INDIGNATION MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE. The Town Board and the Ratepayers.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2042, 8 August 1885, Page 2

INDIGNATION MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE. The Town Board and the Ratepayers.

A r.ARGi:r<Y attended meeting of ratepayers and otheis, comeiierl bj r advertisement, was hold in tho Oddfellow V Hall, Cam budge, last night. The business of the j meeting was to take into consideration the alleged illegal action of ceitain mcinliei-. of tho tow n board in foiming Inke-stieet. The loom was ciouded, there being fully 200 persons present. Mr John Gwynneth was called to tlte chair. Mr Hughes member of the town board, fust addiessed the meeting. In lefetcuce to the lecent expenditure on Lake street, he was the only niembei of the town board who, as far as he c.>uld leim, had no know lodge of the work before it w as stai ted Mr Houghton, the chaiunan, had denied ha\ ins; knowledge of the work, but he belies ed that though he in ty not have been consulted on the niattei, still within two or three days after its commencement he was on tho ground, and although he did not piotest against it ho was fully cognisant of its being can led on. (Hear, heai ) When he brought the matter before the board ho was told to hold his tongue ; ho hnd no right to speak, and on such matters only spoke as a fool. The ratcpayeis should bear in mind that the board were their servants ; they elected them to that office, and they were now abusing their trust by squandciing their money. Personally he claimed to represent onefifth of the ratepayers of Cambridge. In this matter he had been looking after their luteie.st, but Mr Hewitt had snubbed him for his pains. Ho had insulted him, and by insulting him he had thereby insulted those whom he represented. (Applmse). Vs to the necessity of the work he would n->t e*pre«s an opinion; that was brside the question, he meiely took o\ception to the hole-and-corner in inner in which it had been undeiUkon. The board as a, boaid was not cognisant of the woik. Mr Hewitt hid ccit.unly consulted -Mr Lewis and Mr (.Jdlctt -tl.eie was no clanger of opposition in that quaitei — and these gentleman as far as he could nuclei stand pi oceeded on then own honk Their action was illeifil ; they hid broken the law, for they did not even call for tendeis, though the work had cost about twenty poumU. (Applause). This woik should ha\c b-en open to public tendei. (Cries of " Ye-> "' and " Heai, hear.") Mr Hewitt had picked out one or two of hin chums and hid given them th" woik. (U roans). With these few remarks he would leave the matter entifely in their hands. Mr Hughes lesumed his seat amidst loud applause. Mr Alford then addressed the meeting at some length. He was sorry that the meeting had not been called under the allspices of the town boaid, as he con sidered that when a difficulty of this nature aiose, it was better and more fitting for the members of the board to unite with the dissentients and discuss the question at issue dispassionately. So soon as the board were aware of public dissatisfaction, it was the duty of the chairman to accede to the wishes of the ratepayer, call a meeting, andha\ethe grievance investigated. He had great sympathy with the object for which this meeting was called. The act under winch the board is constituted ga\e them ample power-, to cope with an emeigency such as the washing away of a bridge, etc , but in thw case they hail gone outside the act altogether. He had much pleaMiiein pioposmg the following reflation :— " That this meeting, taking into consideration the leeent unauthoused expcuditure in Lake-street by certain members of the town boaid, who have thus acted in an illegal mannei, dcsiies to express its disappioval of that action." The 1 itepayers must put their foot down upon this conduct on the part of membei? of the boaid. Mr A. Clements seconded the resolution. He lefencd to tho fact of the boaid not being able to hnd money, hovvevei little, to cauy out work* which were intently necessan, wheieas in a case of this kind, when the work was not of a piossjng n itine, but simply a little log-i oiling to be done, theie was plenty of money available. The motion was then put, and earned unanimously. Mr Cow per, after making a few lenmks. pi oposed :— " Seeing that a icsolution of the board has been passed that the stieets committee may not expend a l.ugei sum than hvo pounds without authority to do so having boon given at a propeily c instituted meeting of the b >aid, and that in the jiiesent instance th.it resolution has been lgnoied, this meeting would lequest tint the boaid will iefuse to pay the acco mt foi the woik in Lake-stieet for any sum exceeding the pounds." The ie-olution, he thought they would agiee with linn, spoke foi it-elf. Mr Henson seconded the lesolution. Several voices now called upon Mi McVeagh, and that gentleni >n, amidst great applause, accordingly cane foi w aid. He had a great deal to siy about the adnunistiation of tho boaid genemlly, but he \v.\* afiaid he could not cru--h it into the small space of that evening. As a public body they weie about the gieit^st lot of muffs th.it ever (4od made (laughtei ) Mi Alf old had said that he did not know w hether Lako-stroot, as a local woik, had iipnonty of claim, but he could tell the meeting that it had not a priority of claim by about three yearn (hear, hear). Tlnee ye.iis ago the money was passed for the formation of Chapel-.street ; the inhabitants .igieed to the inipio\umcnt-> suggested by the board ; b.it these good men .shufHed out out of their bond, and did not do it. Then they l.used some quibble about wanting s niic signatures. The Chaii man : Mr McVeagh, would \ou b • good enough to confine youiself to the qiK stion ? Mi McVeagh : Oh, Mr Chairman, pint allow me. In doing justice to this m ittei of Like sheet I am obliged to lefei to I'll tpel stieet to nnue foicibly illusti ite the invidiOUsiiess of the job. (Renewed nitiiniptiin ) It appeals to me 1 am out of oider as usual. That's just my luck, gentlemen. (Cues of "oidei,"' "no, no,' "go on," &C ) If the chanmm allowed him to go on they would s >•> th it he did not intend to -<tay any long 'i in L'hipil stieet. ile was in thoiougli ac >,<1 with th ■ lesohition. If one or two iidivi.luds uithoiised the expendituie of in <\ • thin £'"> they ought to pay for it. (Hen, lieu ) Theie was no use having a vote at ill it one man could do as ho liked. The resolution was then put and earned unanimously. Mr A-her, on rising to address the meet ing, wis ieeeivt,d with applause. They were theie t> ventilate a very seiious matter ; indeed, one which directly concerned them all. The question was this, Weie they going to allow the town hoard to cauy on in the in inner they had been doing since they hid been m office? Tliey weie all loth to mteifeie m these matters ; they weie all afiaid of making enemies; but they should novel hu afraid to do their duty. Someone must do these things. Mi Hough ton had Niid at the hoard's meeting, in leply to Mr Hughes, that he knew nothing about this woik. Mr Hughes, for doing his duty, had been tieated in a most ungentlemanly manner by another niembei of the boaid, but the worthy chauman did not interfnie to pi event such conduct. If Mr Houghton was not .iwaic of tho woik being carried on, his ignoianco was not in keeping with the fact that his name as chairman had appeared under an advertisement concerning the same. When such men were placed at the head of affairs the sooner they hnd a change the better. (Hear, hear.) If they could not believe then chairman whom could they believe.' He hoped at the next election they would put in men who would do their duty feailessly and honestly. Ho world conclude by proposing the following iosoh»tion : — "That, consideiinnf the piesent financial position of the board, this meeting is of opinion that tho work in LAc stieet was not uigently lequned, especially as seveial other works of greater impoitauce weie lefused on tho plea of want of money ; and also that the chauman of tho boaid had neglected his duty in not stopping the woik when he saw it commenced." Mi Moiso seconded the lesolution, which was cat i led unanimously. Mr W. Held said m all his experience of load boaids he had never known of anjthing equal to this. He had never known a chairman of a boaid to refuse to call a public meeting when lequested. (Hear, hear.) It was tho chau man's duty to immediately acccdo to tho wishes of tho ratepayers, and give them an opp irtunity to ventilate their gt ie\ ances. Ho had much pleasure in moving . -" That this meeting deeply deplores the action of the chaiunan of the boaid in lcfusing to call a meeting when requested by the late payeis, thus hulking inquiiv, and in fact defying public opinion ; such active being calculated to destioy all confidence for the future." Mr Joseph Harrison seconded. As a, supporter of Mr Houghton'n at tho election bo felt sore. He, Mr Houghton, should have treated tho ratepayers with nioro courtesy and consideration. Ho

hoped the ratepayers would remember it .it the nc\t election, that in this mattei the ch.urni.tn had not done them justice. A man guilty of such conduct was not fit to be a. member, let alone a chairman. (Loud applause). This resolution was cirried unanimously. Mr McVeigh proposed :— "Thvt a copy of these resolutions be handed to the Chairman of the boa id by Commissioner Hughe* with the iequet.t that they br lead at the next meeting <>f thr bn.nd" (Hear, heai.) At the next election they mu->t «cc that they elected the piopct men, who would do then duty honestly and well, and not a lot of shuftlei-. he.ir, and laughtei.) Mr Isaacs seconded the resolution which was can led unanimously. Mi AMier said he harl another resolution to piopo>e, which he knew they would all siippoit with a willmgir •»■< It w.i-> . — " That tlu-> meeting e\ pi ess( it-, appio\al of the action taken by Mr Hughes and considers that he i-> deseiung of the thank,, of the ratepayeis. ' H t«l it not hi en fni Mr Hughes taking the stmd he did, the job would have been peipetrated and n me of them would ha\e be"n any the wi>ei. It wis a i)le,isure to so.- tli.it they hid on" honest man on the b uid. He hoped tlvy would ully round him next election. (Loud cheei *). This lcsolution wascimed with acclamation. Mi Moise asked if thc-o weie the gentlemen who were going to handle the fiOQO winch it was pioposed to l.u^efor a w.iter supply. (]i.iugiitci). The Chairman was sine he did not know. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting.