PUBLIC MEETING AT KURIPUNI

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 859, 30 August 1881, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING AT KURIPUNI

About thirty settlers attended the meeting advertised to take place at Mr 0, Wilton's Btore last evening, to consider the question of a borough loan, and' the uleotion of a candidate to represent Ruripuni in the coming Borough election. Mr Daniells was elected to the Chair, and read the advertisement convening the meeting, He then ihWted gentlemen to express their views on the loan question. Mr Araold, to bring "the matter into' diKMiion, moved-" That it i* desirable

for thei BorouglUo raise ajoan of £5,000 for the purpose of atredt widening and other' npceaßary.ffbrfesv"; He; alluded to the neoaasity of ijwjdening Babnistor-at., and the; coat it would entail now and in three\, or \four yeara'; tirafc % was the ,same iwith' other and water-1 works he!thought ahqiild^a.lbfb.toprivateCompanies. ; : 'x{ M' J • ,Mr] flopkinbeconded'the' proposal, i\ Mr W, Wilton -propojed a»'an amendraent—"That £20,000• be"borrowed for widening streets, laying a tram to the Waingawa to procure, good-metal.-.for' them, for opening outstreeta like Cole-st.,, which had no outlet, buying a new Cymetery, and removing the bodies from the old one, then sell both it and 'the Park, as neither would be perjnanently suitable for the purpose." He-would purohase Mrs McKenzie'a bush and turn that into a

Park. Waterworks would be required; and a site could be obtained muoh cheaper now than a few years hence, He had been in the Wairarapa when'- there were only half-a-dozen homes in it, and those built of bark, He contrasted that- with the present position of the district, and argued from ..that that Masterton was not going to-jStand still, but'would.: progress, and a lbanifor necessary public works, its expenditure to be spreadover a period of five years, would, not be /oppressive,* and the'sale of the. Park and' Cemetery sites would probably^pay*it back,;. If:local industries were not started'people would have to leave the county, and lie held: that the expenditure of the loan would encourage the establishment of such industries. ''•••■.. ; ■.;'..".. \j.

Mr Russell spoke to the original motion. He took a neutral position-as regarded a loan. He would not altogether oppose a loan. , He would have been glad to. hav/9 seen the. proposal carried' m the House last session for the Government to borrow JSoO.QOCJ and land it fp boroughs*' (k, insuifls up io £2,000, but this had not been done, He thought the rates would not pay the'interest on £20,000, and opposed borrowing at all for street widening, looking upon, f(b as apersonal raafter pj those whose land abijtted on' narrow streets', . "■ Mr I E, Thompson said that if £20,000 were borrowed, 1 Kunpurif not i;et much of it. ' It would probably °8 sP?!tf l'««nd yictoria square.-(Laugh-ter,) " Mr Mat%w? tlwught tV>ey tnight as well go in for a qillion.-jjaughter.) •■ Mr W, Perry was then a'gked to address the meeting but ha said he had come, to listen to what the Ku.ripu.ni people hnij to say, he had thought they were all in favor of a loan, but noticed that it was nut so much in favor, Mr G. Dixon said that he was'a candidate ■ foraseat in the coming election. He personally was not in favor of a loan, but if the ratepayers by a public vote expressed themselyes in favor of ft Joan h.e would support'theni'; as borrowing for gasworks wsiU hp'djrj not believe ft \\ yet, but when the time arrived When gas became-a necessity he thought the Borough and not a private company should take the matter up, so that the profits, ' He Was in favor of progress, and believed in street widening! and"if a small loan for this purpose were proposed he would support it, but only if owners of property on the streets would agree to accept a reasonable price for. their bind. ',.■'■■-: Mr tyoodroofe said the loan tnlgh,t be advocated by young'am}' unexperienced members of the Borough Council, but 'he had listened with excessive pain to two gentlemen t|)at evpn'jn!!, and.' if Mr Wilton was rpturneij with the views he had tha| evening expressed he would be an improper person to be in the Ooqncil, He olaimed the Borough had been mismanaged and its funds extravagantly expended, and he had left the Council in disgust. He was strongly opposed to borrowing a,* \\ was tVjo poor man who had to really bear tjie burden, and if Mr Wilton succeded in purchasing the new cemetry sojp of tljose buripd ii) it would have been starved to death by % want entailed by the oursed borrowing policyl He was not opposed to borrowing on reproductive works from which you could see a direct return within 12 months, but not otherwise. He took a very dismal view of the future outlook' of New _2ealand and, hlarpe'd th> present depression to the curse of borrowing 1 ' The Chairman'said Nfr Woo'droofa had }a|fei) a very desponding view' of affairs, : in which he could noj; popopr. To show : How borrowing in many instances'was ' good, he qqotad tl|e, caw of a man who - 1 paid rent for twenty years, and the house ' still belonged to his landlord; and another ' who borrowed money throcgh a building ' society to buy the house, paid the same ( amount as the other paid in rent, and the 1 Dhce became his own. He thought the ! Bornugh could go to work in the same ! way, and instead of wasting" mopey i„ » continually patching^''dprpg work over ( again, borrow m'onev'on the building ( society principle, and do the wprk well ' at once, LBOOO would cost but L89210s ' per year for 10 years, when it would be x all paid off. - t

Mr Arnold thought industries more ikely to start during the expenditure of a loan, and believed more could be done Vith L 5.000 npvy fhan wifh'MOOQ in ten years time, '' '.' ' "

Mr vVoodrqofe moved as an amendnient—That the Borough borrow one farthing.—(Lauahter.) Mr Arnold said Mr Woodroofe objected to borrowing, but that did not prevent him lending,—(Laughter.) Mr C. Wilton opposed borrowing, and thought the Borouj>h should go on as it had beep going. fl 9 thought, however, the Council should have an eye to tlj() future, and secure a site' for a reservoir while they could do so at a cheap rate. With regard to street-widening, the people interested should move in the matter, and give their land for the purpose. The question was then put to the meetng which was decidedly against the loan. The Chairman said the next thing was to select a candidate for Kurupuni at the coming ejection, Mr Berry thought the Borough Gouneil looked after kurupuni as well as other planes, Mr Thompson said everything asked for Kurupuni had been opposed.' Mr Shuts paid that when he waited upon the Council with reference to Short street, he was treated with courtesy, and his petition well entertained, but there JM opstapjfls which he thought the sent election tiould dq away with. Or Qapper'was Eurupuni's great obstacle, but they should not blame him, but en. ; deavnr to get better representatives for themselves, He thought Or Dixon had acted fairly in the Council. Mr Arnold proposed Mr W; Wilton as their candidate. "-.; Mr Wilton thanked him but mint decline to stand, , / ,'

SfMr Buaell seconded, notwithitanding, as he, thought Mr Hilton a-good man; Kurupum had not been fairly tjeaiqd,and all the money spent about Victoria! and Chapel-street, No matter how hard you hit OrQapper, he still went on bis own way.

Arnold said Mr Woodroofe had hit Mr Wilton so hard that he hadtaken the wind out of his sails.

Mr Wilton said he had no wish to come forward, and they had select some one who would be content to drag alone ibl WSy ' OOUld Dflt play without . Woodroofe said he spoke against his ?<ineme,not agaiaat him personally. Mr Worth w«» mentioaod m a candii

date', but that gentleman said he was not :< at prestut eligible, as he was : not a fate- :: payer.; He could not agreed/with Wopdioofe, he'felt ; DanieU's view of borrowing^ : ; He;.i i thought . street widening ) necessary, tat v blamed the Borough for taking oyer thV/ narrow streets. Private, parties : were**, more interested than the Borough' and should be liberal in giving land fox* thiipurpose. Gas and waterworks he thought; premature. He thought it would be wise to borrow, to widen streets ' really-necessavy works. An estimate should be'made of alliworks really necessary, ; 'and if required borrow money to complete them. Masterton was not going ,to stand-still, andnew blood was required in the Cpunoil, as the interests of most of the present Councillors were so dovetailed, that these were considered- beforffUhe " general good. He had great faithil the : future of the first thing required was'a division of the Borough ' into wards. (Hear, hear.) They must not forget when talking about so muoh being done in the centre, that all used the centre ■of the town and it therefore. ;■'- re^uired'm'ore'attention.: Kuripuniwould ultimately be tho best diatviot ih'Masterton, and should seoure good representation/ With regard to a'loan', it was best in his'opinion to get money to' do. work well, than to dabble .about doing it over and over.agam m patoh'es—(applause);, • . "With regard to the Borough taking I '' : over/narrow streets-Mr! Russell explained tlmt it' took;thVm^vefrfrom theliooal ..i Board, not private parties, :Mr Shute, Mr Feist, and Mrßussoll strongly urged Mr W. Wilton'to stand, and that gentlernan' said as so many' wished it, he would do so. (Cheers;) -,>:. ■■'■ . : The Chairman, thought Mr- Wilftpi would be : a good man; He hadplehty.qf backbone, and broad, moderate views. '■ The meeting unanimously requested MrWjltqn' to, standi aud' a committee was for'njed to seoure hjsr,etarr.. ' ' A vote of thank? tq thoOhaii-inan con* eluded thepvoceedinw.