THE HAMILTON PUBLIC HALL. Proposal to Borrow £500.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1850, 15 May 1884, Page 2

THE HAMILTON PUBLIC HALL. Proposal to Borrow £500.

In compliance with the provisions of the Municip.il Corporations Act, a public meetins (J £ the latopaycrs of the Borough of Hamilton, was held labt night, to consider the advisableness of borrowing £500 to pay oft tiio liabilities evibtmg on the hall, and making such additions as will render it suitable for Boiough Council Offices, Horary, ice. Theie was only a small attendance of ratepayer, and the chair was occupied by his Woiship the Mayor, who opened the proceedings by reading the advertisement in The Waikato Times calling the meeting. The Town Clerk read the resolution in favour of the proposal passed by the council. Mr T. U. Sandes lose to move the first resolution, which wab as follows: — "Th.it this meeting cordially approves of the scheme for raising a loan not exceeding £500 for paying olf the debt oa the Volunteer and fubbe Hall, and making it suitable for a library and borough council offices, and recommends the same to the burgesses." It was the desito of a large number of people to bee the debt on the hall paid off and the building made a public hall in icihty. They also wished to establish a libiaiy, and to remove the borough offices, tv a moie cential and convenient place. With reg.ud to the 1 .using of the loan, it had been said that the biugoes3s did not want any more taxation, but he would remind them that though it was necessaiy to strike a special rate it need not be collected. H> undeiotood fiom good financial authontitis that the inteie&t and sinking fund could be met by a sum of £40 annually, which amount ought to be lecou^ei out of the lcvcnue of the hall itself. Mr iiobeit Bradley seconded the motion, and in doing so strongly urged upon the ratepayer pre-ent the need for a public hbiarv, which ho looked upon as only second m impoitanco to the public school*. It was a di-gi.ice to a community of f icemen that they should be vithout such an institution. The speakei then lofeued .it »onio length to the ad\ .uitages of a libiaiy in an education.il sense. Air Yon Htmiror cordially suppoited the motion. He pointed out that the amount pioposed to be lAibod had been increased norn K'S~)Q to -fJiOO. The object of this was to pay oft the drbt of jjloi) owing to the chinch. Ho said they need not tumble themselves ab mt the special late, as the pi nicipal and mteiest could be paid out of le venue, and it theie were a deficiency a couple of entertainments m the year would nimc than wipe it out, oi if the worst came to the \voi\-t the deficit might be paid out of the ordinal y b.nough lcvcnue. Mr John Knov said Hamilton had been the iiist town-hip m Waikato to adopt the Municipal Coi positions Act, and had done gieat things, as witness the budge, the bianch lailway, and the Public Hall it-elf. Much had been done duung Ins teim of ofhee a> mayoi, and nothing would gi\e him gieatev plcasiue thiu to see Ui 3 liall handed o\ei to the caie of the rato-p.i-)O.s during the mayoralty of his successor. It wa- a cheap hall ; it had been built at a tune when timber and laboiu woie cheap, and the boiough \\ ould get for t.">oo a building and land worth at the \eiy lea-it £700, a sum which he was prepaied to gu.u.mtce should 1)3 offoiod them when they had succeeded in getting it into their hands. They w anted a place in w Inch they could meet visitois, mtoiview Ministers, etc , instead of having to go, as at piesent, to public-houses, because their council chamber was not (it for the purpose. Then they wanted house loom for a library. When lie was m Auckland the other day, he was asked how much Hamilton hail got for its libiaiy fiom the (tcm eminent giant, and he was obhgedto contest with shame thai Hamilton, which called itself the piomier settlement of tiie W.ukato, had no public libiaiy. Such an institution as this wab necessaiy m the mteiests ot the young men ot the place, who woie now compelled to spend then evenings in the hotels and at the bilhaid tables, aud weie doteiioiating in consequence. He believed the ratepvyeis would endorse the pioposal at the poll when this view of the case was put befoie them. Spoiking im himself, ho was not afi.ud that the public would elcseit him and his fellow tttisteo', Mi O A'eill, but he wanted to see the hall in the hands of the people, hi conclusion he would stionqly leuunmend the mayoi to en<lea\our to souiuo the whole of the (lo\ eminent lesone for the boioiigh for iccieation piupo^es. The iiidUon was then put to the meeting, and earned unanimously. The Mav'i -^ld lf the proposal weie le jected they could lall back on another j>lan. The council liad pouei to take over the liabilities and pay oft the same as convenient, and secuie the icvcnucs of the hall. On the motion of Mr T. G. Sander ths following weie appointed a coinnnttee to canvass the town in the interests of the scheme : — His Woiship the Ma\oi, Messia Kno\, (;. Edgejuinbe, Yon .Stunner, Biadley, Jones, Dey, (laudin, and the mover, with |iower to add to their number. The Mayor announced that the poll of the latepayeia would be taken on the 31st nist. A vote of thanks to the mayor, proposed by Mi Kno\, concluded the meeting.