TE AWAMUTU.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 968, 5 September 1878, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU.

beptember 2. A public meeting of ratepayers was held, pursuant to advestisemenfc, m the Public Hall on Saturday evening last, to take into consideration the act of Councillor Mandeno, m bringing the district under the Counties Act. Major Jackson was elected to the chair, and after a few apropriate remarks he called upon Mr Sloane to address the meting, Mr Sloane m coming forward said that, on the Saturday previous to the meeting of the Council, he, as the chairman, m accordance with a reso'ution of the Board*- wrote to Mr Mandeno, requesting him, m the interests of the district, to vote against the bringing m of tbc

Counties Act. * He, for his part, could not see what they had to gain by; ft ; ■ they got the license; fees last; year without it, and, all things considered, /the Road Boards, iridependant of the Couucil, were doing their work for the 'good of the public, well, and with very, little expense tcthe ratepayers./ The fact of H.ri Maudono voting for the Act had, he considered, disturbed the minds of the ratepayers' and on that account, he called the present meeting.; (Applause). , . t 'Mr James Henderson said, he thought that Councillor Mandenb Bhonld give his reasons for so voting. . v Mr J, H. Mandenorose to addresl the meeting, and said, that, m the first place, he had to thank the Chairman of the Kangiaohia Highway Board for calling the meeting. He, himself, had sent an advertisement to the Waikato Times, for a meeting on 'Monday, to explain his reasons to the ratepayers for bringing m the Counties Act. But on learning there was a meeting advertised fori to-night <by Mr Sloane, he telegraphed to have the notice cancelled. He would new, be continued, remind them that at his ejectio'n r for jtlie j office of Councillor he gavVnb jjleage Whatever- I'here was none asked.. ; So, m doing as he had done, he had violated no principle. Bat he would tell jthem that on accoant'of the Rangiaohia Hiding having but one Councillor, and therefore being unfairly represented, he was at first adverse to the working of the Act, and this, his reason, he gave at the Councils first meeting. /At that meeting he brought forward a resolution, and also a petition, addressed to the .Government of the ' day, praying that the defect' 'in the representation of Rangiaohia be , remedied. The reply of the Government was that they had no power to do so. He then, at the request of the Chairman of the Council, called a public meeting of. the district for the expression of opiniou. The resolution of that' 'meeting' : was against v the working of the 1 Act,' mainly, because the districfrwas not fully represented : so the matter remained. But a general opinion prevailed then, that, the .Government would make the Act compulsory next session. Mean, time, the opinion of the members/of the Council became more favorable to the working of the Act, so that a majority could be got in' favor of it, m spite of all Bangiaobia could do to the contrary. Under these circnmstances, it seemed a folly to allow auother election to pass without making an attempt to get the representation altered. The defect, he knewy could only be remedied at a general election ; there would be no other opportunity to do so for the next three years. Morever, tit continued, the creation of the Borough of Hamilton,; made the case the stronger. Since, Hamilton, with a present population of 230, returns two members, while Kangiaohia, with a population 1 of 840, has ouly one member. He therefore wrote, m conjunction with the members for Mangapiko and Newcastle, requesting a meeting of the Council to be caIJW, aridi accordingly 'the meeting was held -on Monday^ the 12th ult. On the Saturday evening previous, he received a letter from the Eoad

Board requesting him to vote aganist the Act, also a message from the Kihikihi Beard to the same effect. He would then, he said, have called a meeting, if there had been time. But previous to getting these com munications from the Boards the case seemed so hopeless that he thought there was no need to call a meeting. It was then, he thought, necessary to decide promptly and he accordingly determined to go forward. Another reason, he said, that 1 influenced him m deciding the matter was ttieVdiatribution of the .£40,000 r grant. -It .seemed to him unfair that one half of the Counties share should go to one district without any opportunity for the rest ot" the County to be considered. It appeared to him m a case like this, that somebody was needed to represent the County, and to stand between the Road Boards and the Government And again, he added, another case that semad to &how the same need was the attempt to dismember the County by attaching Pukekura to to the proposed new County of Cambridge. The interests of the whole county should, m his opinion, be consulted m the matter, and not those of a part. Ho believed m voting as he did, and that m doing so he studied the interest of tWS* district. He might, he said, bf c saved himself the trouble an^/esponsibilit}r by acting on thV^ dvice of the Highway Boards/ .those interests had been a y ccv of indifference. The pr/ .it Council would not, he thp ,at, undertake any responsibilitr . incur any expense,. and if/ , ratepayers were not satisfied/ >y would, m November, be aX co return men pledged to act according to their wishes. Mr Mandeno resumed his seat amid considerable applause. Mr Henderson said that Messrs. Germaan and Fitzpatrick, requested liberty from the ratepayers at the annnal meeting, to vote as they did. The Chairman : Mr Mandeno gave no pledge, he was therefore perfectly justified m do'ng as be did m voting for the Act. He would like to know from Mr Sloane if he represented the ratepayers at this meeting, ov wa* he acting by the authority of the Board? : Mr Sloane : lam representing the Bbarcl. v Mr Henderson said, he hoped the

Waipa Council would not be conducted the way the Waikato Council [was. They had, he added j " a Leslie; and a Clark there, but here, they had a Mandeno who was quite as bad." At this stage, Mr, Henderson objected to questions being frequently put by the Chairman to Mr 1 Sloaue. Major Jackson seemed indignant afc Mr Henderson's unceremonious interuptiou, and m cosequence, vacated the chair. But he had no sooner done so, than he was requested by the unanimous voice of tfce people to resume it. . On his doing' so, Mr Sloane said he wished to ask Mr Mandeno, what they would gain by bringing m the Counties Act ? Mr Mandeno, we will gain another Councillor. ...... \ Mr Sloane, we have one two many already, and when he continued, County Secretaries, Chairmen and other officials are paid by the ratepayers there will be no gains whatever, but a serious loss to the district. He would now beg to, move, " That m the opinion of this meeting, Cr. J.H. Mandeno, has, by his self-sufficiency m bringing m the Counties Aot, misrepresented the dirtrict, placed himself m hostility io its Koad Boards, and opposed the wishes of its ratepayers." The resolution was seconded by Mr James McCabe, and was carried on a division by a small majority; There were . between 60 and 70 persons present, many of whemi took no part m the division for or against the resolution but they took up a position oii neutral ground near the door aruibi!£mained passive spectators of, tide interesting scene. At the close stame irrelevant matter was ; introduced, - when^ the chair was : vacated, and the meeting separated, j —Own Correspondent. •