HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 944, 11 July 1878, Page 2

HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Monday, July Bth.

Present : The Mayor, and all the Councillors.

It was moved by Cr. Gaudin "That a clause be added to the bye-laws forbidding cattle to be at large m the Borough at night." A committee consisting of the Mayor, Crs. Hume, Cox, and the. mover were appointed to draw . up regulations , for the depasturing of cattle, for the purpose of framing such bye-laws.

The Mayor stated that during his late attendance at the Conference m Auokland, he had been m conversation with the Hon. the Minister for Public Works, and had made arrangements with him for the extension of the railway line into Hamilton, with a tramway extension to a wharf upon the river. Since his return he had been unable to see the engineer to the Board, or he would have instructed him to have prepared plans &c, of the proposed extension, which he had undertaken to provide for the Government.

Or. Potter heard 1 wi l li pain the remarks of the Mayor. He utterly depieeated the course which that gentleman was pursuing of takingupon hiintelf the 'ordering of important works without the authority and sanction of

the Council. lb was beyond the power of any individual member of that Council to give in-

struefcions to prepare plans for an. extension of the line without, authority, and «yen before the Council knew what the proposition was. He, fop one, wa'j not going to stand by and see such authority usurped. The Council hud been placed m a false position altogether. Great interests were involved, and he thought, that m all justice, m all fairness, to the whole district, the Mayor, when taking upon himself the responsibility of arranging the extension, with Mr Macandrow should not have stopped at ttie west side of the river. It was a most unheard of responsibility for one member to take . upon himself to" say, so far shalt thou go and no farther than to this one point. What did they want to build a wharf upon the river for, whilst they left Hamilton East with the country districts of Piako, iCirikiriroa and Tamahere cut off from the line? It look-id to him very much as if there was collusion somewhere, as if an undue advantage was to be given to the Waikato Steam Navigation Company at tho coat of the' settlers east of the Waikato river. The Mayor should have goue some 60 chains further with t he extension,' so as to give the whole of the Borough and not the west side merely the advantage of it.

The Mayor said he had certainly overlooked the matter at the time, and afterwards he felt that to ask for the further extension would be unwise, as it was better to get what we could now from tho Government, and the tramway across the river, if required, could he. under taken afterwards, even if necessary, by the Borough.

Cr. Potter thought the apology offered, that we should get it so far and the Borough could complete it after vvorde, was a poor excuse for the extreme selfishness which had evidently dictated the whole scheme. It was a thoroughly selfish onessided arrangement from beginniug to end. As representing both sides, he Cr. Potter, stated of his own knowledge that the east side of the river would produce by far the larger amount of traffic for the railway. There were large quantities of grain hides, skills, and other produce sent ovit of tha country districts eastward of the Waikato, and very large quantities of grass seetl, manures, and other goods imported into them. These, at present, were forced ioto the river traffic, and the scheme of terminating 1 , the railway extension with a wharf »n the river had a very ugly appeatance, something very like a collusion between some one and the Company to keep the traffic there. It was not fair of the Council for the Mayor to take upon himself the giving instructions to enter on so large an nndertaking without consulting the Council.

The Mayor thought that when he was sent to the Conference he was sent to -attend to the infc jrssts of the Borough, and when m meeting 1 mg 1 Mr Macandrew opportunity offered lie took advantage of it. He had overlooked Hamilton East, and was sorry he had done so \ he was afraid he was asking; too much as ib was, and thought he was getting a good deal from the Government to get the line extended inbo Hamilton ab all. He was willing, to make a proposition that instructions be given bo the Engineer bo make plans for bringing the line into f-he Borough and across the bridge to East Hamilton. The Mayor then moved That this Council authorise the Mayor to instruct tho Engineer to prepare plans for railway from the main line into Hamilton, and a tramway to the wharf, to be erected on the west side of the river, the said tramway to be continued the river to the public square m' Hamilton East. Or. Gaudin seconded. Or. G wynne thought the construction of the bridge would obviate all neceesiby for the carryingthe tramway across ihe river. He could not see what more was wanted than a bridge, and the good roads to it that would be made, to enable people on the other tide to gefcto the railway station. If there was the amount of traffiu stated by Or. | Potter, the thing would right- itself bye and bye, and the tramway cjuld be made then. Or. Potter then moved as au amendment That, with a -view to afford the agricultural and pastoral districts of Kirikirirou, Tamahere, Piako, Can bridge, and East Hamilton the benefits of the railway for the conveyance of their goods^ produce, grain, wool, cattle, and sheep, together with their supply of seeds, manures, salt, lime, &o., — thousands of tons received by them anually being only obtainable hitherto by river transit at an almost prohibitory cost — it A expedient and desirable that a tramway be forthwith constructed from the main trunk line of railway^ on the west, through the Borough, crossing the proposed bridge, to Sydney Square, on the east side, and a station erected thereon for railway purposes. For such purpose, the Mayor is hereby requested and authorised to take all necessary and legal proceedings for such purpose with the utmost despatch.

He could sea there was evidently desire to place all buildings on the west side the river. It was a one sided affairs The Mayor altogether ignored the fact that the chief traffic for the railway came from the east side the river, this was done for the sake of giving a jetty for the sole advantage of Cambridge and the Steam Company, shutting oat Piako and other districts. From these must come the truffle to the railway. It was absolutely essential t,o the interests of the Borough that the extension must cress the river and tap this traffic. Sydney square was the key to the producing districts There was no need to build a jefcty j

for the convenience of a Company which had grown rich at the expense of the earnings of the settlers. The traffic on the west side the river could not support the extension. If the extension brought no further increase of carriage to the railway than what was got ou the west side it would not pay to carr, it out. The production lay on the other side and was capable of large increaae. Or. Dawaon supported tihe amendment. The traffic came at present, and would continue to come from the east side.

Or. G wynne spoke m favor of the wharf.

The amendment was theii put when there voted for it, Crs. Coates, Gaidiner, Potter and Daw.son,— for the Mayor's motion, Ci-s Home, G- wynne, Gaudiu, BeaJo aud Viulou. (Or. Cox hud some time previously retired.)

Jr. Potter drew attention to the fact that buildings without permission were bring- erected on the foreshore near the Ferry. Ho was glad to see buildings going up m the township, but he thought no one should be allowed to assert a rghfc they did no.t possess. They needed the consent " of the Council, and should certainly pay for the .privilege. If a working man had done the same thing, he would probably have been orJerecl off without ceremony. He thought all should be treated alike.

The Mayor stated that he was unaware till his return from Auckland that the Steam Company erected the buildings referred fco. The matter was ordered to be taken into consideration.

The matter of the petition asking for the reconsideration of the bridge site was then referred to.

Cr. Potter said the consideration had been tlelay eel by request m order to give the Engineer employed by the petitioners time to make his report. That report had been expected to-day, but had not arrived. He supposed there could be no harm m letting the matter stand over a little longer.

Cr. Beale said it was absurd to keep the matter open. They should proceed to business without waiting for the report.

The Mayor thought m common courtesy aud fairness to the petitioners they should give further time. Councillors were generally of this opinion, aud the matter was ordered to stand over to the next meeting.

Several matters of a trifliDg character were considered, and the 'meeting separated.