HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1771, 10 November 1883, Page 2

HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

A hPKi'i.u, MKKnxii of the council was held on ThuihtUy evening to ( onsider the financial position. Tlie meetn'g was called for half-past seven o'clock, lut .it th.it horn only the Mayor, and Cis. Yon Stiumei, Davy, and McDonald weie pusent. As it wanted five to make a quorum, those in attendance waited until fi\c minuter past eight, when they icsohcd themsehes into the domain bosud, and pi ocejded to tiJ.n»act the ordinary business of that body. At 20 minutes just eight Ci'. Peat and Gaudin turned up, and at the cl< st> of the domain board meeting the conned proceeded to consider the business in hand. The Mayoi, in opening the pi oceediug-., said the manager of the l3<xnk of New Zealand had been intei view ed, and was willing to cash the council's cheque on condition that the latter passed a resolution, binding itself to enter upon no new wotks until the 31st of March next.— Cr. <Jaudin undeistood that a resolution of this kind had been passed some time ag(* < ; would not that be sufficient V— The Mayoi had no letollection of such a ic-ohitioii, but in any case it was necessary now to pass one to the effect indicated. — Or. Peat moved, "That no woiks be undei taken bi'foie Match Ulst next, except such as the two men employed bv the council could do.'" — Ci. VonStuimei '•aid he would ino\e, us an amendment to the motion, that the services of one man be dispensed v ith. — The Mavu said the wage.s of the second man would pay the mteiest on the overdraft. — Ci. Pe.it thought it necessaiy to keep the two men employed, a.s tlieie weie many little jobs wanted which one man could not do. The pieseut was the best time to cxc cute many repaiis to the slieets, which, if they w iiited until the wet w oather ~et in, would cost a much larger .sum to carry out. — The Mayor said there wa.s no him v for three months, at any ia,te. Much of the woik done in the sunnnei, which was only titivating at 1 t\st, would be rendeied of no value by cattle and hoi.ses befoie tlie wintei set in. Moieover, if they went on with their expenditure, it siuiply meant that they would liuve to press for the late.s, a proceeding w Inch, he need haidlv say, was not advisable. It was time the council learned to live within its niean.s. Hamilton had bettor streets than any other place in the province outside of Auckland ; it had street* tl.at were petted and pampered beyond all reason. — Or. Peat baid if they had good stieets it was necessary to keep them so.— Cr. Yon Stunner said the best woiks committee they could haye — the bummer — was now coining, and the ■stieets would need very little looking aftei for . sonic month.s.- -The Mayor said it war* plain they must economise. They were paying a man what would meet the Bank nitere-t, and they saw nothing for it — Cr. Peat : Oil nonsense • — Cr. <T.uidtn thought they Oiould make an estimate of the amount rcfjuiiecl to carry on till the end of March, dud .-übinit it to the Bank.— Tlie Mayoi .said the Bank lequiied nothing of the M>it; what they wanted was an assurance from the council that no new w orks would be entered on before the time specified. He ventured to ,say that if he had conducted his private business in a manner .similar to that pursued by the council during the last twelve months, he would now be going through the bankruptcy court. — Cr. Yon Stunner .said the resolution moved by Ci. Pe;it was a catch motion, and would, if passed, bind the council to employ two men. — Cr. Peat amended hi.s motion to read a.s follows :—" That no fresh works be undertaken by the council until the 31st Maich, 1884, and that a copy of this lesolution be foi warded to tlie manager of the Bank of New Zealand."—This was seconded by Cr. Yon Stunner, and cairied unanimously. — Ci. Yon Stunner said, as a corollory to the foregoing, he would now move that the I services of the second borough voikman bo dispensed with after the present week, and that only the foieiuan of woika be retained. Somebody must be retained to light tiie lamps, and do any odd job» that may lie required, but it was at the same time imperative that a stop be put to the dribbling away of money by the works committee acting independently of tlie council. So long as there were two men employed some pottering work would be going on. — Cr. Ciaudin said he would second the resolution, but thought it should be understood that if required the works committee might employ additional labour. — The Mayor : Not the works committee, the council. — Cr. Peat agreed that the power should vest in the council. He reminded the mayor that when the subject of reducing the borough staff was brought up at the last meeting, he (the mayor) had said nothing about dischaiging tlie .second borough workman. — The Mayor said he had a reason for that. A councillor, who, he regretted, watt not present — he referred to Cr. Tippen — had gone about villifyiug his (the speaker's) character, and circulating the report that he wished to get rid of the second workman from unworthy motives. His Worship proceeded at some length to speak on the wasteful expenditure in the borough. One instance of the way in which the money was thrown away was, he said, most glaring. They would remember in connection with the gravel scandal that he had instructed Messrs Sandes and Nappey to .measure the stuff. Now the investigation committee had actually got the same engineers to measure it again ! If they had got another engineer to check the first measurement he would have said nothing, but to get the same engineers was simply to throw money away. The cost of measuring this gravel was £5 ss. For all this wasteful and extravagaut expenditure he did not consider he was- in the slightest degree; responsible ; the works committee had^earned on the business of the borough just as they pleased, and in spite of all . he could do to oppose them. — Cr. Peat asked if it was in order to pass such a resolution at. a special/ meeting, —The Mayor saidjihe* meting wss palled Jp'fJieQuis;snaj}c^*-Cr^eat appealed, to

the town clerk to know if they were ' in order.— The Clerk replied in the affirmative, —The Mayor said he would not allow councillor* to appeal to the clerk after he h.id given a, ruling. If lie made a mistake, or committed a fault he was amenable to the council. — The motion was then put and earned unanimously, and the council ro&o.