The Masterton Trust Lands Management Bill.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2926, 16 June 1888, Page 2

The Masterton Trust Lands Management Bill.

The adjourned public meeting to consider the remaining clauses of the Apt was held last night in the Temperance Hall. Only about twenty persons were prcspnt, MrE, Foist occupied the chair. The clauses were read and considered seriatim, Sections 21 and 23 were passed as read, Clause 2d, making provision for the appointment of auditors was objected to by Mr W. Lowes. He moved that the words " and appointing two auditors" be struck out, together with the subsections bearing thereon, and the following words substituted ; if Tho Auditor General shall bo the Auditor for the Trust." His reason for moving in that direction was to place the Trustees above suspicion. The importance of the Trust in the future would warrant the cost of employing a Government Auditor. The motion Avas agreed to. Clauses 26 to 29 were approved as read. , " . Clause 9.0, conveying To\yn 4 0l '°1

No. 47 in trust' to the Catholic Church

with certain reservations.

Mr Bunny asked that the Catholics should be placed on the same footing as other religious bodies. He moved that Boman Catholics should' hold the land precisely upon the terms as other bodies, and that part of the clause be repealed accordingly. The Clerk said that it was not new legislation,but the previous acts being repealed by the new act, the same had to be re-inserted.

Mr Renall said the Church of England and Wesleyan Church got their acres> in the early days. They were conveyed to them. He did not remember how it was the Bill had to be passed validating the transfer of the Catholic acre. There was no reason for the conditions being inserted in the last bill of 1871 that he could rerember.

Mr Lowes said it was a pity they could not get any definite information on the subject. There must have been a reason or a necessity that caused the insertion of the conditions objected to, He did not think, however that there was anything different in the conditions of the other churches. Possibly the other churches having got their lands at an earlier period the Act validating the transfer to them would be an earlier one, and thus the Catholic transfer was mentioned alone.

On the .motion of Mr Bunny, seconded by Mr Hogg, it was resolved that the clause be altered or expunged with a view to placing the Catholics in precisely the same position as the other denominations in regard to their acre.

Mr Benall moved that Mr Bunny be associated with the Trustees with a view to enquire into Clause 80.

Mr Lowes in seconding the motion said his reason for doing so was that they might find out why the special conditions in reference to the Catholics were inserted. Motion carried.

Clause 31.—The Masterton Trustees tor the time beiug duly appointed under the enactments hereby repealed, in exercise of the powers conferred oil them by section eight of "The Masterton and Greytown Lands Management Acts Amendment Act, 1882," having sold their interest in the reserve of forty-eighl acres in Greytown for the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, and sucli proceeds being required to be invested in real property, the said Trustees contracted for the purchase at a total cost of four hundred pounds of four acres two roods and nineteen perches of land, forming part of rural section number six on the plan of the Masterton Small-farm Block, aud the above moneys being insufficient for the purpose, they supplemented the same with a sum of one hundred and fifty pounds out of the rents and profits of the lands vested in them to complete such purchase, and the application of the said sum of one hundred and tifty pounds not being authorised by law it is hereby declared that the aforesaid purchase is validated, and the Trustees who so applied the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds as aforesaid arc hereby collectively and individually indemnified for so doing. Mr Renall said this was a most important clause, The Trustees had sold certain lands in Greytown realizing £250. The Act said that money should bo invested in freehold estate. Instead of doing as the Act required, the Trustees had kept the money dangling about for about three or four years, the result being a loss to the people of some £4B by maladministration, The last year's balance sheet showed a sum of £872 for the purchase of freehold land, and without explanation an indemnity for £4OO was asked, Whore that deficiency of £2B went ho did not know. The sum of £250 was all that could legally be expended, bat they had bought from Mr W. Perry, a brother Trustee, land to theextent of £4OO, and thoy now asked £l5O to make up that sum. Before lie would have been a party to a transaction of that sort, lie would first have gone down and inspected the lani, and asked himself what the land was worth to him to buy, and lie contended that the expenditure of other people's money required more thoughtful consideration and deliberation than one's own. It would be very painful to him to ask the meeting to oppose the passing of that clause. He knew what excising it meant. H would render the Trustees liable for the £l5O, Ho moved that the clause bo expunged,

Mr J, Wickensseconded the motion,

The Chairman said the question of disposing of the.Greytown Reserve for 1250 was duly brought before -the public qf Masterton, and sanctioned by them. The purchase of land from Mrs Perry was in the balance shoet, aud was duly submitted to tho public at tho annual meeting and adopted. To bring the matter up again at the present stage was entirely out of place. He would move as an amendment that Clause 31 stand part of the Bill,

Mr Hogg said ho nover on any occasion liked to contradict a speaker but when a statement was made, even, although it was by the chairman of the meeting, absolutely contrary to fact, lie felt it his duty to t|o so, The question had never been submitted to fiie peqple. Ho had repeatedly asked the Trustees to do so, and they had refused. The only way they could get it passed by the peoplo was by insortiilg it in tho annual report and there was no time for the people to read it before the meeting, The meeting took place in an upper room of the Institute 011 a miserable wet night, and the report was passed by a dozen people, principally members 01 the Trust. It the question of the disposal of the Greytown lands had been properly brought before the public of Masterton, 99. out of every 100 would have voted against it, The Chairman said notwithstanding My fiogg's assertion, 110 would sayhe had said nothing of the kind imputed to him, He had simply stated that the report had been brought before the public and passed, If the night on which the meeting was held proved to be a wet one, and tho attendance was in consequence limited, the trustees were not to blame, tliat rested with tho public. He was not given to economising the truth.

Mr Hogg assorted the question of selling the Greytown reserve lmd been sneaked into the annual report in a clandestine way. It had never, been placed before the public so that they could 3ee it before it was passed, Tjiey had been betrayed by the trustees. Tlie (Jliaiywan said there had be?n no sneaking about it., He was not at. all taken aback by any statement from

the quarter whence it last came. Mr .Renall said lie had known the Chairman for years and had no doubt ' of his veracity, but they were all Mjjo to error. _ The question of intorest in the Groytown lands came before a meeting in the room where they now were and authority was refused. The report that wag referred ' to was only passed on three votes, the sum of ,£372 was all that was mentioned in that report. They were now, without the slightest explanation, asked to pass a clause indemnifying the trustees for the expenditure of £4OO. He did not believe there was one in that room who ivould put a higher value than £SO an acre upon the land bought from Mr Perry. A., fair price, lie said, should bo given for the laud and no more. (Hear, hear). His own opinion was if Mr Perry had M not been on their Board the land would not have been'bought,, or at least such a price would not have been paid for it, and he thought they ought to have had a full explanation, Instead of that there were none of the trustees present except the Chairman. The public were being unfairly treated, it was a good deal owing to themselves, and served them jolly well right. (Laughter). Jh. The Chairman said it would' beau idle waste of time to refute the last speaker, but he would remark that Mr Renal! was in error in stating that the report was only carried by three votes. The resolution was carried and the records of the newspapers show the report was adopted, and lie'contended it was. He did not consider it a nice thing to attribute motives to tha trustees. Mr Perry had nothing to do with the buying or selling of that land. After some further discussion motion was put and carried. Jf At the request of Mr Bunny, clause \_ 20 was read again. IJe moved that the provisions of that clause be reconsidered. It was not the original intention to shut out from the benefit of the Trust schools supported by voluntary subscription, Mr Lowes said he must of necessity oppose any alteration of that clause. It had been adopted at a much larger meeting than the present one, but at the same time he could assurjWilr Bunny that there was nothing in the clause preventing theparticipationof the Catholic School in the benefits of the Trust.

It was decided to let tlio clause stand as passed, and protect the Catholic school in the Interpretation clause.

On the motion of Mr Renall, it was resolved to submit the proposed Bill as amended to Sir George Grey, with a request that he would go through it, and give his opinion thereon. Mr Renall moved that in thiyfo opinion of this meeting it is not able to call in the aid of the Governor to place the Masterton Trust under the provisions of the Public Bodies Least) Act.

Mr Lowes pointed out that as at present constituted, the Trustees had no power to give compensation for improvements or do anything berad granting a2l years lease. The Bodies Lease Act would enable ffiem to give compensation for improvements whereby lessees would be induced to > improve their holdings, and the Trust would be benefitted. Ho asked Mr Renall to add to his motion, " for the present." This was agreed to, and the motion as amended was passed.

A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the business.