THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

West Coast Times, Issue 624, 24 September 1867, Page 2

THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

♦ PUBLIC MEETING-. A public meeting, convened by posting bills and a bellman, who invited " the burgesses to attend tlio public meeting, and roll up and do their duty like Britons, and vote for Jim Webb," was held last evening, at the Prince of Wales Opera House, at half-past seven o'clock. On the stage were Messrs Cassius, Jatne3 Browne, Bartlett, Mcc, and Eees. Mr Erowxe moved that Mr Cassius tako the Chair. A gentleman in the pit moved that Mr Cassius do not tako the chair, remarking that as Mr Cassius was a candidate for Municipal honors it was desirable that some impartial person should take the chair. Mr Browne said that this was not an election meeting, he therefore hoped that' Mr Cassius would take the chair. Mr Cassius thereupon took the chair. The Ckaieman said— that considering that he occupied a public position, he considered it his duty to accede to the earnest wish of some of the citizens, and although he thought it would have been most fitting that the Mayor should occupy the chair on the present occasion, still lie thought it would be rather ungracious, and asking too much to request the Mayor to [take the chair. The object of the meeting was to express the decided opinion of the influential citizens at large, that (ho present Council ought not to take objection to resign one and all. It would be in the recollection of the meeting that a petition infltientially signed by the citizens had been presented to the Town Council, asking them to resign upon the new Municipal Act coming into force, they having been elected under a previous Act. At first a great majority of the Council approved of the stop, but after consideration it was thought unadvisablo ihat they should resign, and this was accepted as a matter of course by the citizcn3. The Municipal year was now closing, and it appeared that many of the Councillors who had formerly expressed their willingness to resign, were -now imwilling to place their resignations in the hands of the electors. Ho was not on the present occasion speaking for Municipal honors and although he had been repeatedly requested to come forward as a candidate it would bo only a grave sense of duty which ho owed to the town which would induce him to ocenpy such an unenviable position as a Town Councillor. He wished to be distinctly understood that he was nob the originator of this meeting although he fully coincided with its object. He thought that the citizens had a full right to demand the resignation of those men whom they had placed in an unenviable position. The promoter.? of this meeting proposed to bring forward a resolution in support of tho object of the mooting, and ho triuted that every speaker would have a fair hearing, and he trusted also that several would come forward and give the meeting the benefit of their good advise without interfering with the conduct of tho meeting, and also that they would avoid personalities. Before ho concluded ho wished to express his disapproval of tho extraordinary and unusual announcement made by the bellman of this meeting which had not been convened to censure cither the Town Councillors or their officers, for the officer wore responsible to tho Councillors, who were responsible to the ratepayers. He understood that the bellman had been permitting himself to publish a most extraordinary notice. Now the meeting was called to discuss the advisability of using moral pressure ou the present occupiers of the Municipal Corporation to resign at the end of tho Municipal year. The various speakers would no doubt give full and substantial reasons why they should resign, and with these remarks he would sit down. (Cheers.) Mr Mcc said, he had a resolution there to bring before them. Tho reason this meeting had been called was, by reason of a paragraph which appeared in the West Coast Times that morning, that the Council were going to meet to-morrow evening to ballot out four members. Let them stop in another year and they would have to pay another rate of 2s in tho pound. Now, in the first place, they paid LSOO to a Town Clerk, and LSOO to an Engineer, that was LIOOO out of tho town rates. (Cheers and laughter). Then there was a messenger at Ll5O a year, and a collector, and they paid about LSOO a year for printing to tho newspapers ; and what with pen and ink and red taps they made up to L 2300. (Laughter). After being asked by 500 or 600 citizens to resign, the Town Council said, "Oh, no doubt 'tis a very desirable thing to do, bufc wait till September, and then we'il do it." Look at what they had collected from the ratepayers ; why he heard the Town Clerk say iho other day he had collected LIQOO. But ho would leave these matters to 'persons who were much better versed in them than he was. (Here Mr Meo was about to resume his seat when several exclaimed, " what about the resolutions ?) Oh ! ho had forgotten what it was — " That this meeting views tho conduct of the present Municipal Council, as reprehensible and deserving of severe censuvc for peraislingly retaining their seats in Council in opposition to tho long expressed wishes of the ratepayers." (Cheei'3 and laughter.) Mr James Beowse rose to second tho motion, when Mr Breeze, who spoke fro.n the pit, said, "Mr Chairman, may I bo allowed to ask you a question ? " Tho Ciuiira A^ — " Sit down, sir, Mr Browne ha 3 got the chair." (Loud laughter.) MrBROWjTE was very sorry that any person should bo disposed to make amusement of I what was really a very serious matter. Mr Breeze — " I went to ask tho chairman a question." (Loud cheers and laughter.) Mr Browse — Perhaps if Mr Breeze i 3 allowed to ask his question, I shall bo allowed to speak. Me Breeze — With regard to the remarks made by the Chairman, I nover announced nothing bul according to my instructions, varying them as I thought be3t for tho benofit of the ratepayers. (Roars of laughter.) -Mr Browne said that the object of tho present meeting was to ask the present Municipal Councillors to resign, for when the present nino Councillors were elected, they were not elected by the voice of the people, nor were they the representatives of the people. Ho trusted that I in what he had to say, he should make no i personal allusions. Subsequently to the Council buiug elected, a very strong memorial was presented to thorn, requesting them to resign, and at first thoy were all willing to resign, but one gentleman discovered that there was a penalty of L 25 attached lo each Councillor if ho resigned. Now he should like to know who would have enforced that, penalty if the Council had resigned (cries of name !). No, ho would not name as he had said he would avoid personalities. (.Renewed' cries of name.) " Well, then, Shaw if you like!" Ho would contend that the rates were enormous, and taking tho general averago the ratepayers wore called upon to pay thirty shillings per fool frontage in local rates, and this in addition to being taxed by customs for they had lo pay taxes for everything they ate and drank. But even this would not have mattered if tho rates had bcon laid out on the town, but half of them had b^cn expended in salaries, and this was not a rich town for ho did not snpposo thoro was a pooror digging place in Victoria than this. (" No, no," and laughter). Now, for instance, thero wus tho Town Clerk. Ho (Mr Browne) had nothing to say against tho Town Clerk, for ho was a vory excellent Town Clerk, but they did not want an excellent man for Town Clerk (laughter and cheers), and ho thought they might have got a gentleman who would ho-vo dono more work for less money. (Cheers). But the Town Clerk was tho advisor of tho Council, as if the Council could not be their own advisers — Well, the Town Clerk, was their adviser j he

took a very high position, and left the work to be done by his subordinates. Then there was tho Town Surveyor, he had LSOO a year — now, here they had no excavations, no cuttings, and wanted no engineers, for there was nothing more to be done in this town than what the gaffer of a laboring gang with a little management might do — (cheers and laughter) — and if they wanted a few levels taken or a survey made what was easier to call in a surveyor and give him a guinea or two for his trouble. Then there was a town .solicitor, he got 100 guineas I per annum. Now, why when they wanted legal advice could they not call in a lawyer and give him 6s Sd for his opinion. Then there j was a messenger, all he did wa3 to poke tlie ! fire, aud when he was tired of that to sweep out tho office. (Roars of laughter.) Then there was the Mayor, he wouldn't say anything about the Mayor, for he highly respected him. At all events he found that it cost LI6OO for conducting the Corporation machinery, and , the Lord knew where tho money went to. (Laughter.) Well, theu, he would come to printing, and all he could say wa3 that bo far as he was concerned he had had little enough of it, for whatever the othor establishment might have had, the "Evening Star" had had only L4O or LSO worth. Then again they wanted two auditors to inform the Council whether everything had gone on all right aud what did they do ? they advertised for two men at L 5 each (and he supposed that would get up to Lll or Ll2) to act as auditors. Now there was plenty of gentlemen in Wharf street who, if they had been asked would have been willing to have audited the accounts. What- they wanted a3 Councillors was men who would more or less study economy, and do equity to all parties. He said nothing about the contracts for ho saw one or two Councillors present, and perhaps they would speak on that matter. He could tell them that the Ordinance under which the Corporation sat was illegal, and ho a3ked one gentleman under which Act they acted, and he said " sometimes under one Act and sometimes under another." (Laughter). They all knew how nearly Rovell street had been washed away by the flood. Well, they had again aadagain complained to the Council that the sand had been carted away from tho beach, but would they believe it, only that day there wero dozons of carts carting away sand, and he (Mr Browne) would say that the mayor and councillors wero responsible for the number of houses belonging to poor people that had bean washed away by the sea from the beach. He contended that if proper economy were use, a sixpenny or ninepenny rate would be sufficient, and concluded by seconding the resolution. (Cheers.) The chairman then put tho resolution, and declared it to bo carried. Mr Rees moved the next resolution, to the effect that tho members of tho Municipal Council be requested to resign previous to the 9th October next. He contended that thero wore no citizons in Hokitika ; no ratepayers roll, inasmuch as no assessment from which the ratepayers roll was to bo forsied had boen made under tho present Act. Ho also urged that there wa3 no corporate propcrty,inasinuch as the property of tho old Corporation never ! passed to the new. And as to the few councillors retiring they must do it, for by tho Act they must all retire by the 9th October, and only five could be re-elected ; but if the olheis would not retire, means coidd easily be found to compel them to retire, and then they would have to pay all the costs of proceedings. He contended that many of the present councillors ought to retire to make way /or higher and more intellectual men. (Mr. Breezo — " I say Jemmy, that don't suit you"), and concluded by moving the resolution. Mr Klein seconded the resolution, becauso he considered that tho Council, by remaining in their seats, had treated the ratepayers with contempt, for when they were requested by a majority of the ratepayers, they ought to have resigned, and moreover, he thought they spent too much in salaries ; for instance, they could do without a «rate collector. What he (Mr Klein) would do was this — he'd insert an advertisement in tho newspaper, calling on the ratepayers to pay their rates at the Town Hall, and if they did not do so in one week he would summon them all. The Ciiaieman then put the resolution, and declared it to be carried. Loud cries were then heard for " Jemmy Anderson." Cr Anderson ascended the stage from the pit, and said that he was not ashamed to say that he was one of the Hokitika Council. (Loud interruptions). He wished the chairman would keep them quiet. He was in fuvor of economy, but ho begged to distinctly deny what Mr Browne had said with regard to a Gd rate being sufficient, as it was evident that gentleman knew nothing about it. (Cheers, laughter, and hisses). He said that if lie was not ballotted out he should resign, and stand for re-eloction ; and, having invited Andrew Mowat to come up on to the stage and address them, he said that if re-elected he would go in for retrenchment, and then retired amidst loud cheers and roars of laughter. Mr James Browne moved — "That tho Chairman be requested to communicate the resolutions to the Municipal Council. Cr Andersox from the pit — " Mr Mowat wants to address you." Mr Mowat then ascended tho stage from the pit, and was greeted with cheer 3 mingled with various noises, prominent amongst which was a splendid imitation of tho mewing of a cat. When tho good humored reception had calmed down, Mr Mowat said that ho would second the resolution. They had been told by the previous speakei-3 that the Act under which thoy sat was a very simple Act, but it was not so for he believed that even the man who drew it up did not understand it. He thought it better that tho Council should all resign, and he could assure them that no good man need be afraid of resigning, for he would bo sure to bo re-elected. (Loud cheers.) The motion wa3 then put and carried. Cr Anderson — Now then, Cr Ecclesfield wants to address the meeting. Cr Ecclesfield then ascended the stage from Iho pit, and eaid, he believed if tho promoters of the meeting had waited for forty-eight hours thero would have been no nooessity for calling it. It was true the Council would meet to-morrow evening, for the purpose of ballotting out five members, but he believed the others would all resign. (Cheers.) Votes of thanks to the chairman, and to Mr Bartlett for the use of the theatre, terminated the proceedings.