THE RANGIAOHIA HIGHWAY DISTRICT, ANNUAL MEETING. Lively Proceedings.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1566, 18 July 1882, Page 2

THE RANGIAOHIA HIGHWAY DISTRICT, ANNUAL MEETING. Lively Proceedings.

The annual meeting of the ratepayers of the above highway district was held in the Te Awamutu Public Hall on Saturday evening last, an unusually large number of ratepayers being present. Mr T. Gresham was voted to the chair. Mr Sloane, chairman of the out-going board, read the following aunual financial statement :— Statement of receipts and expenditure for the year ending 30th June 1882. -Receipts — Balance from last ■ year, £21 16 8d ; county council, j £42 3s 9d ; rates, £352 2s 3d ; general government subsidy, ,£l5l Is 3d ; public J pound, ,'£6 ; Bank culvert, £3 ;. ( royalty, £3 ; ' total, £579, 3s lid.- Expenditure — Bridges and culverts, £136 8s 6d' ; ' repairs?' and 1 * construction, t £301 wl4s '86. ; timber and other 1 material, v£42 u £42 8s 64;' advertisings £19,35 ; salaries, £40'; ' posit: age .vand:, stetio&ery,,., i££^sT;4d'; "total,-; '£545 IQs J7dHjHßalance'remamirig on hand . Er|iO^etCßaM!man'uivited ? anyone : , fe»ortTbr ? dtn6r; S&tioir oifetheC Qut»goinK*

board, to come forward. —Mr Bridgraan senr. said Messrs Walton and Jno. Bridgman jun. were appointed auditors by a previous meeting, and he wanted to know why they were not allowed to audit the' accounts. — Mr Sloane volunteered the necessary information, which was to the effect that Mr Walton, though elected to the position of auditor by the ratepayers, could not audit his own accounts. — Mr Johns here interposed by rising to a point of i order. He would ask Mr Sloane had he not audited his own accounts the year previous. — Mr Sloane replied that these were supplementary accounts. He then read an account of Messrs Whitaker and Sheehan, sent to the Board, for three guineas, the price of advice re the validity of election of new trustees obtained by the previous board. Notwithstanding that these men were duly turned out of office they held the books and squandered money to the extent of 3 guineas for legal opinion. He had written to Mr O'Neill, as chairman of the board, objecting to pay the debt contracted for adyice, and telling him that those who incurred the expense might pay it. He had nothing to do with the present board, as they were not liable for the debts of their predecessors. It would have been unjust to the ratepayers had he paid such an item. Again, Mr Walton had not applied the legal advice, for which they were asked to pay, to the benefit of the ratepayers, but he had retained that advice solely within himself. Indeed, it would seem as if the ratepayers were called upon to pay for private legal information for Mr Walton. — Mr Johns thought Mr Sloane was wandering from the point. He had said enough when he had fcold the meeting he had audited his own accounts on a previous occasion, a course which he had objected to on the present occasion. — Mr Walton contended that Mr Sloane had audited his own accounts to the extent of £150 in the previous year, and why, therefore, was ho debarred from auditing his to the extent of £30. — Mr Cunningham wanted to know if the board had the power to elect their own trustees. — The chairman here called the meeting to order as they were all rambling from the point. — Mr Johns thought that Mr Sloane was inferring that the elected auditors were tryizig to be dishonest to the ratepayers. The objection entertained by Mr Sloane to Mr Walton was, that he had expended £3 for legal opinion. Was lie dishonest in doing so ? Some few broken remarks here followed intermixed with cries of " chair," " business," etc., and indistinct grumbling and talking. — Mr Bond moved, that the accounts as read be not passed, as they had not been audited by the auditors appointed by the ratepayers.—Mr Robt. Cunningham seconded.— Mr Bridgman Jan., in explanation, said that Mr Walton and himself had been appointed at the last meeting of ratepayers to act as auditors to the board. A few days pievious to the meeting he was informed that the books were ready to be audited, and that Mr Kay would audit them with him. He refused to audit the accounts with anybody but Mr Walton, his elected confrere, who had not resigned his position. — In reply to a question, Mr Sloane produced the Gazette setting forth the names of the two auditors appointed by the Governor. — Mr Cunningham wanted to know who was the officious meddler who had got the auditors appointed by the ratepayers superseded, and had the names of others placed in the Gazette ? — Mr Sloane replied, that the board had elected the auditors at present in office. — Mr Cunningham thought that both trustees and auditors were appointed by the board only. He would like to get at the bottom of the constitution of the board. He would again ask, who was that officious meddler who hid got the action of the ratepayers superseded ? — Mr Sloane. I'm the man, sir. These men were appointed by the authority of the board. — Mr Cunningham was not aware that the board had the power. — Mr Johns asked if Mr Sloane had taken action when he himself had audited the accounts illegally. — Mi Sloaue replied, that nobody had ever objected to his auditing the accounts. — The chairman thought if the people were then satisfied with Mr Sloane auditing the accounts, the meeting had no reason to complain. — Mr Johns informed Mr Gresham that they did not want too much of the legal element imported into the proceedings. — Mr Gresham thought some people had had too much of the legal element already. (Laughter.) Some gentlemen here protested against such personal remarks and forensic puns on the part of the chairman, whereat the chairman replied it was almost helpless to refrain from puns on such an occasion. — The chairman maintained that if Mr Sloane had acted illegally on a former occasion they were not going to make that a precedent for the present meeting to go by. — Mr Cunningham asked were they to be satisfied with the answer that the board had taken upon themselves to elect their own auditors, not being satisfied with those elected by the ratepayers. — Mr Sloane replied he had do objection to Mr J. W. Bridgman auditing the accounts. He was gazetted as an auditor. The objection held to Mr Walton was that he held office as chairman of the board for five months, contrary to the laws made and provided. Mr Walton had spent three guineas in getting legal advice for his own use. — Mr Walton said he had not had these opinions, and would ask Mr Sloane to confine himself to the truth. He had been asked for certain documents, and not having them could not give them up.— Mr Sloane here read the solicitor's account. — Mr Walton said the meeting didn't want to hear any more of Mr Sloane's nonsensical twaddle, so would ask to have the resolution put. — Me Ramsay proposed as an amendment "That the accounts be passed as audited." Mr Lewis seconded the amendment. — Mr Sloane here read the auditors' report certifying that the accounts were correct. — Twenty-nine voted for the amendment, and seventeen for the original motion. The followiug were nominated as trustees for the ensuing year : Messrs Burke, Jno, Grice, R. Bell, Sloane, Teasdale, Ramsay and Prank Coulthard. — A poll having been taken, the votes were as follow : — Bell, 76 ; Grice, 75 ; Sloane, 70 ; Burke, 70 ; Ramsay, 69 ; Teasdale, 8 ; and Coulthard, 3. The first five were declared duly elected. Mr Cunningham lodged a protest against the system of open voting, and on proceeding to give his reasons was ruled out of order by the chair. Messrs Audrew Kay and John Mandeno were elected auditors for the ensuing year, and Messrs Moncrieff and Goodwin fence-viewer's. Rate : — Mr Hutchinson proposed a .rate of Is in the £, Mr Burke proposed 9d, another proposed 6d. The 9d rate was carrisd. The following ia a statement of tke distribution of expenditure for the year :—: — Kihikihi and Orakau £115 14s ; Rangiaohia £144 ss ; Te Rahu £85 ; Te Awamutu£6oj Ohaupo and'Ngaroto'£6b ; ,total £464 14 ; salary £40 ; ' miscellaneous £40 ; rates and^ arrears due £20 16s ? lld. , t—Atva t meeting 1 of the t board lield inLe^'s.H^lj'sub^uently;; Mr Sloane^ was unanimously { appointedtchairman. and?Mcf,Sibley secrecy .valuator.' n "* } ' I", - -a^ I - V'J. ';'. \y

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