BOROUGH OF HAMILTON ELECTION. Public Meeting of Burgesses.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1901, 11 September 1884, Page 3

BOROUGH OF HAMILTON ELECTION. Public Meeting of Burgesses.

A. i'cujlic meeting ol buigesses, convened foi the puiposc ot heauug the\icwsot the candidates tor the JJoiuugh Council, was held at Lo Quesne's Hall on Tuesday evening. The Mayor had been lequested by a laige number ot influential mtepayeis to call the meeting, but had cieeiined without gn ing a leasou, hence tlie lcquisitionists took the neeessaiy steps themselves. Theiewasa very laige attendance ot biugesses, and the pioeeed ings throughout weie \eiy orderly. Only two out ot t he M\ candidates, namely, Messis Hollow ay and Wood, put in an appeaiance. —On the mutton ot All' b\ Gatidin, seconded by Mi \V. Jones, All John Knov was called to the chair, ami opened the proceedings by leading the advertisement in this journal calling the meeting. The Chairman said that those who signed the; inquisition to convene th.it meeting had no intuition ot showing disrespect to the gentlemen who had come tjiwaid as candidate loi the council, it had beui aigucd that the step they had taken was without pi ■eedent, but lie was sure the meeting would kai him out when h said lmy had piece-dents, ll the % > would tax tl eu in iiuiij ihey woul i lind lliat/in se\ einl olc.i loiio, on bothsidib ol the met, s'leli ineelingi n,.d Ijlcii held when luijoilant lilies came hi toil 1 the botoug'i. i.c need only icier owhatwas jotuiai iy tui mcd the " •ndcigiound meet ing,' and the in eung called to urn i>lei the position of counu.loi.s in ieg,ml t > the question of beddon & land. On these occasions the cimlulitfa had come Joi - wud and explained then v.evvs. Ie was an excellent pi maple, and should not be icl.wul. Tlieie weie many matters ol gia\ c unpoi t nice befoie the hoio.igh at thepi^smt time, upon which it wasdesiiable tli itcindidausseekmg tho hoi-out ot lepiosenting the latepayeis slioi ldgivi then views. Fotemost amongst these was the question of the borough endow mints. These endowments had been given to them for the purpose of pro \idnig leu'ime in otdu that in attei yeais,the rates levied on boiough ptopeily mignt be loweied and removed tiom the eilcjoiy 01 bun ens. JNow if the endowments weie to fullil this puiposu it was cLai that tho^ must be \eiy caiefully husbanded. Tl ere were in my othei questions affecting the public intoiest, but he w ouid piclei not to take up the tune vl the meeting, and would call on the candi.'ateo piesent to addicss tnem He would ask these gentium* n and the meeting to keep stiictly to the objects bcloie them, and he tiusted that no bciu tiltty or unsuinliucbs would be nn p.jitetl into iho pioeeednigs --(Applause ) All ilolloway tai I he had been lufoiined that the pics .'lit meeting had I ecu got up toi a "talk, ' and he had dcteiinined not to be present ; buL w hen he saw the names attached to the pet tion he at once changed his mind. Uu wis quite cci tain that those gentlemen who had put then name? to that document weie actuated only by a desue to pi jmote the welfaie ot the town It was not necessaiy that he should make a long speech. He was not piepaied to say that lie possessed e\eiy qualification i.ece.-saiy to (it him foi a couneilloi, but he could at least say that he hid common sense and leasoning faculties, and was theietoiea fit candidate toi then sulhages. He had no selfish eudtosei>e m seeking (.lection (Hear.) He would act upon his pinieiples so fai as he could, and he did not think any man could do moie. He would like to sec the expenses ot the boiouyh cut down but he was nofe piepaied to say how best this could be done at piesent Alany wajs had been suggested, but he would like to become a little nice familial with the woik of the Council befoie he took up a definite line of action It had been uiged that the town cleik's sal uy should be cut down, but he doubled the piopncty of such a couise. They might not get the denial work of the council done so/jfticuntl}, and so what we sa\ ed in one dnection might be lost in another. He knew towns in Austial. i not possessing a Luger population than Hamilton w Inch gave their town cleikas lniicli as i!"2.")0 a jeai. He thought, howevei, th it the otln'e should be ttndeied ior, say oneayeai or once in two joat-. If, howexet, any of thi ra<e, ajeis thought he was going into the Council to inteitoie with the cleik, they weie mis aken, and he did not want then votes, lie thought a good deal might be realised out of then lauded endowments He undei stood that the council was about to olh'i some 1-md at os pel acie for the extiaoidmaiy teim ot 30 yea is. He thought it would be better to least; foi ten jeais, nicicismg the ie,it during the succeeding ten yeais, and soon. With legai fl to the fui/e ques tion he thought a mistake had been made in not fiist getting a legal opinion. They would not then have {.one into the matter blind He did not think neces sary to say moie, but he would be happy to answei questions. Mr Gaudm wished to know whether Mi Hollow ay was a latepayer. Mr Hollow ay saiel he was on the butgess 1011. jMi Gaud in ; Have you ever paiel a penny of l.ites ? The Chan man said Air Ilolloway had given all the answer that was neeessaiy. Mi Uaudm : I challenge Ins light to be a cmdidate. The Chahman : The Returning Oilicei has published Air Hollow ay'i.name as a landidate. Had he not been qualified his name would not appear on the l oil. Air Gaudm : Air Chairman, will you ask Air Hollow ay if he has e\ei paid any rates. Mr Ilolloway : I have, indirectly. I pay my Kites with my rent. All Johnson a>ked the candidate, concerning the endowments, whether he did not think it better that the lands should be let for os in acre lather than that they should leinam idle Mr Hollow ay thought it better thatthey e hould lie idle for the next ten yars than that they should be let for 5s an aeie. The mci eased rent they would get at the end of th it peiiod would amply make up for the time lost. Air Johnson asked the candidate if he was quite sine that the land would gieaty increase in that time. Air Holloway replied in the affirmative, and in answer to fuither questions put by Alessrs Stead man, Johnson, and Tippen, said his idea was that the land should be leased for a shoit teiin, the lessees to have the option of continuing in occupation for a fuither peiiod at the tlven value of the land. Concerning the furze, ifc was such an intricate question that he did not care to give an opinion on it. Mr Steadman was proceeding to question the candidate as to the meaning of a "tiickitate" question, when he was stopped by the chairman, who said the answer was explicit enough. A ratepayer asked if the candidate would not prefer the land let at 2s 6d an acie piovidcd it was put into grass, so as to give Hamilton a better appearance. Air Holloway said he would support any measure which would would enhance the prospetity ot the town. Mr French asked leave to make a few remarks, but the chairman ruled that he could only ask questions at that stage. Air W. M. Hay presumed that when a resolution was brought forwaid either in favour of or against the candidates, everybody could speak to it, and ventilate public matters. The Chairman : Certainly. Mr Wood then came forward, and addressed the meeting at considerable length on the subject ot the public works of the borough, in the management of which he considered much improvement might be effected. He did not blame the present councillors, but ascribed the whole to their want of knowledge. Jde deprecated the feeling of jealousy existing on both sidesof the river. It was a great mistake, and thu sooner a reconciliation was effected the better (Applause). As regarded fiaanoial masters, he

was a strict economist. He was in f ivour of doing nothing but what was absolutely necessary, and would do his best to sice that the borough got full value for the money speut. With legard to the endowments, he thought they should be leaded upon improvement corditions. Mr Mu Lemon said the sum of £200 was annually spent on salaries, stationery, tzc Did Mr Wood think this was too much ? Mr Wood thought it was too much by half. Mr Gamlin asked the candidate* opinion as to the fm/e question. Mi Wood thought the fuizo should be extiipated at the public expense, out of the lioi ough re\ enne. A iat»'p'i\er expressed a desiie to know if the candidates wire acquainted with the ten com'iiaiidiiients, but the chaiiman said such knowledge was not lequisite for aboiough councillor. Mi Steadman wished to know how tlie candidate pi oposud to cut down the ex pendituve. Me Woo.l slid they should first iret out of debt, and thus sa\e tho laige amount :un\ paid foi inleie-,bou tiie bmk oveiiliaft. The olfice of cleik should be open to competition. 'Iheie being no others questions, A pei son at the back of the hall moved a vote of confidence in Mr Wood, which was. duly seconded in the same quai tei . Mi (}. Ficnch mo\ed as an amend men t, "That tins meeting gives no pledge to any candidate " They had only heai d the \ lews of two candidate^ Such meetings weie unusual, and some of those who had put up for election would not have done bo hid it beet 1 neiessaiy for them to coiiie on a public platform' to sp-ak, though they weie people who had a laige stake in the place, and would take the gicatesfc in teiefet in itiinkipal a Hail's. Tlie amendment was seconded by Mi J. I)e\itt. Mr liay suggested that as many of tlio.-e piesent wcic ot opinion that Mi Wood had not gi\ en the mfoi mation he should Ikuc alfoided, it would be well to iik someone acquainted with the alfaus »t the boiongh to enlighten tho meeting Mi Steadman appealed to know moie ■ibout tiiese things than anybody else, .md pcihaps he would make an explanaLion. Mi Steadimn declined. '1 lie Chan man said the hingcsses would .ijjtcu with him that tho meeting had been pioductivu of good. (Hear, hear ) in future ifc be neecswuy for candidates lo make themselves acquainted with the ilfaiis of the boiongh befoie seeking election. A \otc of thanks to the chaii brought the meeting to a clo&e.