KAIAPOI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Press, Volume XII, Issue 1579, 28 November 1867, Page 2

KAIAPOI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Tliis Council met as usual on Tuesday evening last. Present —J. C Porter, Rsq., (chairman), Messrs Dobbs, Hal), Dudley, Kerr, Woodford, and Hewlings. Mr llenwood was unable to attend from illness, and sent an apology. The minute* of last meeting having been read and confirmed,

Mr Hewlings said he wished to call the attention of the reporters to a strange misstatement which had appeared in the " Lyttelton Times" about what he had said at the last meeting with reference to defaulting ratepayers. He was reported to have said "that he had not been clerk to the Court for eight years without knowing that at least a third of the inhabitants of Kaiapoi never paid their debts until they were summoned." What he did say, and members would correct him if wrong, was (on the list of defaulters being produced, and while speaking to a motion before the Council) '' that he had not been in the Court eight years without knowing that at le.nst one-third of them —that is the defaulting ratepayers —never paid till summoned." The mistake was one which might cause unpleasantness, but he did not wish to cast any censure on the reporters at that meeting

The balance-sheet showed that the overdraft of £72 lis 3d had been met by tho receipt u£ the grant of £200 ; the other receipts were £49 7s 8d from rates, and £16 10s 9d from the rent of the bridge, amounting to £265 18s sd. The balance in the Bank amounted to £102 2d.

Mr Hebden, who attended, explained some matters with reference to his rates, which were ultimately set right by the Clerk.

The pay-sheet amounting to £1 7s was ordered to be paid.

Tenders for a well at the corner of Black street were opened from Mr Mellor, offering to sink fifty feet with two-inch piping for £10 ; from Mr Wright, offering to sink fifty feet with two-inch piping for £10, and any extra work at the rate of 8s per foot.

After some discussion Mr Wright's tender was accepted on the understanding that up to the amount of £16 the inhabitants would contribute a moiety towards the carrying out of the work.

A notice of motion was handed in, and votes of thanks to the retiring members and to the chairman were passed and acknowledged, when the Council adjourned.

At noon yesterday a public meeting of the ratepayers, which was much more largely attended this year than last, took place outside the Council Chamber, for the purpose of nominating candidates for the Council to fill rhe four vacant seats.

The Chairman of the Council stated the object of the meeting, which had been called by public notification in the papers and by other means. He also explained the qualifications of candidates and their supporters, and that the first business would be to elect two assessors to take the poll if required, as well as two auditors to examine the accounts.

Messrs R: W. Smith and W. Burnip were appointed assessors, and Messrs W. Norman and J. Matthews auditors.

The following candidates were proposed : — Mr J. Birch, proposed by Rev. W. W. Willock, seconded by Mr W. Norman ; Mr M. Hall, proposed by Mr J. Jones, seconded by Mr Hebden ; Mr A. A. Dobbs, proposed by Mr Hebden, seconded by Mr W. Weston ; Mr B. Ellis, proposed by Dr Dudley, seconded by Mr W. Norman ; Mr G. F. Day, proposed by Mr Woodford, seconded by Mr Jones ; Mr W. T. Newnham, proposed by Dr Dudley, seconded by Mr Woodford ; Mr J. Hebden proposed by Mr Hall, seconded by Mr Smith ; Mr Charles Oram, proposed by Mr S. S. Powell, seconded by Mr Smith; Mr W. D. Buddie, proposed by Mr Newnham, seconded by Rev. W. W. Willock ; Mr G. H. Wearing, proposed by Mr Harris, seconded by Mr Moore; Mr E. A. Lock, proposed by Mr Kerr, seconded by Mr Dobbs.

A show of hands was taken, with the following result: —Hall, 22 ; Dobbs, 17 ; Oram, 11; Buddie, 10; Birch, 9; Hebden, 9; Ellis, 9 ; Newnham, 8 ; Wearing, 3 ; Lock. 3 ; Day, 3.

The first four persons were declared elected, when a poll was demanded on behalf of the other candidates.

A discussion took place during the early part of the proceedings on the question of the eligibility of Mr Dobbs to be proposed as a candidate.

The Chairman asked if he was a bona fide resident in the town.

Mr Dobbs said he resided in the town two days a week, and occupied a house.

The Chairman thought at the poll any one might lodge an objection, but he should allow the nomjnation to proceed.

It was next asked if Mr Newnham was on the roll, and it then transpired that tho Counoil had not an electoral roll of a later date than that of 1865 and 1866, but a special messenger had been sent to obtain one.

A vote of thanks to the retiring councillors was unanimously carried, when the various candidates were asked to address the meeting. After a few short speeches from the candidates who were present, a vote of thanks was passed to the chairman, and the proceedings terminated.