MASTERTON TRUST LANDS TRUST.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8451, 31 May 1907, Page 5

MASTERTON TRUST LANDS TRUST.

ANNUAL ELECTION OF TRUSTEES.

The annual election of Trustees for seats on the Masterton Trust Lands Trust took place yesterday. By the Masterton Trust Lands Trust Empowering Act Amendment Act, of 1906, the personnel of the Trust was raised from six to nine, and as two of the Trustees (Messrs E. Feist and J. A. Renall) had resigned and two (Messrs C. E. Daniell and T. Wagg) retired through effluxion of time but were eligible for re-election, there were seven vacancies to be filled. Fifteen candidates offered themselves for election, and the interest taken in the polling was unprecedented in the history of the Trust. For several years past, little or no interest had been taken in the Trust elections, but yesterday saw a great change, and the enthusiasm displayed was somewhat similar to the municipal elections. The roll, which contained 2,305 name ?, was I that prepared and naturally several alterations had to be made to bring it up to date. This reduced the number of persons entitled to vote by approximately 300. Altogether 903 voters went to the poll yesterday. The Returning Officer (Mr A. Hathaway), who had made complete arrangements for the poll, declared the results at about 7.45 p.m. as follow:

Messrs Daniell, Wagg,, McEwen, Eton, W. H. Jackson, D. Caselberg, and R. Krahagen were declared duly elected. Mr T. B. Michell, Acting-Chair-man of the Trust, returned thanks on behalf of Mr Daniell, who is absent from the colony. He said he was glad to see the old Trustees reelected. This fact, he contended, showed that the past policy of the Trustees had been approved of by the voters. With regard to the m'jchdiscubsed question of exchanging the Trust section on the corner of Hall and Chapel Streets for the Government section in Queen Street, for t ie purpose of erecting a new Courthouse on the site, he declared himself to be entirely against paying the Government £1,300 on the exchange. He maintained that the £1,300 could be better invested in the Chapel Street section than in Queen Street. Another thing, he said, was that the Trust had no right to spend £1,300 in such a manner as that proposed without first consulting the people. Touching on other matters, he said the Trust would shortly ask the people to consent to a proposal to borrow £IO,OOO for the purpose t of erecting buildings on Trust lands. It was proposed to spread she loan over three years and he hoped the voters would consent to it. Mr Wagg thanked the voters foplacing him in such a proud position. He also thanked them for renewing their confidence in Mr Daniell, Whom he considered was one of the ablest men on the Trust. He expressed the same opinion as the previous speaker on the exchange of sites question. Mr McEwen said that, while he was a member of the Trust he would see that nothing was wasted, and he would do his best in the interests of education for the sake of the children of Masterton. He would be very sorry to see the Trust paying £1,300 in connection with the proposed exchange of sites between the Trust and the Government. He thought the past policy of the Trust had been the correct one. Mr Eton said that he would serve' the people to the best of his ability in his new office. He did not agree with the past speakers, with regard to the exchange of sites. He would do his best to secure the Government section in Queen Street at a fair valuation, as that site would be one of the Trust's best assets in the future. Mr W. H. Jackson said that he thought every parent knew his reasons for seeking election as a Trustee. It was principally in the interests of education. In his new position, he would endeavour to do his level best for the Trust, and, in a no Ipss degree, for the boys and girls of the Masterton Small Farm Settlement. He had been a Manager of the Technical School for some considerable time, and he knew the necessity for such an institution. Now that the question of a new School was being taken up, he hoped the public would subscribe liberally, and erect in Masterton one of the finest Schools in any provincial town in the colony. Mr Caselberg said he thought that it was a good scheme to have nine Trustees instead of six. There was much to be done by the new Trust. He considered that in some things the Trust had been lying dormant in the past. Mr Krahagen said that his chief object in seeking election as a Trustee was his desire to make use of the waste lands incorporated in the Trust, and make them reveifue-pro-ducing. Another thing that he would assist in was the establishment of new Technical School, which he believed was the connecting link between a schoolboy and manhood.

At Mr H. C. Robinson's instance, three cheers were given for the elected candidates. Mr Robinson stated that he was sorry that he-had not been elected, but he believed that the result of the election had been to bring the people to realise what a splendid heritage they had in the Trust-a Trust that was destined to grow and give educational facilities to the children of Masterton, which did not exist in other towns. He added that at a future time he would again place his services at the

disposal of the people. He was also pleased to see Mr Daniell returned at the top of the poll. Messrs Pragnell, Cross and Williams also returned thanks to those who had recorded votes in their favour. At the conclusion of the speeches three cheers were given for Mr Daniell, and also for the Returning Officer and the Poll Clerks, at the instance of Mr W. H. Jackson.

Drill Hall. Kuriputii. Upper Plain. Total. C. E. Daniell 490 81 16 587 T. Wagg 457 63 13 539 E. McEwen 448 67 15 530 E. G. Eton 444 61 13 518 W. H. Jackson 431 75 10 516 D. Caselberg 420 62 14 496 R. Krahdgen 429 45 10 484 H. J. O'Leary 277 51 7 335 H. C. L. Robinson 278 42 9 329 D. A. Pickering 194 22 1 217 J. Cross 162 24 6 192, R. K. Jackson 153 20 ■ 7" 180 W. Pragnell 129 36 6 171. E. G. Williaras 95 21 0 116 J. Smith 65 29 2 96 Informal 40 6 2 48