HAMILTON.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 979, 1 October 1878, Page 2

HAMILTON.

MEETING OF BTJRGESSE.S. A special meeting of the burgesses, called on requisition to thy Mayor, was held on Saturday evening, m the Council Chambers to consider the

notice of motion tabled by Cr. Potter for the expenditure of a sura oi j£6o out of Jib©* Boroucfb funds on the s Whata whata fSf»Md outside the . \ \ • ll^B;,Wo^hi_^tie^M:iy()r, T. 11. Y laiOHj / Ejq.y ig'pcupied the chair, jaiut thi£ /m^ing with t lie Remark tlfafc it Sopepred to him that ?the rae^ng |eiii%rrjtted from some remark's he had^made at one of the Borough Council meeting's, m reference to... money... voted by. .the . Waikato County Council. Before the meeting of the ratepayer of the late Hamiltoa East Highway District was held, he brought forward a motion iu* the Borough Council, to protest ag. inst,, it, to the effect that the Clerk should write to the Waikato County Council, protest: ing against such a mode of expending money due to the Borough. His motion, unfortunately, was not carried, the opinion of those who thought that the Waikato Codhcil would never be guilty of such injustice, having been allowed to override it. lfc was like the case of the man m the stocks, who was told, "They can't put you there," and here the borough was now, m the same position, to say with the man m the stocks, " but, here I am, they have put me there." None more than he, thought it desirable to bring all possible traffic into the borough. That would benefit all, but especially the tradespeople, but as the Borough Council had no power to expend the money of the Corporation, except upon works m the borough, it was useless to consider the question, however desirable. He had looked through the Act, but could find nothing to warrant sacli expenditure as that proposed., and he had told his brother Councillors that he had made up his mind that he could not legally put the motion to the meeting. As a matter of principle, he would rather resign his office than commit himself to an illegal action by doing so. To' fortify his own view of the case, he had taken counsel's opinion, when m Auckland, and had found that all voting for Cr Potter's motion would render themselves liable to prosecution. Even if the money were found by a special rate, as one gentleman had suggested, the burdeu would fall very unfairly, for while the burgesses would have to pay pro rata on their valuation, the chief benefit would accrue to the tradespeople. It would benefit that class specially, and they it was who should pay the greatest share of the cost (Cheers.) It was hardly necessary to trouble them with the position of the borough, but the fact that they were m debt a sum of £173 was good reason why they should not, even if they could, enter on works outside the borough. To confirm the statement he had made of the illegal character of the proposal, he would read the following opinion, obtained from Messrs Hesketh and Richmond :—.;■; A Municipal Council is not justified m spending the monies of the Corporation m works outside the Borough, except it be for the purposes specified m section 7 of the Amendment Act, 1877, or for the maintenance of roads bounding the Borough. Councillors could be made pecuniarily responsible for such misapplication of the Borough funds, and the Supreme Court would restrain such action by a writ of injunction. — Hesketh and Richmond. He had made up his mind not to put Or. Potter's motion. He had done one illegal act, inadvertently, since he had been m office, m supplying some items of furniture to the Borough Council. He was not aware at the time that he was acting illegally, but when he once knew it, he would take good care not to do so again. Mr P. Munro called for an explanation from Mr Potter. He thought such was due to the burgesses. Mr H. Hunter* quite disagreed with Mr Potter's proposal. He considered it an insult to the District Board to offer them assistance m such a way. Mr Potter said that, having heard the legal opinion given by the Mayor, he felt bound to give his reasons for the proposal. They must bear m mind, that they were a young borough. What he wanted was, lo give the borough a status and stability. It produced and grew nothing itself ; they was not even a manufacturing community. If they were that, they rest sure that the country must come to them. All were dependent on support from the outside trade attracted to the borough. It was not for the burgesses so much as for the country districts around that the Mayor himself maintained his large business establishments that the Messrs Hill, Mr Cox and other merchants of Hamilton introduced large stocks of manures and goods. Ng-arua-waiha was bidding: for the Wbatawhata traffic. He was not clear now as to the legal disability. His object was to have brought on a consideration of the matter, and this could have been as well done m the Council as m a public meeting of the burgesses. He mentioned Mr Rothwell, of Wbatawhata, as one who had spoken to him of the great boon to Hamilton the making the Whatawbata road would be. He thought, with the revenue and prosperous future the borough had before it, they might well afford £60 for such a purpose. As to the graut of £100 made by the Waikato County Council to open up the roal from Hamilton to Piako, what had been the result of that? Why, ram-ihere had o-iven another £ICO, and Mr J. B. White and others had prornissd handsome sums m aid,

Mr Knox alw.ys admired m others what he largely possessed him ( self — pleuty of cheek. He oojild not : tell what the last speak6^tfadNsrag_ driving at till he let th^ijat ouror* ! the bag showed JthatfMr Roth- \ well wajfepujling thjMtr.ii^s that set j him in^rnopiqn. |tr Rojtfiwell had ] been for ouelyear |tfiairrri|ji of the; Whata whata)' Boar^i aruMv^hat had he done -fir thisT?oadp and how forsooth he wantel the Bjrough of Hamilton to do what)- he should long 'ago "liave "dofi§ lit Hfs^lfr "The road would be for the benefit of Hamilton tradespeople, and they it was who should find the"greatei''"pa[ , b'*of the money. T>et Mr ' Potter gfo r;ound with a subscriptiouljsbj.npt attempt to come upon the borough funds and the rites collected from the working classes. He would give bis share He believed that Mi- Roth.well had got the weather side of Cr Potter — not that he believed the! latter was serious m his proposal. As to Crs. Why tie and Claude if they had had faith m their power to spend 'lamilton money ori the Piako r 6a l, tbey would never have consulted the rate-, payers about it. He would oppose any such misappropriation of the borough funds. Hamilton East needed more than the Borough had to spare — nay, ib seemed to him as if some people thought the borough was defined by the Bank of Nesv Zealand on one side, and the Commeicial Hotel on the other. Che state of the streets m East Hamilton was simply disgraceful. Mr H. McPherson would ask the Mayor if it were not possible to get back ; the £100 granted by the Waikato Council for the HamiltonPiako road. The Mayor was sorry to say there was very little chance of doing^ so. He had taken counsels opinion on that question also, and had been told that they feared the Act gave the Council power to spend the money m any part of the county, but that, m common honesty, they should, have given Hamilton its share of the grant. A desultory discussion then took place concerning the East and West roads, the punt, and a 'variety of matters (Municipal, ornithological, and otherwise), when < Mr N. R. Cox said he did not think Cr. Potter would ever have tabled the notice of motion, but,, finding be had done a grievous wrong m the action he had taken, m assisting the Waikato Council to spend oorough funds outside the borough, on the East side, he tried to equalise matters by now doing the same on the west side. If tiie Whatawhata road was wanted, let Cr. Potter draw out a subscription list, and head it himself for .£5. He, Mr Cox, would give another £5. Mr J. Knox— And here's another will do the same. Mr Cwynne endorsed all Mr Cox had said. If Mr Potter would get up a subscription list, he would give £5. Tradespeople would reap the benefit of bringing the Whatawhata people into Hamilton, and they should find the largest part of the cost. It was a graud thing to bring m traffic, but let it ba done m a legal manner. Mr P. Monro though*; all the money raised iv the borough was needed for its own roads, and proposed That this meeting is of opinion th; fe the Borough his not at the present time the means or the power to assist m works of the kind proposed m Cr. Potter's notice. of motion. • The motion was then put to the meeting, and carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the chair terminated the proceedings.