TE ARO RECLAMATION.

Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 43, 19 August 1884, Page 2

TE ARO RECLAMATION.

SPECIAL MEETING OP THE CITY COUNCIL. A POLL TO BE TAKEN. Tho City Council mot at half-past 7 o'olook last evening, for tho purpose of disoussing the To Aro Reclamation question. There wcro present Councillors A. W. and 8. Brown, Donks, FitzQerald, Magiunity, M'Konzie, Miller, Nowinan, Vethonok, and Wilson. Councillor M'Kenzie was elootod to iho chair. Tho Town Clerk announood that a lottor had boon rcooived from tho Mayor, stating that his Worship had fully intended to bo present at the meeting that evening, but found himself quite nnablo to do bo, Doing very unwell. Councillor Maginnity roforrod to the deop interest ovinood in tho To Aro reclamation by the Mayor, and oiprossod his opinion that, in tho absenco of the head of tho Counoil, it would bo unwise for them to entor further into Ihe matter. Ho therefore moved that tho Counoil adjourn until his Worship was able to attend. Councillor FitzGerald— Till when P A Councillor A. W. Brown— For ovor. Councillor Maginnity's motion failed to find a Booonder, and lapsed. Councillor Fits Gerald said, having been themovor of the resolution which resulted in an adjournment of tho discussion of tills question, he did not wish to Bhirk the responsibility which, porhaps, fell upon him, and had therefore prepared a motion whioh ho intended to submit to tho Counoil. In oommon with other members of the Counoil, he felt somo anount of dissatia'aotion with the report of tho Finanoo Committeo on tho Bubjoot of tho roolamation. He rogrottod that he should havo to express hiimelf dig* satisfied with tho resolution of tho Publio Works Committee, founded upon the report of the Finance Committoo, beoaußO be had from time to time felt himself bound to a great oxtent by tho decisions and oonfer- , ences of the Finance Committee, whioh was oomposed of gentlemen who wero better acquainted with tho subjects of finanoo than ho was. Bnt he had felt it his duty to look into this matter, and had done so. It was not nooessary no w to discuss the quostion whothor the roolamation was desirable or not ; that point had beon determined by the citizens long before he obtained asoatattho Connoil, and tho citizens wished the work to proooed. (Hear, hear.) Sinoe the timo when the work was last tendered lor the Connoil, however, had beoomo awaro of a largo liability in respect to tho compensation claims of Messrs. Plimmer, Beeves & Co. j and they now had to faoo the question of what means tho Council possessed whorowith to carry tho work ont, and whother suou moans wore suffioiont to justify them in calling for tendors. It soomed to him that tho Finanoo Committeo had cither looked too brightly on tho proßpoots of tho immediate future in regard to tho reclamation, or thoy had not considered the matter sufficiently. Ho was inclined to tako tho former viow. Tho Finanoo Committeo told thorn there was a sum of £15,400, tho balanoe of a sum of £25,000 borrowed by tho Corporation. With regard to that loanho only wished to say, that had ho boon in tho Council at tho time, he doubted whethor ho would have approved of the man* ncr in whioh it was raised. (Hoar, hoar.) Howover, tho money had beon borrowed, and somo of it had boen spent— nearly £10,000. Then there wero tho claims of Messrs. Plimmer, Uoevos and Co., and Mr. Joseph, to oontidor, amounting to about £14,000. They had also an aotion by Mr. Corooran hanging over their heads, and there wore also the oiaims of Messrs. Hunter, Johnson, and possibly some others. No doubt it was.possible, in respoot to some of these olaims, to pay the amount of compensation in land, bnt at all events they oould not pay the costs in that way, and ho had no doubt that tho whole of these olaims would have the offeot of eating up nearly all the £15,000. As to the possibility of raising money on the roolamation itself tho Finanoo Committoo had not told them exactly in what manner it could bo raisod. It was said the money oould be borrowed from somo loan oompany, but ho did not bolievo the socurity tho Corporation oould offor to any loan company would ho saoh v to satisfy tho legal advisors of such oompany. For his part, he entirely disapproved of the proposal to call for tenders at once, unless they wero in a position to aooopt one ; they had no right to treat contractors in that manner. (Hear.) The matter was one for the citizens at large ; and if tho oitizens desired this work to prooood, as he believed they would, they would doubtless see the necessity of providing the funds. To this end he moved, " That the Mayor convene a mooting of the burgesses of the city and tako a poll as to the possibility or otherwise of raising a special loan of £75,000 for the oonstrnotion of tho Te Aro roolamation." Councillor Danka sooondod the motion, urging that the Connoil onght to lay the matter fairly before the burgesses, and leavo it to them. Ho believed tho ratepayers would consent to an extra rate of 3d in tho £, spread over a term of four years. Councillor Newman referred to the faot that t omo time ago tho oitizens had authorised a loan of £100.000 for this purpose. He suggested that tha Finanoe Committee should bo empowered to jnterviow some of the loan companies in this town to see on what terms a loan of £50,000 or £60,000 could bo raised. Councillor A. W. Brown rose to ask the chairman whether tho proposition of Councillor FitzGerald was an amendment or not. He held that the Connoil had met to disouss a reoommondation of the Publio Works Committee postponed from last meeting. The Chairman rnled that Councillor FitzGerald's proposition was in the nature of an amendmont. In reply to Councillor Newman, the Town Clerk gave his opinion that the Council oould not act on the poll whioh was taken somo time ago, as it wm abrogated by the To Axo Reclamation Act. Councillor Petheriok said he would like to move that the Mayor be requested to call a publio meeting to aeoortain whether the ratepayers were agreeable to the raising of a loan. Ho alluded to Connoillor Thompson's statement some weeks ago that he wonld bo ' prepared to come down with a scheme for the work at the proper time, and said Councillor Thompson had not kept his word. The Chairman pointed out that Councillor FitzGerald had already moved that a meeting of burgesses be called and a poll taken. Councillor Petheriok said ho was unaware of that. Councillor Miller— lt's time you woke up then. (Laughter.) Councillor FitzGerald 's amendment was thereupon read for the edification of Councillor Pethoriok, who eaid he wonld support a loan of £50,000, but thought £75,000 too muoh. Councillor Miller did not think Councillor FitzGerald's amendment went far enough, and spoke in favour of the work being started at tho beginning, and gone on with in a businesslike way. Councillor Wilson took the Finance Committee to task for not having brought down a scheme of ways and means in connection with the undertaking. Councillor A. W. Brown maintained that it was not tho duty of the Finance Committee to provide fnnds, pointing ont that, aocording to the resolution, thoy were merely asked to report what funds were available for the work. This oommittee had given te the Publio Works Committee a very lull and clear statement of what funds wore available, and had not therefore failed in their duty, but on the oontrary, were entitltd to some credit. The committee had kept the Council straight to some extent in regard to finance, and their banker had oomplunented them on the vastly improved manner in whioh the finances wore managed oompared to what they were some years ago. He suggested that Councillor FitzGerald should alter his amendment so as to fix the loan at £100,000 instead of £75,000, and to read that " the whole of the reclamation should be constructed." Councillor 8. Brown was one of those who considered that this reclamation, having been started, bad got to be finished (hear, hear), and he did not think the Connoil would be able to manage that in any other way than by obtaining the power of the citizens to raiso a loan. The Chairman said he was greatly in favour ef the proposed work, and had a lurking idea that it* postponement might lead to its being^shelvcd altogether. Councillor Maginnity complainod that the Council had treated the Mayor with scant courtesy in declining to adjourn until his Worship was able to attend. He proceeded to discuss the question at length, and, in criticising the action of the Finanoo Committee, employed a word whioh tho chairman characterised as disgusting, upon which Councillor Maginnity withdrew the offensive word and substituted another expression, to which no exception was taken. The chairman said tho whole of tho Connril rctr-ette«l the Mayor* absence and its Councillor Fitzueraid s amendment, as moved, wtCs then put to tho vote and carried on the voices, Councillor Maginnity's voioe alone being heard in dissent. The Connoil adjourned at 9.25 p.m.