THE CAVERSHAM MAYOR’S SALARY.

Evening Star, Issue 7431, 28 January 1888, Page 2

THE CAVERSHAM MAYOR’S SALARY.

This is still a subject of dispute among opposing sections of the local Council, and at last night’s meeting an attempt was made to raise the question for further discussion. In anticipation that there would be some lively proceedings there was a rather large attendance of ratepayers, and expectation was on tiptoe when Cr Cole rose and said that he wished to bring up a matter that affected the Mayor, and would move that the Mayor leave the chair. The Mayor, however, promptly suppressed the malcontents by ruling Cr Cole out of order, and positively refusing to leave the chair. Cr Cole replied that he had consulted the Act, and had taken legal advice on the subject, and maintained that he was in order. Would the Mayor still rule him out of order ? The Mayor : Yes ; we’ll go on with the business, gentlemen. Cr Cole asked if the

matter was going to be allowed to pass off in that way, and appealed as to whether it was proper for a man to arbitrate on a ques--011 that concerned himself. The Mayer repeated that lie ruled Cr Cole out of order, and refused to leave the chair. After other business had been transacted, Cr Cole returned to the fray, saying that he wished to have his protest recorded against any money being paid to the Mayor as s ilary, on the ground that such payment was illegal. Cr Taverner objected to the statement that the action of the Council was illegal, and asked that the section of the Act be read, Cr Rutherford thought that any councillor had a right to express his opinion in the form of a protest, whether that opinion was right or wrong. The Mayor said that Cr Cole had _ already virtually protested against the action taken, as he had voted against the confirmation of the minutes of the meeting at which the resolution was passed. Cr Cole expressed his willingness to eliminate the latter part of his protest, and would move it in this form: “I hereby protest against any sum being paid to the Mayor as per resolution passed on December 23,” Cr Nutting said he had expected this difficulty would have been got over in a very simple way—namely, by the Mayor announcing that, under the circumstances, he could not accept the money. That would have removed all unpleasantness, aud then it might have been brought forward again, and the salary voted by something like a respectable majority instead of being given by a catch vote. It was known that one councillor had come a long way to vote : on the subject. Cr Taverner said he had come a good distance to vote for the salary, but ho would have done so no matter who had been Mayor, and had for two years consistently voted in this direction. Cr M’Laren and others made short speeches on the subject; but when matters were apparently approaching a crisis the Mayor left the ; chair, and the councillors one by one dispersed,