HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1628, 9 December 1882, Page 2

HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

.» 'A'sbkcitii Weeting/off tlie ppfincHi/was held on Wednesday evening to consider what steps should betaken regarding the proposed drainage 'of 'i\U borough. Ihere were present : His Worship the Mayor, Crs. Cochrane, Peat, Yon Stunner, McDoualp "KMtf anfl [Bfadljey.— The Mayor explained the object of"the meeting, and the Town Clerk laid tlie plans &c. (Jiistheiiiijjle. | j'JJhe lattorjalao.r^iM a memorandum he hall drawn 'up,' knowing the- amount of t loan required and tlie meaua proper to b'e 1 tak'en in order to its repayment. — On the motion of Cr. Tippen, the 1 council 'went into comlnit r tw to consider the subject. J— Ci' Tippeu the^i moved, .''That no furjiher^ction^be taken 're the 'drtimttge tfcheihV-^The 'motion was seconded by Cr. Peat, pro forma.— I Cr. Bradley 'moved as auiauiendittonfcthfrt the Mayor call a public meeting of the ratepayers and lay the matter before thcW^fov '4«eir ult/crSionV favor of the drainage scheme, because he believed it would increase the prosperity of the town by making it a more desirable place, to live ( in.— Cr. McD,onald seconded the' amendment.— Cr. Yon j Stunner thought jthetcouuoili tyould) not be acting in accordance with right if they burked the, matter as Cr. , Tippen proposed: '''TliVre's'pbnsibility was ffluch too great for them to take upon themselves. When he fir&t came to the Waikato, the ! season strongly resembled the present I one. He remembered that at that time typhoid fever 'nude its 'appearance b4stnb 4 5tn in Camoridge aW Hamilton, and there [ was no telling whfenlthe 'disease might again break out. If deaths occurred from this cau.se, there was ample room for people to lay the 'blame at the' door of tlie council, and charge thorn with having i neglected their duty. He wished to throw the responsibility upon the ratepayers. If the latter were satisfied that no drainage was, required,) ,that ended the matter; but no one could afterwards turn lound aiid • accuse thje; c^oi\iJcil^ tjf/ udgli-} "Gtice. He, himself, believed in'drainage. He had heard 'it said' itliat )it would be well to call a meeting of the ratepayers off-hand with the object, of, pense, but he strongly objected to such i\ coin-be. Everything' should -be;, done in proper form, &o that no reflection could at any future time be cast upon, their action. At the very time he was speaking he was led to understand a case ot typhoid fever existed in Hamilton West, and on the very block ifeMvas proposed to drain. This Was a;sti!6rt^' Argument why they should' place the matter iv the v hands of tho bin gesses. ' With regard tl.)*t 1 .)* the "evpMisa entailed by the drainage scheme,-' ' he 1 thbuglit I tb'at /■would be amply repaid by the security afforded to the health of the inhabitants. Were it winter time'many'inole would be in favor ot drainage, but the ratepayers much resembled the nigger, avlio could'nt mend, the root of his cabin in, wet weather,i and saw no reason for repairing, it when there was no rniu. — Cr. Tippen said he was j only expressing the sentiments of a large number of ratepayer when he spoke in opposition to the scheme. He considered that the leaaon why so. much water lay in the town now, "compared with what | there wat> ten years ago was, that the ditches had become choked andjfilled up in many places. He believed if t they were cleaned out, thoroughly nothing liiol'e' would be' 'necessary. He thought it hard that those who would not benefit by ' the drainage should be asked to pay towards the expense. The best course was td end the matter heie, so as not to incur any further expense. —Cr. Yon Sturmar said they had already paid £25 for plans', and 1 this motiey would be simply 1 waited if nothing further were done. — Cr. Bradley scouted the idea that the drainage scheme would benefit certain paits of the borough solely. 'If disease broice out in badly drained parts would it not' spreadto the more favoured spots? How then could it be supposed that' the ischeme would be partial iv its ell'eeta ? It was going hack to the dark ages to talk about open drains ; they were not drains, they were rathW,' hjbt .bedg of- disease, and should be abolished without delay. Howeyei 1 , he was prepared itd abide b^ the decision of tno ratepayers obtuiuod'ni a prope.r andj aje^i\laj.» rThe Mayor then put the (juestjbii, and declaicd the amendment cariiod, Cr. Tippen only voting for the motion. — On the motion of Cr Peat, seconded by O. Bradley, the clerk was instructed to take the necessary steps to ball a ineeting of the 'ratepayers to decide tlie question.