MASTERTON TOWN LANDS TRUST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1661, 16 April 1884, Page 2

MASTERTON TOWN LANDS TRUST.

There was a moderate attendance of residents in the Institute upper room last evening in connection with the annual meeting of the above Trust. M.i Feist took the chair on the motion of Mr Gapper. The Chairman, in calling upon tho Secretary to read the report and balance sheet for the past year (already published), said lie thought it would be admitted that "the Trustees bad done good work during the past year. He himself was glad to say that bis colleagues and himself- had carried out tho interests committed to their, care to the best of their ability. The Secretary then read ■ the roport and balance sheet.

' The Chairman in' moving the adoption of the report, said that there were several things in it that should call forth .their approval, In section 29 the Trust had regained a valuable addition to their property. Financially they were in a better position than ever they had been. Every application for assistance which had come before tho Trust had been carefully considered and. decided on its merits. One in favor., of the Park, had been granted, and ho held that the money devoted to completing the Oval had been wisely and judiciously spent. The Park Oval was now likely for many years to come to be a place to which tho inhabitants of Mtisterton could resort for health and recreation, It had been questioned whether, under the Act the. report should be adopted by the meeting or merely received, but he had thought it better to submit it for adoption. Mr Payton seconded the adoption of the report, The Trustees deserved their thanks during the past year for finally settling the disputes over the Greytown reserve, over section 29, and other reserves, No doubt the settlement did not please everybody, but it is was a great thing to have obtained a final settlement, and one which he believed had been made in the best interests of the town. ,

Mr McCavdle, in speaking in support of the resolution, said the present was probably the' last opportunity he should have of speaking at a Trust meeting, He had latterly been withdrawingfrom the public positions which he had held in Masteiton, and would shortly resign his, seat in the Trust, He felt grateful to the Masterton public for the.many positions of honor to which he had been elected. In retiring from the Trust he regarded with considerable" satisfaction the work that had been accomplished. The concession -which Masterton had ode to Grey town in ' surrendering its hold on the Grey town reserve had been an act of justice, t; On pne.occasion he had suggested to Mr EenalL.that. it •■■would be worth while to sell out. their .Greytown interests, and secure with the r money |eetion;29, ;aßd;;Mr, ; Eenalt had, agreed witli him. .Some people thought (the.Trustihad. been t(j|(|liberal<in pealing with the tenant of ration 29,

When they' :, paid him £2OO for his improvements, but he contended that to have acted otherwise would have been unworthy of the Trust; and 'unjust to tlie tenant, i He referred to tho new leasing'clausesof the TruW which he thought-would 'bowery' useful in the future, The action of'the Trust, towards McGregor Bros, had been noticed by the Press, He did: not hold himself 'altogether ""free'"'fi'oM' blame in this matter. J?rom a business point, of view they had .perhaps. been too easy with them; still, having reduced one man's rent because he was unable to pay so high a rate it was unfair to keep up a similar rate, simply because the' tenant was able to pay for, it. ' McGregor Bros, deserved consideration from the Trust, as being the only tenants who'had made substantial and permanent improvements for the benefit of the Trust.. Mr.McGregor was now, politically opposed,to. him, and perhaps he (speaker) was readier to concede a point to a man who was at variance with him, than-ono with whom he .was on good terms, He next referred to tho sale of the Court ; house site. In the first instance very opposite courses were 1 proposed.' :Mr Hogg had suggested giving away the site, while others wanted;.£soo foi\ it. He held that the £3OO for which it was sold was a very : fair arrangement. In conclusion, ha suggested that the candidate who was rejected at the coming election, could step into his place.

Mr. Woodroofe spoke against the motion. With reference to section 29 he objected to paying £2OO for the improvements, when by removing the timber £2OO worth of damage had been done to the section. He held that the '■ land belonged to a dead man, and ought to be placed under the charge of the Curator of Intestate' Estates. He condemned the subsidy to the Park, as being like gambling, He heard that £4OO was borrowed by the Park Trust, and not a shilling provided for its repayment, He believed tho action of the Trustees would not bear inspection, and objected to the money spent on the Oval. He thought that the lease witli Mr McGregor was a questionable transaction, and moved a voto of thanks to the Trust for selling the Greytown property without the consent of the ratepayers, and for seizing on Ward's section, the property of a dead man, He held that since Major Smith left the Trust it did not deserve to be respectable, The Chairman then put the motion for adopting report and balance sheet, whicli was carried, and then asked for a seconder for Mr Woodroofe's motion.

MrPayton seconded pro forma, in ordor to express his astonishment at Mr Woodroofo's reference to the Park Trust, It was true that £4OO had been borrowed, and no provision made for its repayment; but who was responsible for this ] Why, Mr Woodroofo himself, who, after signing the debenture for the £4OO, backed out of the Trust and left to chance the repayment of an obligation for which he himself was morally responsible, The speaker had, with the other trustees, made the. best arrangements possible for meeting the engagements which Mr Woodroofe had nude, but in doing this they had not the slightest assistance or chance of obtaining it from Mr Woodroofe, who was morally responsible for borrowing the money and for repaying it.

Mr \Voodroofe, iii reply to Mr Payton, believed lie signed the debentures by persuasion of Mr .Renal], but did it against his own judgment, He denied that he had backed out of the Trust, Since resigning, he had twice put up as a candidate and failed to be returned. It was pointed out to Mr Wooilroofe that the Park Trust was not an elective body, and that he was evidently confusing the Park Trust and the Town Lands Trust in his mind. The Chairman said he had also been struck by the point referred to by Mr Payton. Mi" Woodroofo appeared to regard them all as dishonest men who wore working schemes. If others regarded them in the same light, he should be sorry to represent thorn. He felt satisfied Mr Woo'droofe stood alone. Mr Hall asked if the arrangement between Grey town and Masterton was still open and could be broken through, The Chairman replied that it was finally settled by law. Por some reason which he failed to understand Greytown had not paid the purchase money, but till they did this it would have to pay rent. Mr McC'ardle, speaking .to Mr Woodroofe's resolution, did not object, to be thanked, hut it was Messrs J3eetham, Hare, and Kenall who carried the Bill through the, House, and to whom a debt of gratitude was due,

Mr Woodroofe's motion was then put and lost. The proceedings concluded by the ; election of two auditors; Messrs Sellar, J, Brown, Wilsone, and Dairymple were proposed, and on a ballot being taken the votes were as follows;—Sellar 12, Brown 12, Wilsone 11, Dahymple 2, The two former were declared elected.