PUBLIC MEETING.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 49, 27 July 1874, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING.

A meeting convened by the Mayor in accordance with the following requisition, was hold on Friday night at the Oddfellows’ Hall:— “To his Worship the Mayor of Christchurch. We, the undersigned ratepayers of the city of Christchurch, request you will call a public meeting, in order to obtain an expression of public opinion as to the advisability of petitioning the General Assembly to pass an Act, whereby the fees of the various licenses arising within the boundary of any city or borough may form part of the revenue of the respective municipalities.” There was a very small attendance. His Worship the Mayor occupied the chair and briefly stated the object of the meeting to be the obtaining of an expression of public opinion as to the advisability of petitioning the General Assembly for the handing over of the fees arising from licenses for the revenue of the city. A letter was read from Mr H. J. Tancred. apologising for non-attendance on account of indisposition, but expressing his sincere sympathy with the movement. Telegrams were also read from the Mayors of Wellington and Auckland, stating that petitions were going from those municipalities to the House of Representatives, asking for the granting of the fees to the City Councils. The chairman then called upon Mr William Wilson to move the first resolution.

Mr Wilson said that all they that evening wanted was to get for the cities of New Zealand those privileges which were granted to the municipalities of Australia. The resolution ho had to propose was as follows: “ That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that fees arising from various licenses and taxes on dogs within the boundaries of any municipality should form part of the Borough Fund.” They were aware that a bill to effect this object had been rejected by the Provincial Council, but this was principally owing to the preponderance of stockowners and chairmen of Road Boards in the House, He would desire to point out one thing, and that was that a few sessions ago the Provincial Government had granted the sura of £20,000 for the Ashburton district, which district had not rated itself one single penny, and yet this large amount was handed over to this district, while the municipab'ty of Christchurch had never received anything like this amount from the Provincial Government. In order that the meeting might know who their friends and who their enemies were, he would read them the division list on the occasion of the Bill being lost. [ The speaker here read the division list.] In the municipality of Otago the revenue resulting from the rentals of property and fees such as those they required amounted to £22,000. He trusted to see the petition largely signed, as if these fees were handed over to the City Council they would be enabled to carry out works which they now could not, and it would also lighten the very heavy rates now imposed. He begged to move the resolution as read, [Cheers.]

Mr H.W. Packer seconded the motion. He considered that the appeal to the General Assembly was a right and proper thing, as it was a fair and unbiassed tribunal to which to refer the matter. What they asked for was no new thing ; it was granted to the municipalities at home, and why should it not be done here ? He failed to see that there was any difference. Dr Turnbull said it seemed to him that so soon as the cities or municipalities came forward to govern and tax themselves, the Provincial Council seemed to wash their hands of them, and look upon them as outside the province entirely. This, it seemed to him, was a usage against which the municipalities should have long ago protested. The larger number of the population hecontended were resident in or connected with the municipalities, and yet what did they sec, why that a district like Lincoln, with a handful of inhabitants, received £3OOO per annum, while Christchurch, with its 10,000 inhabitants, received nothing. AVas the distribution rrpon the principle of rates collected? Then Christchurch alone raised within its own boundaries £3OOO more than all the Road Board districts. In Lincoln the amount raised during the past year in the matter of rates was £221, while Christchurch raised £BOOO. Then again as regarded the contribution of Christchurch to the general fund, Christchurch had contributed over £IOO,OOO to the stock, and he challenged all the Road Boards around Christchurch to say that they had done as much. [Cheers.] It was time now for the boroughs to make

themselves heard. [Cheers.] He said it would pay the municipalities bettor to ask the General Government to take the Land fund and distribute it instead of the L’roviucial Government. They would not be any worse treated than they were now. Whenever they made application for assistance they were met by contempt and ridicule, but if the 80.000 people who dwelt in the towns and cities of the province wont to the General Government and asked t hem to take over the land fund and distribute it with justice and equity—which they could not look for from the Provincial Government —then the stockowners and chairmen of Road Boards would look upon them very differently. [Cheers.] There could be no doubt, however, that the keynote of all their troubles was insufficient representation of the city in the Provincial Council. (Cheers.) It was absolutely ridiculous for the two representatives of the city to stand up in the Provincial Council against the thirty-three others on any question affecting the distribution of the large revenues. The members of the City Council worked zealously and well for the benefit of the citizens, and it was hard that their efforts in this respect should be thwarted and treated with contempt by the Provincial Council, ignoring the large population now growing up in the city, (Cheers.) The motion was then put, and declared to be carried unanimously. Mr Henry Thomson then moved the next resolution as follows :—“ That the action taken by the City Council in this matter be approved, and that the following petition from the ratepayers of this city be adopted for presentation to the General Assembly, and that the members for the city be requested to support the prayer thereof.” The petition which he would read was as follows :— : ‘To the Honorable the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled. The petition of ratepayers of the City of Christchurch, humbly sheweth, —That there is a large amount of expensive work to be performed to complete the formation and metalling of streets, belts, and for erecting bridges and other urgent and important works. That owing to the increase of buildings and population, and as a means for prevention of crime, it is necessary to have the whole of the city lighted at night. That the City Council is borrowing a large sum of money under a Special Act to carry out a system of drainage. That we, the ratepayers, are already heavily taxed. That we, the ratepayers, humbly submit that the fees arising from licenses granted to auctioneers, hotelkeepers, merchants, pawnbrokers, and taxes on dogs within the boundary of each municipality, should form part of the borough revenue, as in the case of the Otago province. That we, the ratepayers, therefore humbly pray that your Honorable House will be pleased to pass an Act securing to each municipality the feesabove referred to.” That was a petition in which all he thought would concur, and he felt sure that those present would allow that the City Council, and especially his Worship the Mayor, were entitled to the best thanks of the ratepayers. [Cheers.] His Worship had been the first to moot the question at the recent election, and it was a pity that he had not been returned. [Cheers.] Mr John Anderson seconded the resolution. They were asking only for their rights, and what he considered they were justly entitled to. He might say that when recently on a visit to Australia he made it his business to ask whether the municipalities received these fees. On enquiry, he found that they received them, and where there was no land fund a sum was handed over to them. The City Council, though now borrowing £IB,OOO. and having power to do so up to £85,000, were still unable to do many urgent works, and it was a matter of impossibility for the City Council to make roads and footpaths, which were much wanted, because they had no funds. He hoped, therefore, that seeing these facts were well known by all, the ratepayers would come forward and sign the petition to the General Assembly, asking them to do that justice to the cities which the Provincial Council had refused to do. [Cheers ] The resolution was then put and agreed to unanimously. Mr Jameson came forward to move the next resolution, If the Provincial Council considered that the interests of the province outside the city deserved more respect than those inside, it was their duty to look after themselves. Ho moved —“ That the Mayor be requested to take the necessary steps to carry out the foregoing resolution with as little delay as possible.” The Mayor said that before putting this resolution he would ask the town clerk to read a telegram which had just been received from Dr Foster.

The town clerk then read the telegram as follows :

“ Revenue Bill. Government objects to Bill. Richardson now declines to take charge of the Bill. Stafford approves of the Bill and will support hereafter, but distinctly advises against pressing it now. No one supports under the circumstances. Withdraw the Bill.” C. J. Foster.

The Mayor explained that Dr Foster was in Wellington in charge of the Bill, and Mr Richardson, the member for the city of Christchurch, had been asked to take charge of the Bill, and had agreed to do so ; but as they would see from the telegram he now declined to do so. [Hisses.] He might say that Mr Montgomery had also advised the withdrawal of the Bill. But while doing this, he hoped the ratepayers would not relax their efforts, but -would let the Government see that the people of Canterbury were in earnest, [Cheers.] Mr John Lee seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The meeting then dispersed after a vote of thanks to the chair.