BALCLUTHA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Bruce Herald, Volume XI, Issue 108, 31 January 1879, Page 5

BALCLUTHA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

■ ' *_ The usual fortnightly meeting of thi* Council was held on Tuesday last in the Athenseum. His Worship, the Alayor, presided, and there were present : Crs. Dunne, Hutchins, Potter, Stewart, Canning, Gawn, Mason, and Tosh. MINUTES. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. CORBESPONDENCE. A post-card was received from the Tua peka valuers, valuing the 1000 acres reserve at £75. A printed letter was received from Government as to the election of members of Harbour Boards. Y_.LU_.TION LISTThe Clerk submitted valuation list for ensuing year. Cr Canning proposed — \ Tbat a com* mittee consisting of Crs. Hutchins, Mason, Dunne, and the mover be appointed to examine and report on the list." Carried. BOUNDARY PENCE. Mrs letter re the erection of boundary fence between the reserve and her section was considered. j Cr. Canning moved—" That Reserves J Committee be instructed to enquire into, and report on the matter." Seconded by Mr Dunne, and carried. HOUR OF MEETING. Cr. Canning said he would now move a motion standing in his name — " Tbat the hour of meeting be altered from 8 p.m. till 2 p.m." In doing tbis, he said he was actuated by no personal motive. One hour would suit him just as well as the other, but he believed that the alteration would better suit the other members of the Council. | Seconded by Cr. Potter. i Cr. Stewart said the present hour was j more suitable to most members. If it was altered he would resign his position of Councillor at once, he would not consent to lose half a day's work every time the Council sat. Cl*. Mason said thafc he did not think it would suit one member of the Council save, perhaps, Cr. Potter. Cr. Dunne explained that the motion made by Cr. Cauning he saw was intended to benefit others, as it was of no personal consequence to the mover which hour it was held at. Cr. Tosh said he would resign if the hour was altered to 2 p:m. The motion was then withdrawn. CROMER STREET. Cr. Canning moved — ** That the completion of Cromer street be proceeded with under the supervision of the dayman." Cr. Dunne said that he would be most delighted to second the motion, only that the funds of the Council would not war-* rant it. After a short discussion the motion was withdrawn. STREET REPAIRING. The Mayor reported that men were now engaged in preparing material for the filling in of the streets and that probably by the end of this week or beginning of next operations would be in full swing. RAILWAY JOBBERY. The Mayor said, that in regard to the night train, he had not had an opporfcuuity of waiting upon Mr Conyers on the matter as that gentleman's life was in a very precarious condition. If the Council thought fit he would wait on Mi* Grant. Cr. Dunne moved, and Cr. Mason seconded— "That the Mayor's report be received." Carried. Cr. Mason thought that this midnight train business was a matter of great public mterest, and that therefore a deputation should be appointed to wait on Mr Grant to lay the matter before him. Ct*. Dunne said that Milton enjoyed the facility afforded by passengers being brought through by the midnight train, and he could not see why Balclutha should be denied that facility. He agreed with Cr. Mason that a deputation should wait upon Mi* Grant to know why they were denied their rights as ratepayers of Oiago. Cr Mason moved — " That a deputation consisting of the Mayor, Cr. Hutchins, and the mover be appointed to wait on Mr Grant on the matter." Cr. Canning moved as an amendment — " That the Committee consist of the Mayor, Crs. Mason and Dunne." The amendment was seconded by Cr. Hutchins, and carried, The original motion was lost. LIGHTING. Cr. Mason proposed—" That tho Works Committee be instructed to remove tbe lamps at present erected on the bridge and re-^erect them near the river bank for the convenience of passengers by the boat. Cr. Dunne seconded. Carried. FOOT BRIDGE. Ci*. Canning suggested it would be found practicable to stretch one or two of the wires at present hanging to the bridge across the river, and by that means construct a bridge. The Mayor, in reply, reported there* suit of the conference, which is already known to our readers. It was agreed to let the matter stand over until the Government answer it made known. THE INVITATION TICKET JOB. Cr. Stewart applied for information in regard to this ticket business. Erom the little he knew of tbe thing, he thought j the whole transaction was a direct insult to the Council. Tbe Mayor replied, tbat sometime ago J

he had written to Mr Conyers for twenty tickets. To that letter be received no reply. He had afterwards met Mr Grant, who asked him to supply a few names for invitation tickets. He did so; but not nearly so many tickets were sent as he had given names for. His own ticket he had received on the 20th inst., from Christchurch, enc osed in an envelope directed to him. AU the other tickets had been sent the same way. Cr. Dunne asked for the names which had been sent. The Mayor said, that he supplied those names as a private individual not in his public capacity, and therefore would refuse to supply the information asked for. Cr. Canning asked if it was true that His "Worship had supplied a list of names, and that his colleague, Mr Fleming, had deleted some of them. The Mayor said it was not true. Cr. Canning asked if he had supplied them to Mr Fleming's dictation. Cr. Dunne . Who wrote the names ? The Mayor : Mr Fleming. Cr. Dunne wanted to know if his worship had treate 1 the Council in a proper manner. He had not consulted it in re gard to this matter at all, but relied on the advice of bis friend. He wanted te know whether Mr Hogg or Mv Fleming was Mayor ot Balclutha ? His Worship would not be spoken to in that way. If the Council thought he did not know the duties of his position, they had the remedy in their own hands. Cr Canning said he was very much dissatisfied at the action of His Worship in this business. He ought to have called his Council together to consider the matter ; had that been done, and had the Council, as a body, taken action, they would have got tickets. This was what His Worship, in courtesy to the Council, ought to have done, and he (Cr Canning) felt certain that this is the course he would have pursued had he been actuated by the dictates of his own judgment, and unbiassed by any extraneous aid. UNFAIR REPORTING. Cr Dunne gave notice that uuless the reporter of the ' Clutha Leader ' reported their meetings more truthfully and fairly, he would move that that reporter be in future denied admittance to their meeting. If what he (Cr Dunne) said was to be reported at all, he wanted a truthful report. He could not allow the little paltry ideas of the reporter himself to creep into the reports of theii* meetings. He could not permit that reporter to pervert their sayings to suit his own narrow-minded views. His remaiks he applied to Mr Fleming only, and he hoped a fairer aud more truthful reporter would henceforth be sent from that paper, else he would move that the ' Leader's ' representative be denied admittance altogether. Cr Canning said that he had been a reporter himself, and knew how easy it was to make mistakes, and how easily, by the omission of a word or so, the whele meaning of a sentence may be perverted. He knew this, bufc thought on the discovery of such error, the reporter should always make the amende honourable. He sided with Cr Dunne, that a fair and truthful report should be given, or none at all. EIVEB BANK PROTECTION. His Worship stated, in reply to Cr Dunne, that the permanent protective works should immediately be begun. THE COURT-HOUSE. Ci* Dunne proposed that application be made to the Government for the old Court-house to be used as Council Chambers. Cr Canning seconded the motion, and it was carried. It was agreed that the deputation appointed to wait on Mr Grant, as to the railway business, should make this application to the Government. cr canning's resignation. Cr Canning's resignation as a member of the Finance Committee was then considered. Several Crs expressed their desire to retain him on that Committee, and his resignation was not accepted. Cr Canning said they could take a horse to the water, but they could not make him drink. He would not act on that committee. government endowment. Cr Canning moved—" That Crs Tosh aud Dunne examine and report to Council as to nature and value of the Govei*nment endowment " — Carried. This was all the business