CITY BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 111, 22 March 1864, Page 4

CITY BOARD.

'!'■> t.'ir F.dilor of the Xnw Zk.u.and I!i:i:.w.i>. j Sin, —As considerable misipprchcuriuii exists n- | jriii-Jiiis; the cause of my my seat at the I City Hoard, mny I request tin- favour of your inserting llio following explanation of (lie step T then took. I owe this (o the kind friends who elected unto represent their interests iu tliat JJoard. us well as lo myself. Immediately after tin? constitution of tin l Hoard. I sii«• that- if tin' Ijoardas it whole were (oallend k> the numerous matters l-cquii-iny consideration, that an unnecessary amount of time would be consumed : and wilh (lie view of remedying this evil I suggested that (lie members should be divided into three°coiiiluittees: and (liat each of these committees should have the charge of a certain portion of the business of tin- r.oiirr,. That suggestion was unanimously agreed 10. One of these eommiilees was the Finiince Committee ; flu' members of which were Mr. David Graham, Mr. Ashtou, and myself as chairman. Previous to the appointment of these, committee?, the Board had elected a Srcnlnri/ „,.■! f.,s/,;n; tmd that njlia-r hud found scauit,/JW t)n-J\iit!,M dheha,;jc of his </»,/,«. The Kinance Committee undertook the onerous duty of seeing that, t'ne books were properly kepi, and all (he (ransaeliotis of the Hoard regularly entered tlierein. This implied a considerable amount of time and trouble, devoted to these duties, and I as elinii-mim of thiit committee should have attended to these matters ,- but 1 could not allbrd so much lime as was necessary. Mr. (iraham was equally unable, and Mr. Aslii'on at our request undertook to do so.

In order to pve a sit! of power to accomplish what the committee had in \iciv, I to the Jioardlhat■ h..- slioutil lie called the 11,',,wra,- : , Treasurer of the Hoard, and this was agreed to." Since then air. Ashton has discharged his responsible duties lo (hi! I'Mtiri! satisfaction of tlio Kinam-e Committee, ami, as I understood, of the Hoard also, lie was not required to Mint security, because the oflleer responsible for the .»/, had already done so : or if he was liable to do so, i-ijuallv so were .Mr. Liraliain and nivself.

.So stood matters at 1 lie date of the liieetiu;: preceding till; last. At that liicctini;. at which I was unable to he present, a discussion arose between -Mr. Ashton and .Mr. Maeready 11 to fonn;'.tion of a street. In the course o( this discussion ilie hitter thought, that the former liad charged him with usinj; hi.s inlluence at the Hoard for pnsunal ends $ and as lie himself said to me " when my honesty is called in question, it is time for me to look outhe accordingly at the following meeting of the Board moved, (and aft Ha/It/ i/ut the stundimj order* mmjietHled to enable Aim to <b> an), "that -Mr. Ashton ami others lind security." As this motion was equivalent to one of want of conlidence in Mr. Ashton as the executive of the Finance Comimnec, ami, by i epli, alio::, in that comiiiitic" ; and it- ail tin* members prisciit were ill favour of ili.-u motion. I i'cit thai ! could no longer associate with parties uiio could thus, to sjvalif\ privnte feelings. assail the character of a fciiow number, and -o I residue.!. T 1 !"" v '•! i : - ,rl :