SOUTH DUNEDIN BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 8406, 6 January 1891, Page 4

SOUTH DUNEDIN BOROUGH COUNCIL.

A special meeting of the South Dunedin Borough Council was held last evening for the purpose of adopting By-law No. 7, as published ; present—the Mayor (Mr W. Wardrop), and Crs Marlow, M'Kay, Henderson, Coasens, Fiddes, Osborne, Baker, Fisher, and Chetwin. The by-law having been adopted, it was resolved to hold a special meeting of the Council on February 4 to confirm the said by law. The ordinary meeting was then held. CORRESPONDENCE. The Macandrew road School Committee wrote asking for permission to placo a culvert on the ditch in front of the school, and also asking for contribution towards the cost of the work,—lt was decided to refer the Committee to the opinion of the borough's solicitor—viz,, that the ditch was without the boundary of the South Dunedin borough. NOTICE OF MOTION, Cr Marlow gave notice he would move at next meeting a resolution effecting an increase on the price of hawkers' licenses. Cr Henderson here stated that owing to his having to attend another meeting he would be obliged to retire. A WARM DISCUSSION. Cr M'Kay then rose to move the following resolution.:—" That the clerk be instructed to produce at the next ordinary meeting of the Council a copy of all minutes, with letters, solicitors' bills of costs, and all documents relating to the law case Borough of South Dunedin v. Borough of Caversham." Cr Baker seconded the motion. Cr Osborne thought that the matter should go to a committee. Cr Fisher was of opinion that everything should be done in public in connection with this affair. There had been too much committee work, too much secret work already. —(Hear, hear.) Cr Marlow remarked that the spirit of the motion seemed to him to be that the proceedings should be made«public. Cr Cossens understood that Cr Osborne wanted a committee to discuss the matter and report to the Council. The Mayor stated that the matter had been before the Council several times already, and what he was prepared to do was that the whole thing should be discussed at a public meeting, and the decision of the people, who elected him to his present position, be taken. He would make a full explanation of tbe whole thing to the Council if they desired it. Beyond that he was not prepared to leave the matter in the hands of the Council at all, He would like them to appoint two or three of their number to go to Mr Haggitt and confer with him on the subject, or if they wished the whole Council could go, for he himself was prepared for the fullest investigation. He had intended seeing Mr Haggitt himself, but as his action might have been misconstrued he did not, Cr Cossens : There has been a lot of talk about the affair.

The Mayor: That's what I say. The Council have talked over the matter, and condemned me without sufficient grounds, and I say, therefore, they cannot decide in the matter.

Cr Fisher: The Council den'fc condemn you at all. They will arrive at their decision from the documents that are brought before them. The motion was then put to the meeting, and carried unanimously.

Cr Chetwin moved—" That Crs Cossens, Osborne, and His Worship the Mayor be requested to wait upon Mr Haggitt re bill of costs." Several of the councillors : What for ? Cr CHKTWiii: To get this matter cleared up. Cr Cossbns: We don't know anything at all about it yet. We haven't got the letters yet. Cr Chetwin: Well, if we don't have something from Mr Haggitt at next meeting we'll be as far off as ever. Cr Cossens then rose to give an explanation of the affair. He Baid that after the case between their own borough and the Borough of Caversham had been heard Mr Haggitt, their solicitor, sent in a bill of costs. In the bill there was an item for advising the Council not to take action. This item Mr Wardrop marked "not true," as he said there was a letter from Mr Haggitt advising the Council to go to law; but unfortunately that letter was missing, About six months ago an indignation meeting was held at which he (the speaker) waß chairman. At that meeting His Worship was charged with misleading the Council in regard to the'lawsuit against the Caversham Borough. In reply, Mr Wardrop produced a letter from Mr Haggitt advising the Council to go to law. That letter was about

a month out oi date, and was the lost letter to whioh His Worship referred at the meet* ing of the Council. The Mayor said that the unfortunate part of the business was that there was no minute kept of the Counoil's meeting whioh was held in connection w'th the affair. It was a matter of going to law with another council, and the proceedings could not in consequence lie made public. Everything that was done was done unanimously. There was no dissentient voice, and consequently there was no record kept. He was going to brirg the matter up himself, but had deferred owing to the holidays being at hand. He whs not going to speak on it that evening, because he did not feel disposed to; but when the proper time came he would express his views very fully. He would, however, mention that he considered Cr Cossens entirely ignorant of the whole affair. Cr Osborns said that at the indignation meeting, when he referred to the item in the bill of costs advising the Council not to take action, Mr Wardrop produced a letter, dated a month back, advising the Council to go to law. The Mayor stated that Mr Haggitt was of opinion, at the conclusion of the hearing of the case, that judgment would be in their favor. He characterised the utterances of the counsel for the other side as " bosh," and said the judge knew it. He (Mr Wardrop) was surprised that a firm of solicitors of :hat standing would repudiate a lawsuit which they had led them right into. Cr Osbobse: There has been some talk about records not being kept. Who is to blame for that ? An investigation should be made into the matter.

The Mayor : I quite agree with you. Cr Osborne : I will move—" That a committee, consisting of Crs Chetwin, M'Kay, Fisher, aud the mover, be appointed to investigate the manner in which the records of this Couuoil are kept." My reason for so doing, you:' Worship, are on account of a letter, datei June 24, which you addressed to the papers, and in which you stated that if a proper system of keeping records was in force, it would be impossible that you should retain any records of the Council in your possession. The Mayor : Yes. Cr Mablow seconded the motion.

Cr Fiddes: Do you mean to say, your Worship, that any man could go into that office and take out a letter or document without the clerk knowing it.

The M a\ or: Yes. Cr Osborne cited a case where he endeavored to get a letter to show to a ratepayer ; but the clerk refused point blank to let him have it.

The motion was then put to the meeting and carried, and the previous motion of Cr Chetwin, not being seconded, lapsed. Cr Osborne asked His Worship if he did not say tht.t he left the Council paying 6 per cent, interest on the overdraft ?

The Mator : I never said anything of the kind. I said that I was under that impression. Cr Cossens thought that His Worship made an ajscrtion.

The Mavtok : I did not. I was going to bring the matter up. I may say that I've come here to get these things investigated. There are several other things I want to bring up also, including the endowment. I toll you honestly, that if it had not been for these matters I would not be hero now.

Cr Osborne moved, and Cr M'Kay seconded, and it was carried—"That the Committee above constituted be instructed to obtain a statement of the rate of interest on overdraft paid by this Council for the last six years." Or Chetwin : There is evidently a lot of spleen at the bottom of all this.—(Laughter.) The mooting at this point became very disorderlj-, several of the councillors moving away from the table, talking and smoking in groups. The Mayor then moved, and Cr M'Kay seconded—" That the clerk be instructed to furnish a statement of the amount of overdraft since the mayor left in December, 1887, and the amount of overdraft at the time of taking office in December, 1890." The Mayor, having called the councillors to something like order, read the motion once mor<3. Several of the councillors dissented, stating it was imposing work on the clerk for nothing. Cr Fisher remarked that it was a mere quibble, and moved as an amendment—"That the question be adjourned to the ordinary meeting, to be held on February 2, 1891." Cr Marlow seconded the amendment, but the councillors all rose from their seats, and the meeting thus broke up before the mayor had an opportunity of putting either the amendment or the motion.