OPOTIKI ANNUAL MEETING- OF RATEPAYERS.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume VI, Issue 611, 27 July 1878, Page 3

OPOTIKI ANNUAL MEETING- OF RATEPAYERS.

This annual meeting of ratepayers for the election of Trustees for the current year was held in the Town Hall, Opociki, on July 6th. An unusually large concourse was in attendance, as some matters of vital importance to settlers were to be discussed. The meeting was opened by JR. King, Esq., J.P., Chairman of the retiring Board, reading the advertisement in the Bay of Pienty Times, detailing the business for which the meeting had been convened. Mr 0. D. Litchfield was then elected Chairman, and called upon the Chairman of the out-going Board to read the report and balance-sheet for the past year, which was accordingly done, and which after detailing a number of works and improvements effected in the township and district, shewed a balance to the credit in the Bank of £117. After a few remarks, the balance-sheet as read was adopted. The meeting then proceeded to the election of Trustees, and ten gentlemen were nominated. A Poll was then taken, with the following result : — R. King . . . . . . 145 S. Bates . . .. ... 116 S. Moody . . . . 82 C. Thomson . . „ 77 J. F. Connelly . . . . 70 A. Parkinson. . . . . 65 R. Wright . . . . 60 W. Black . . . . 43 Dr Reid . . . . . . 41 J. H. Armstrong . . . . 17 The Chairman then declared the first five gentlemen duly elected, and called the attention of the meeting to the next business before them, namely, whether the Impounding Act should be brought into operation, and a Pound erected in Opotiki. Some very warm arguments ensued, and loud expressions of opinion, and the

confusion became so great, that it was found impossible to take tEe opinion of the meeting, when the brilliant idea of dividing the House was suggested, whereupon an immediate rush was made by over threefourths of the meeting on to the stage of the Hall ; these were the objectors to the establishment of the Pound, and when order was partly restored, the Chairman announced that as the majority of the ratepayers was evidently against the establishment of a Pound, the proposition in favor thereof, must be considered negatived. The. announcement elicited loud cheers. The meeting closed with the usual vote of thanks. _ The new Board then held their first meeting, and elected R. King, Esq., J.P., to be Chairman, and Mr L. Richards, Secretary and Engineer.