ward of the Borough.— (Signed) James McSowan, Jasje* I^naooß, and Wit. J. Speight.

Government did not see how to rectify it without legislation, and intended to inrodupe a bill amending " The Municipal Corporations Act,'' but found they could not. Two short bills were brought in, and he selected one (Mr Levestam's), as being most likely to pass, in which to introduce two amendments—one merging; Parawai and the other making the Roads and Bridges Aefc apply to the Borough. They passed the Lower House, but the Council excised the second clause; thus

the Parawai clause became law, and the j wishes of the Council were carried out. I Much had been said as to his initiation the merging, but he was only giving effect to the Council's resolution. He moved " That the portion of the .Borough of Thames heretofore known as the Jparawai Ward be merged into, and form a portion of, the South Ward of the Borough of Thames."

Mr Chappell: Why didn't you alloy* me to move the same thing at last meeting when I wanted to, then this disturbance would have been saved? You wanted to kick us out, and have everything your own way. Cr Bawden seconded the Mayor's motion.

Mr McAndrew, who had been quiet for some minutes, again rose, and insisted on being allowed to vote, or he would prevent business being proceeded with.

Cr Kilgour wished to propose an amendment. The Council should be guided by Mr Miller's opinion.

The Mayor did not know that his opinion had been ob fnined or even asked for.

Mr McAndrew : " I have his opinion." The Mayor : " Then use it." CrKilgour did not wish the Ward per* petuatpd.its merging should be regularly done, and they could not take the Mayor's ruling when it conflicted with their Solicitor's opinion. He moved :—" That, seeing that so great a difference of opinion exists between the Mayor and the Solicitor to the Borough, and also a considerable section of the Council, the matter be sab" mitted to Messrs Hesketh and Richmond, or Messrs Whitaker and Russell, and that the Council agree to abide by their decision, whatever it may be." The Mayor could not accept the amendment. He had the best legal authority for stating that tbe only amendment he could take would be one merging the Parawai into another Ward. Mr McAndrew once more asserted that he had a right to take part in the meeting, if he had not, the Mayor would have had him lodged in the police station. The Major was a tyrant and an autocrat. His action was high-handed, and would bring him up with a round turn. It was enough to bring down the very mischief about his ears.

Mr Chappell said that if the Mayor would recognise him as a Cr he would support, his proposal. Cr Eenshaw said everybody was agreed that the Ward should be merged; the Act was the act of the Council, carried out by their member in the House. He thought the framers of the Act never intended the three late Crs to have a voice in the dis* posal of a matter in which they were directly concerned, as they might, if they wished, aid in indefinitely postponing the merging of the Ward. Mr McAndrew asked Cr Eenshaw to give them a little more oil. Cr Eensbaw called upon Mr McAndrew to be orderly. The Mayor : You must be a man, if not a Councillor, and if you consider yourself a man, you bad better act as such, and not as a Tom»fool. Cr Eenshaw continued that when the Act passed, the Ward ceased to exist. Cr Wood supported the amendment proposed by Dr Kilgour. The Mayor said he could not accept the amendment. The gentlemen who felt themselves aggrieved had their legal remedy against him if he was wrong. They could take steps against him in the Supreme Court. He thought they would have done so, they had had a fortnight to take such steps. The Mayor's ruling as to accepting amendments or not was final; he could not accept the votes of those claiming to be Parawai Crs, as there was no Parawai Ward in existence. He had given them notice that they ceased to be Crs, but he did not wish to resort to extreme mea->ures, and atways liked to treat people as gentlemen until they proved that they were not. Mr McAndrew said that the Mayor was as bad as a Russian autocrat; the Alpha and Omega of the Bjrough—its beginning and its end,—the Councillors being nobodies.

The Mayor told them that he was responsible for the legality of the pro^ < eedings, and if he acted wrongly he would be placing himself in an unpleasant position, and Crs could take action against him.

Mr McAndrew said he would prefer to be defendant in case any proceedings were taken. Cr Mennie found himself in a tempest. Why, if this Ward must be extinguished, should not Crs have time to get legal opinion. Several of them dispute the matter, and the Council should have the opinion according to Cr Kilgour's motion. Parawai came mysteriously, and apparently went as mysteriously. The Mayor: According to your own act. Whatever had been done, if wrong, could ba easily remedied. The discontented party had had a fortnight given them during which they might have taken action ; he was willing that another fortnight should be given them if they so desired.

I Cr. Mennie thought it discourteous to ignore their solicitor. The Mayor was of opinion that it was discourteous of their solicitor to give his opinion before he was asked for it. In replying to Cr Farrell, the Mayor said that if the motion proposed were lost the Ward would not be merged, but disfranchised. Cr Farrell then asked why the Mayor did not have the late Councillors removed from the Council table ? the Mayor replying that if the Crs ordered it he would. The Mayor again declined to receive Cr Eilgour's amendment, and Cr Mennie was about to leave the chamber, wheu Cr Zilgour told him that he had better re main, and could vote against the motion, which was then put with the following result :— Foe— A&ainst— The Mayor Cr Farrell Cr Bawden Cr Kilgour Cr McGowan Cr Mennie j Cr Ernshaw Cr Wood The Mayor gave his casting vote iD favor of the motion, which was carried. Messrs Chappell, Hume, and McAndrew held up their hands against the merging mot;.on. The result met with some applause at the hands of the ratepayers present, Addressing Messrs McAndrew, Hume, and Chap jell, the Mayor said he need scarcely tell them that he could listen to then? no longer. He had heard them up to this time as a matter of courtesy, but they must vow be satisfied that they were no longer Councillors.

Crs Kilgour and Mennie, aceomparied by Messrs Chappel, Hume, aad McAndrew, then left the chamber, and some efforts were mide to induce two other Crs to follow suit, but without avail.

The ordinary business of the Council

was then proceeded with. j Several matters of minor importance ! were referred to the Works Committee, ! among which was an application from WMcOowatfc to be relieved of the lease of j the Recreation Ground at Parawai, as he asserted he could not make a living out of the property.—-A letter from Bird and Dare, asking for payment of £2214<f, withheld on account of the Karaka Creek contract, was received.—A telegram was read from Sir George Grey containing the favorable promise made by the Public Works Minister as to the Thames-Te Aroha Eailway.—Mr J. H. Smith was appointed to represent the Borough oa the Board of Governors of the High School in place of Mr W. J. Speight, resigned.—Cr Wood was appointed to all committee vacancies caused by Mr Speight's retirement from the Council.— The report of the acting-Foreman of Works was received ; it was to the effect that the Moanatairi flume and NokeNoke culvert had been repaired ; Broad street gravelled; the engine shed at Curtis' wharf required shingling; the i'araru sea wall required repairing between ihe school and powder magazine. Cr McG-owan said the Council's financial position ren lered the suspension of all public works of magnitude necessary. The Mayor replied that all that could be expected for many months was keeping traffic open. Report referred to Works Committee.—The Water Supply Committee reported the cost of supplying water at horse»shoe bend, Karaka, would be £45, and annual revenue consequent £3 15s-—The Turn* cock had repaired pipes in Campbell street.—The financial position was again called attention to, and the Mayor stated that the burgesses did not appear to be aware of the state of affairs. Had it not been for their awkward position, he would not have accepted office again, but he desired to do what he could to improve the situation before quitting the Council. —Accounts amounting tv £260 were passed for payment.—Cr Eenshaw moved " That the Works Committee be asked to ascertain and report to the Council the best way of opening up a cart track into the Karaka Creek, with a view of averting damage from floods, and inform the Council of the probable cost." Carried. —Cr Farrell gave notire of his intention to move in the direction of amalgamating the Thames Borough and County Councils.—Mr A. Fleming was appointed Valuer for the Borough for the ensuing year at the usual remuneration. —Cr McGowan gave notice of motion re the appointment of .Returning Officers for the Borough.—The crossing at the seaward end of Willoughby street was ordered to be repaired.—Mr Grigg complained to the meeting that he was still liable to be flooded in his Pollen street premises, owing to any overflow of the Karaka creek.— The Mayor said the Government had decided to have the necessary culvert carried through the intake if their Engineer reported that it would give the necessary relief.—Mr Grigg hoped that the attention of the Council would be at once paid to the matter, without waiting for any communication from Wellington.—The Coun« cil then rose.