TE AWAMUTU. MEETING OF RATEPAYERS

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1989, 7 April 1885, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU. MEETING OF RATEPAYERS

A MKhi'iNo of ratepayer wait held m tho Public Hall pursuant to a notice in Tho Wniknto Times of 2nd intt and signed by Hovon member*. Thoro was a good attendance n);out f<nty being proKont. Mr Sloane, Ciiairinan of flje Rnngiaolnn Highway llotii d, road tho advertisement convoning thomoeting. MrSloanesaid tno fiistqucrftjoif w.m about the books of the boaid which w«^o burned m tho late fire, of which tho iiiVpom gave a full account ; beyond.tli.it ho know nothing himself, fljo ciwh book aijd anotlior wci'o in tho old »i<nu, ai|d thu ratt> book and othor road board smoountw wo|-o on aßliolfinthodniiti«try. and unforttinatiily all woro destroyed. Tlio voucliom for the enrronfc year woro in n, snt of pieoon holns wliich was saved. Tho clerk had comniunioatod v/ith Mr Hporry on tho mattnr, anil had applied for a new roll. Hnvoral questions were then put and answered, but tho business for which tho meeting w.w called was either forgotten or ignored, for

iholoih recrimination and ugly inshuutions foreign to tho puiposo of tliu meeting weie freely indulged in. Tho proceeding*) soon became of srch a lively character that it would have made Billingigute fishwives turn greeu with onvy. At one Htago of tho mooting Mr Sloano threatened to have mio <>f the ratepayers turned out for turning mund and putting questions directly to another, instead of through the chair. Hit right to do so was called into question, as .lio had not boon elected to that position, and he was asked by wh.it right he acted as chairm.m. He lcplied that at) it was a meeting of rate I>oyors, he, as chairman of the highway »oard, the body representing tho ratepayeis, took tho chair by virttao nf his office, but he was (juito willing to resign m f.ivour of anyone whom those present chose to elect. Sevei.il gentlemen were then nominated in tuin, but all declined tho veiy qviestionable honour of pienidmg .it such a meeting. Finally it wan carried th.it Mr Sloane reni.un in the chair. Things bec.une livelier, and sundry compliments of a doubtful nature woro bandied about. Mr W. Taylor endeavoured to draw the Attention of the meeting to tho huwiueHs of the evening by proposing that no tiu-'teeH be appointed for the ensuing year. This was Heeonded by Mr Storey, and carried. This was done to test the feeling of the meeting, as to whether it would be advisable to abolish tho ro;id lv>ard in f.ivoui of the council, and the result showed that those present wero m f.ivour of thi« course. The meeting broke up without anything being done. Of the seven who signed the requisition calling tho meeting, only two put in an appearance. It was very evident th.it many of tho«e present never had the slightest intention of sticking to the re.il business of the evening. There was a disgi .iceful display of personal feeling, and it is to be hoped for the credit of the dis trict, that there will never bo a repetition of Thursday evening's proceedings. Many of the rom.irks made would not look well in print, so I leave them all out. The,distnct lias been put to the expense of adveitistng the requisition without any businesn of importance being done.

THK t'WVIHY. The departure of the cavalry for tha review was not unattended with accident. Instead of the homes being nhippod at the prapor placo the trucks were placed at th<> coal platform. There wan therefore a space of m\ or eight inches between the truck and the platfoim. Four of the troop horse* got their legs in thin space, and one of them was very Herimmlv injured ; the other* werp, aa far ns I can learn, more or leis hint, but not very nerioiiHly. The ono that was most hint was ft valuable home winch Mr H. Roche rodi> ; it was so badly hint that it w.ih sent back at once to To Awainutu. The near hind log got a terrible g-ish neai the ntirlo joint, besidpn being badly bruised in the name apot, and thenare b.id brumes on the back alno. The poor animal is ho badly crippled that he cannot walk out of his stable, and it in with the utmost difficulty that he can bo turned in his box. It is very doubtful at present whether ho will ever pet right again. Ido not know who in to blame for putting the trucks in such a place nmtead of at the cattle yaids, but through the curolossnc^of somi'ono a valuable horiso has been no in jui t'd that it will be three months before he is fit for work, if he ever will be lit. To put ttio trucks at the coal platform iimtcad of at the cattle yards, where thoro are proper conveniencea for loading, in the height of stupidity. No doubt it will not occur again, but that is poor satisfaction to the owner of the horse., who is made to suffer lons by the culpable negliuonco of someone.— (Own Conespondent.