RAGIAN.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3510, 15 October 1868, Page 4

RAGIAN.

! The annual meeting of latepajer* for the district of! Raglan was held in the Court-house, .Raglan, on Tuesday, October 6. j Mr. D, 8{ McDonald ocoupiad the chair. The Chairman, laid; before the meeting the report 1 of the past ( y ear's proceedings of the Board, which,, he was sorry to say, was not in ,so satisfactory ai stite as the trustees could hare wished. The report j showed that' the expenditure on roads, bridges, 4c.,, amounted, to £228 7a. 3d. ; whilst the total receipts were £228 7,-<- 3d. I here is still owing from arrears' I of. ratqa £105 17s. 7d., ,and the liabilities of the Board amount to £122 13s. lOd. This expenditure! might seem high' to the ratepayers ; but they should take into consideration that the Board had had to work two years with ,one year's, r.ates, and it thould , also be known that the Board was heavily in debt; when most of the present 'trustees took office. " Mr. Bassett requested the Chairman to inform., the meeting what amonnt had been expended by the, Board, in postage and . "tatipnery, i Q forwarding to the different Highway Boards the circulars requesting their co-operation in petitioning ,the House of Representatives to pass the proposed' Shire Counties Bill. " " The Chaieman informed the meeting that the amount ailuded to was included in the total sum of r postage and stationery I ' , If was then proposed by Mr. Barbbtt, seconded, -by "Mr. Wilson, and earned, "That the meeting would beg to cajl the attention .of the auditors to an item in the account of the Whaingaro* Highway Board for postage and stationery, incurred on account of the political agitation commenced by the, trustees, which agitation, however good in itself, is quite foreign to the provisions of the Highways Act, for .the funds of the Board are sacred for one, and only one, purpose, that is, the improvement of .the highways of the district {.therefore we consider the item to be illegal, and ought not to be allowed." /Mr. Blandon then .proceeded to address the meeting, when a wordy altercation took place, Captain Johnstone, Mr. Kinnaird, and Mr. Barrett protesting that Mr. Blandon had no right to take a part in the meeting, Mr. Blandon claiming a right on behalf of Mr. McCraken, for whom he held a proxy. It was then moved by Captain JOHNSTONS, seconded by Mr. Bassett, and carried, to the effect that Mr. Blandon, who is not a ratepayer, had not a right to address the meeting. Mr. Biandon moved af aa amendment, and Mr. HUTCHISON seconded, that he had a right to do so, and, if he had not, according to the Act he was liable to a penalty of £20. The ameudment was put, and lost. Mr. Blandon declared, in spite of the resolution, that he bad a right ; but, to avoid contention, he would not speak. The Chairman; and others considered Mr. Blandon right. ' Mr. McDonald said he would vacate the chair if it was the wish of the meeting. ", Mr. Hill thought Mr. McUonald should remain in tue chair, and get on with the business of the meeting. , tie was sorry that the meeting had got .into so disorderly a ►tate. it was proposed by Mr. Wilson, "That Messrs. Savage and Einnaird audit the accounts." Proposed by Captaiu Johnstone, seconded by Mr. GILMOUR, "Tmt Messrs. Wilson and Kinnaird audit the accounts." Proposed by tMr., Wilson, "That Mr. M.H*«ant audit the accounts." Proposed by Mr. Hutchison, seconded by Mr. Moon, "That Messrs. Id ill and Kinnaird audit the accounts " Tftese two gentlemen consented t to act a* auditors. 'I he following gentlemen were then proposed as as. trustees f«r the eusmng year ;— Messrs. Gibbeson, Wilson, Hutchison, Haraant, McDonald, Moop, Kinnaird, Barrett, an A Wallis. Propose by Mr. VVH.SOX., seconded by Mr. Babsett, and carried, 'That two scrutineers be appointed to examine the proxies." Proposed by Captain Johnstons, seconded by Mr. ' Wilson, "That the proxies be read out to the meeting' Mr. Hill proposed, Mr. Savage seconded, and it was carried, " I'hab Mr. J. Moon and Mr. M. Harsant tie appointed scrutineer*." Mr. Hill requested to be allowed to address the meeting, and before doing so he wished to apologixe for the absence of Mr. Allwright, the Provincial Inspector of Roads, who had promised to accompany h i m to this district, bub was unavoidably, from prnssure of business, prevented from doing so ; but hoped to be able bo carry out his intention at an early date. Mr. Hill said he had, at no little inconvenience and some Uttte am uut of danger, attended the meeting. He had a abort time previously seen a letter published in the Southern Cross which he should, with the leave of the nveting, read to them, and at 'the same time make a few remarks upon it. (He then read the letter.) With the Brsfc part he could not agree. JJe had been at a great deal of trouble and some expense to orin a correct assessment roll for the coming year. He had attended at the Registry Office, until the officials must have thought him a nuisance. With the last part of the letter, he considered that he had as much interest in the district as others, and therefore as great a right to take a part in the proceedings as residents ; and he thought that the settlers ought to be glad to receive the absentees' rates. He liked the district ;he had only seen it once before, but on this his second visit he was more in love with it than before. While he lived in Auckland he would be happy to do all he could for the advancement of the district, but he hoped soon to become a resident of the country. Mr. Bill then wished to know the opinion of the proposed Trustees on the following subjects :—lst.: — 1st. That the Aotea Road being the main road through the Raglan district, it shall be the first cleared a chain wide its entire length, commencing at the Raglan end on Mr. Chamberlins land at Maungatawhiri, and that his Honor the Superintendent be immediately applied to for a grant of laud towards the same, in oonformity with section 3 of the Auckland Waste Lands Act, 1867. 2nd. That an arrangement be at once entered into with the Ma ris for the carrying out of the same, as well as employed generally by the Highway Trustees, in forming roads, whenever and wherever practicable. [Mr. Wallis «aii that he considered that, if natives were employed, ifc ought to be by contract.] 3rd. That the trustees will use every effort to getthf <

Government to open up proper roads into the Waikato country as well ai to Auckland by way of Port Waikato, and that they be solicited to at once put up necessary direction posts on the present West Coast track from Auckland to Raglan for the guidance of travellers'.' 4th. Should any new settler determine on settling on any land iv tbe district, and he is debarred from doing so from want of access to it, the trustees shall immediately assist him in cutting a track to enable him to do ao. [Mr. Hill here stated , that Mr. Saunders came here to settle, and bad to , return to Auckland from waut of, a road to get to, his i land. Mr. .HtJTOHisON, vjas of opinion that there, was < ,no M (dauB.e iv the Highways Act, that empowered, ta- , tees to incur debt ] stb. .That the trustees pip die j themselves to work harmoniously together for the r public welfare of the district generally, and that they will expend the rates iv the most economical manner without fear or favour. 6tb. That they will give J their most hearty co-operation to any practical , educational system that may be introduced for the , benefit of the children of the district. Mr. Htttchison considered that the educational, question was one to be decided by the ratepayers of , the distriot, and not by the trustees, Proposed by" Mr. Hutchison, seconded by Cap- , tain J. 0. w Johnstons, and .carried unanimously, " That the thanks of the settlers ' are due to Mr. T. B. Bill for the trouble and expense , he has gon* to in gratuitously oollectiog the rates, ,and ( in many other way,* forwarding the iuterets of , 'the district." Mr. Hill considered that no vote of thanks was , necessary, as he had only done' his duty— as it was the duty of everyone, whether resident or absentee, to do -what they could to promote the advancement of the 'district. .Tbe election were then proceeded -with, when tbe following gentlemen were declared Trustees for the, year 1868 :— Mr. Hutchison, 100 votes; Mr.<Gibbe-, son, 90; Mr. Barrett, 82; Mr. .Kinnaird, 72,; and ( Mr. Moon, 67. , It .was ,t;hen proposed by Mr., Wilson, seconded, by Mr. Babkett, and carried, '" That the rate be, an acreage rate." Proposed by Mr. Barrett, aeconded by Mr.! Hutchison, " That the rate be 3d. per acre." • Captain Johnstonk moyed an amendment that the rate be Id. per acre, as he considered that in the present depressed state of the times it was qrite sufficient, and that under the circumstances it was. even a high rate. ! Dr. Ears ant said that, in rising to second the, amendment, he considered that, Raglan never having been in «o depressed n state, a low rate ought to be levied. In another year times may be much more prosperous ; then a higher rate may te raised. Mr. Wilson considered that, although the settlers were not able to pay a high rate, yet Id. per acre was too low to do (any good — that it would not pay the debts aud working expenses of the Board — and he would move that the rate be 2d. per acre. Mr, Gibbkson seconded Mr. Wilson's amendment, and the result was that Mr. Wilson's amendment was oarried by the large majority of 83 to 51 votes. A vote of thanks having been given to the Chairman, the meeting terminated.