The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1255, 15 July 1880, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and c\act justice to all men, Ot whatever st.ito or persuabion, religious or political. Here shall the l'ress the People's right maintain, Una wed by influence and unbribed by gain.

THURSDAY, JULYIo, 1880. _*. ■ The Councillors of the Borough of Hamilton have come to the conclusion that in accusing the Mayor of wrongfully withholding from them a certain telegram they have treated him very ill, and have consequently asked His Worship's pardon. With his excellent gifts of plausibleness, he has proved to them beyond cavil that in keeping the telegram secret his object was to prevent the Waikato Times from following the Star's example — withdrawing its tender also. Councillor Jones in particular regarded this motive as being exceptionally good. The proprietors of this journal cannot be blind to the compliment paid them by the Mayor iv taking such pains to secure that the advertising should not be taken out of the district, albeit that, as the Waikato Times was in full possession of the facts which the Mayor sought to conceal, his careful consideration was entirely thrown away. The Mayor appears to care as little about his municipal reputation as we do about his acts, and, so long as he can gull the Councillors into the commission of such foolishness as they were guilty of on Tuesday night, he will at any rate engulph them in a common condemnation. The charge made against him was that he kept Councillors in ignorance of the existence of a very important document, thereby making them look ridiculous in the eyes of the burgesses, and this point the Mayor entirely ignored, and the Councillors just as completely lost sight of. We give the Councillors credit for possessing a certain amount of reason, and the only way we can account for their action on Tuesday is that, to use the words of Swift, " reason is a very light rider, and easily shook off."

To-morrow a poll of the burgesses will be taken to decide whether the Borough bhall repudiate or confirm the purchase of Mr Seddon's allotment. We fear very much that the poll, although it will probably elicit the opinions of the ratepayers regarding the action of the Council, will be of no practical use in settling the case. That the Council acted with great impropriety in entering into negotiations for the purchase of these allotments without first consulting their constituents is admitted on all hands ; but, having so acted, we can scarcely see how a poll is to determine the matter. Be the answer of the ratepayers what it may, it can scarcely be doubted that Mr Seddon will demand that his agreement shall be adhered to. Were there any doubts as to the validity of this agreement we should counsel a reconsideration of the question with a view to get the claim reduced to a sum approaching the real value of the land. If on the other hand the arrangement entered into is binding, an adverse vote of the ratepayers would mean — if the Council carried out the views of the ratepayers — that the purchase money would have to come out of the pockets of the ratepayers. From whatever point we regard it, we cannot but think that the ratepayers are to be called upon to decide on a question, the real merits of which they know nothing of. It is clear that whatever the result of the poll may be it will not clear up the difficulty, and on that account we can afford to treat the matter with a greater degree of indifference than its importance really admits of.