BLENHEIM BOARD OF WORKS.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 99, 1 February 1868, Page 4

BLENHEIM BOARD OF WORKS.

A special meeting of the Board was held on Thursday evening last; Messrs. Bythell, Warner, and Nosworthy were present. Mr. Bythell took the chair.

The minutes of the last meeting (Dec. 19tb), having been read and confirmed. The Clerk said this was a special meeting called in accordance with the advice of two of the members, who were not yet come.

Mr. Hogworthy thought it was no use doing anything with respect to enforcing a rate, unless a full Board was present. The Chairman agreed with this view, and said the rates were now legally owing, but were not coming in, while the claims upon the Board were becoming pressing. The Clerk would require power to sue before he commenced proceedings. The Clerk said he had been informed that a number of persons were determined to contest the rate, if enforced, while there was no funds to go to law with. A conversation here took place as to the Municipal Corporations Act, in the course of which Messrs. Henderson and Dodson arrived. The principal provisions of the Aet, and their probable bearing on the town, were partially considered It was agreed on all hands that the principal of rating, by taxing improvements, was objectionable, the Act laying it down as a sine qua non that the rate should be levied on the annual value of the property. A number of calculations in illustration of the working of the Act, if applied in Blenheim, prepared by the Clerk, were examined by the Board. Mr. Nosworthy said the subject should be well considered, and it was one worthy of attention. The Chairman (Mr. Henderson) put it to the meeting whether it would not be the best way to call a public meeting and lay the whole matter before it. They were sent there by the public in the public interest, and had done their best to perform their duties. If they considered it would be well to give up altogether, they could then, resign their trust again. Mb. Dodson had heard it asserted that the town needed no Board; but for his part ihe thought otherwise, and would do his best to keep this up, or put a better one in its place. | After some further conversation, Mr. Dodson moved “That the chairman should convene a meeting of householders and property owners for the - purpose'of taking the Municipal Act into consideration on Tuesday, the 11th. February, at 7'30.” They could then take the sense of the meeting as to what coarse should be pursued. If a majority considered that we should do better without a Board, or with the new Municipal Act, then let it be adopted. Mr. Bythell seconded the motion, which'was 'carried nem. con.