ONEHUNGA'S TROUBLES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 122, 23 May 1894, Page 2

ONEHUNGA'S TROUBLES.

BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING.

THE PUBLIC AGAIN EJECTED.

SANITATION Off THE BOROUGH,

The postponement of the ordinary meeting of the Onehunga Borough Council from Monday evening till lash night only had the effect of causing a Bbill larger assemblage of spectators at the Council Buildings upon the occasion of the adjourned meeting last evening. Before seven o'clock there was a large crowd of the general public assembled outside the Council Chambers, in the main street, bent on " seeing the fun between the lady Mayor and her councillors. Long before the Council-room door was opened, the crowd swarmed on the staircase leading up to the Council Chamber and overflowed from the front door into the street. They were, however, doomed to disappointment. The Council Chamber was it darkness aritil after seven o'clock, the appointed time of meeting. The Mayor, Mrs Elizabeth Yates, and moßt of the councillors, after surveying the crush of spectators on the stairway and in the street, held a sort of councilof-war m the Town- Clerk's office downstairs. The .'.I ayor vigorously asserted the necessity for ejecting the whole of the crowd before starting the Council business. THE PUBLIC TURNED OUT. Accordingly she instructed Sergeant Greene nnfl Constable Tapp, the local police, who were in attendance, to clear the crowd our of the building. The police promptly did bo, and mounting the staircase ordered the crowd to get outside, " aesiating" them to do so when neceaBary. ThereJ were over a hundred spectators on the staircase," and ib wbb a difficult matter to geb them out. It is a wonder thab the staircase did not, in fact, give way under the thick crowd which was jammed on ib. After a scene of considerable uproar the police got all the spectators cleared out on the road, but did nob take the advice of the Mayor to " make an example " of a few of the " ringleaders" by arresting them. Once they were gob safely outside, the front doors were locked on them, and the Mayor and Council then proceeded upstairs to bußiness. THE MEETING. It was 7.40 o'clock before Her Worship took her seat on the Mayoral daia, and instructed bhe Town Clerk ro read the minutes. There were also present: —Crs. Jackson, Tapp, Shaldrick, Colledge, Nixon, Hills, Wade and Hasbie. The question of Mr Jones' lease and the taking up of his drain arose, and it was referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee to bring up a reporb and frame conditions. The Mayor proposed tbab all letters of protest from people with reference to their drains being taken up should be similarly dealb with. : Cr. Jackson enbered his probest againab the matter being dealt with in that way. He asked the Town Clerk to hand him the copy of the Municipal Corporations Acb, in order thab he might read a cerbain clause. He would undertake to ahow thab bhe procedure of the Council in taking up the drain-pipes had been wrong. The Mayor said that the Town Clerk would read any aeotions of the Acb which Cr. Jackson liked.

Cr. Jackson : I will read it correctly, Your Worship. (Laughter.) The Mayor replied with heat, " You did not) read it correctly ab last meeting. You read a clause in which you substituted the word.' and' for • or,' when bhe public were put oub." Cr. Jackson retorted that this was not true, and demanded the book. He bad, be said, a perfect) righb to demand any books or papers 'belonging1 to the Council. In future, he would take care to bring bis own Municipal Corporations Act along. The Mayor moved " That a respectful reply be sent to the writer of each protest," Mr "Brown and others stated bhab the decision of the Council would be carried out, and.that all drains would be taken up.

Cr. Wado supported Cr. Jackaon's stand. The Mayor was nob treating the people fairly. He wanted tho letters of protest all read.

Cr. Jackson thought thab the Council bad made mistakes in dealing with some of the drain pipes. He moved as an amendment to the Mayor's motion, "Thab the drain pipes removed from those places where no nuisances have been caused be replaced." He desired that all the places be reported on by the Inspector of Nuisances, and that the drains which caused no nuisance should not be interfered with.

The Mayor :" "I am not justified in putting that amendment, inasmuch as it is a negative to my motion." She said that there was a resolution on the bosks of the Council authorising all drains to be taken op. She ruled the amendment out of order.

The Mayor's motion was then pad and carried. DR. ERSON AND THE MAYOR. , The next business which came before the Council was a letter from Dr. W. R. Erson's solicitors, Messrs Heskebh and Richmond, with regard to the doctor's drains. The Town Clerk proceeded to read the letter when the Mayor peremptorily stopped him. " Stop a minute," she said, " that matter has been dealt with. I don't think wo should read.Erson's letter any more than the other letters which we have juat dealt with. We should not make any distinctions between one and the other. Ever since I have been on the Council, we have been pestered with some communication from Erson." She had two letters from Dr. Erson there, and Hesketh and Richmond's letter was of the same importance as they. Cr. Jackson : "As far as I know Dr. Erson's drain is the most perfect in the place. Tho Inspector of Nuisances and Dr. Scott inspected the drain and said there was no nuisance there.

The Mayor : I' don'b see why we should have the whole time of the Council taken up with Erson's drain." She said that the doctor's drain, was a nuisance and there were plenty of people who knew that. THE DOCTOR DKOPPED. The Mayor ordered the Town Clerk to go on with the nexb business. Cr. Jackson pointed oub that Dr. Erson'a letter had not yet been dealb with. The Mayor said thab the reading of Heskebh and Richmond's letter and all the other letters of protesb would be only taking up the time of the Council and was quite unnecessary. She added firmly, •• And I think if I say so thab ought to settle the matter." Hesketh and Richmond's letter was then dropped, in spite of Cr. Jackson's protest, and the next business was proceeded with. r SANITARY QUESTIONS. Certain sanitary questions then coming' up, Cr. Jackson recommended that a bylaw should be drafted to deal with the removal of nightsoil. The Mayor considered that all the people who required this convenience should leave their names with the Town Clerk. She moved a motion to thab effect.

Cr. Jackson considered that ib was degrading to the Town Clerk to request him to acb in that matter.

The Mayor's proposal was agreed to on division, and ib was decided to advertiee to that effect.

Cr. Wade first moved and subsequently gavo notice of motion that a by-law be framed compelling all residents in closely* inhabited localities in the borough to accept the contractor's service.

The Mayor made some remarks on Cr. Wade's lack of knowledge of the form of Council procedure, and said thab though there was some excuse for him, he being a new member, there was none for Cr, Tapp, who had seconded Cr. Wade's motion (which the latter had altered to a notice of motion). She went on to say that Cr. Tapp ought to know tbab notice of motion must be given in this matter, and added, "If Cr. Tapp were here for 20 years he would be just as wise as he is now." (Laughter.) Cr. Wade thought this remark was very personal, and should be withdrawn.

! Her Worship smiled serenely, and said to 'the Town Clerk, "Go on with the nexb bnainess," STORM-WATEB. A letter wag read from W. Harris drawing attention to the loss which he sustained by storm-water flowing on to his property, off Grey-street), and which damaged his crops The letter was referred to the Sbreets Committee.

The Mayor said thab the Council could nob help the storm water which came from the heavens flowing on to people's land when they had no system of drainage. If they diverted the water on to private property ib would be a different thing. THE WATER SUPPLY. The next business related bo bhe borough water supply. Mr J. A. Pond, Colonial Analyst, wrote stating that if he analysed bhe water supply, he would require to personally procure samples. The fee for the work would be £10 10a. The waber would have to be taken from the Springs at the pumping station, and also from two or more delivery stations throughout bhe district.

The Mayor said that euch a hue and cry had been raised over the Onehunga water supply, that she considered it imperative to have the water analysed, in order to prove itß purity. The proposed analysis and the expense of ib were absolutely necesary. A sbatemenb which had been communicated to an Auckland paper with regard bo typhoid in the borough had done incalculable injury to Onehunga. Ib was stated tbab the water supply had caused the typhoid in the borough, and this idea must be disproved.

Cr. Shaldrick moved " Thab the water be analysed by Mr Pond aba cost of ten guineas," He considered thab the town and its springs had been ridiculed ho much thab an analysis was absolutely necessary.

Cr. Colledge seconded the motion. The Mayor mentioned tbab bhe Charitable Aid Board had been written to asking how many cases of typhoid had been sent to the Hospital in 1891-92-93. Id 1891 thero were no cases; in 1892 there were four cases ; in 1893 three cases, and in 1894 so far eight cases aenb to the Hospital. Cr. Hastie said the fault lay with the drains and not with the water.

Cr. Jackson spoke to the motion. Ho said thab they must convince the public by means of a reliable analysis of the water supply. He moved an addendum to the motion, " That the examination bo extended, and thab Mr Jas. Stewart, C.E., be requested to join with Mr Pond in making a thorough .examination with regard to the location of the cemetery reserve, with special regard to the water supply and future demand."

The Mayor : I shall nob allow you to move that. Ib is a different thing altogether. Ib has nothing whatever to do with the water supply. Cr. Jackaon protesting, The Mayor interjected sternly, "Cr. Jackson, I am the person to dictate here, nob you. lam to say what is to be done." Cr. Jackeon collapsed, and sank into hU chair at the far end of the Council table.

Cr. Nixon, being asked if he was going to vote for the analysis, exclaimed, "What! the water that I've been drinking all my life. Run it down? Nob likely!" (Laughter.)

Cr. Shaldrick's motion was agreed to, Crs. -Nixon, McKenzie and Hills voting against it. Cr. Jackson's proposal re the cemetery was lost. TYPHOID CASES. ■ An altercation next ensued between Mr Jackson and the Mayor with reference to reporting cases of. typhoid fever at the Council meetings, Cr. Jackson insisting thab this matter should be brought up before the Council at) its ordinary meeting as it was porb of its proper business and should nob be relegated to a Board of Health which never sat. The Mayor replied that the Council could resolve itself into a Board of Health at any time. "PRESS OPINIONS." After some routine matters had been dealt with, Her Worship produced a bundle of Southern newspapers containing articles with reference to her Mayoralty and the Borough of Onehunga, and handed them to the Town Clerk to read to the Council, saying thab ib would do bhe Council good to have Burns' saying exemplified ;— " O wad some power the giftie srfe us To see oursel's as ithers see us." The Tewn Clerk accordingly read the press opinions on Mrs Yates, amidsb some amusement. Some of the articles were rabher trenchant, one referring to Onehunga as possessing a " putrid reputation " on account of its unchivalrous treatment) of its lady Mayor, and others characterising the bulk of the people and some of the councillors as a pack of " unmanly brutes." The reading of the papers over, the Council rose, adjourning aboub 10.15 o'clook.