RATEPAYERS' REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Evening Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 39, 5 September 1882, Page 2

RATEPAYERS' REFORM ASSOCIATION.

* A meeting of members of the Ratepayera' Reform Association waa held in the Fir) Brigade Hall, Manners-street, last evening. After waiting three-quarters of an hour to see if more members wonld turn up, Mr. Quin, who oooupied the chair, aaid the meeting had been called for aeveral purposes, one of which was to see if they could not form a United Keform Association to bear upon the City Council, and exercise some oontrol over its power of spending money, lie waa persuaded for his own part that if the ratepayers were only united they could return fonr members to the City Counoil every year. In response to a call from the chairman, Mr. Pbihebick Baid he waa very pleated, aa it turned out, that he had formed one of the deputation which waited on the City Council

the other day. Notwithstanding the limited attendance that evening, at whioh he was anrpnaed, they must not be daunted. He waa very much astonished at tha debate whioh had taken plaoe in the City Counoil after the deputation had left. He had o«rtainly oipeoUd> little more gentlemanly oondnot from theae people in whoae hands thoy had placed the expenditure of the oily fnnda. From all quartern of theoity the; heard complaint*, and all aecmingly were of opinion that the ratea were being aquandered and that the drains were ilUwmßtrueted, and he trusted th«y would take aome offioient atepa to keep this mattsr prominently before tho OHy Counoil. He auggestod they should hold their next meattng at, Thorndon The speaker oonoluJod by giving an animated version of the "very nngentleinanly and very unbecoming manner " in whioh ha had been treated by Councillor Allen on the occasion of tho visit of tbe deputation to the Counoil. Mr. PirrcßD raid it had been stated by ono of the Councillor* tbat not one of the deputation had ever Been tho drain of which they oomp'ained. He (the speakei ) hud scon it throe timea a wedc, and it was his opinion that the work waa carried ont faithfully, but thut tho material whioh was put in was bad. Mr. Cabtib txflaiucd the construction of the oonorete blocks for the drain?, whiqh, he aasfrtod, were made of sand largely mixod with olay, whioh oaneed tho blocks to aofton when expoaed to water, and ao they wero worn away. Tho speaker oonoluded by an exhaustive oritioisin of the oonstruotion of the Bewers. Mr. J. H. SHAwohnraoterißod theootduot of Ctunailhre Gr> onficld and Logan on the oooasion of the visit of the deputation as arrogai.t and ignorant, and, with regard to Councillor Al'eii, said he thought he was a little more civilised than to treat a member of tho deputation in the manntr ho hod done ; but it seemed that the old Adam was still strong within him. He -suggested that this gentleman's oonduot, aa related by Mr. Petheriok, should be further vontilattd in Thorndon. The speaker brought his. remarks to a close by commenting on tb* capacity of the City Engineer, as evinoed by the state of tho city drainage, and by auggosting that for £800 a year tho Berviooa of a highly EoUntiflo man oonld be scoured. For his own part, ha thought that Mr. Baird'a anpointmost hod bei>n arranged beforehand, and the advertisements wore nothing less than humbug. After Botne further diaontsion it waa ultimately resolve 3, on the motionof Mr. Cautcb, aeoonded by Mr J. H. Shaw, to forward to the Counoil a oopy of the resolution appointing tbe deputation to wait on the Counoil to remonstrate with them as to the wsßto of Corporation funds, as shown by the bad drainage, for whioh the City Engineer should be held rospomibU, and tnupgeit tlmt an independent report should ba had at to the preaent state of the principal drains. As an alternative to tha above, the Association proposed that an enquiry be hfld, and that the Association be allowed to give suoh ovidonoe aa wonld prove tha troth of whit thoy had averted. This resolution was osxrtol. After resolving to hold the next meeting of the Association at Thorndon on Friday next, a vote of thank* waapnßßel to the Chairman, and tho meeting adjourned.