SOUTH DUNEDIN MUNICIPALITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1296, 30 September 1876, Page 17

SOUTH DUNEDIN MUNICIPALITY.

The ratepayers of South Dunedin held a meeting in the Forbury Schoolhouse on the 25th, to consider the action of the Municipal Council re borrowing L3OOO. There were about 100 present— Mr J. Oaband presided.

The Chairman, having explained the reason for convening tho meeting, called upon > Mr James Hardy, who moved— "That, in the opinion of this meeting, the Mayor and Council have betrayed the confidence of the ratepayers in having led them to beb'eve that the ratepayers would be consulted before borrowing more." He strongly deprecated the course of procedure adopted by the Council, i > Mr Barrowman said the Council had done nothing underhand. They were quite willing to accept the opinions of the ratepayers. They had come to the resolution to borrow in' & proper manner, and when they had a fair opportunity to negotiate a loan. They could borrow fully L4OOO more, and at a greater advantage than any other Municipality in the Colony. When Abolition came into effect they would not be able to contract a single loan without going to Wellington. <T A Ratepayer : A good job too. f f Mr Barrowman remarked that it was not & good job when it kept them 1 weltering in .the mud. , Mr W. Harkness seconded the resolution; f Mr Thomson said the Council could borrow any amount of money by getting the sanction, of three-fifths of the ratepayers. , /T The resolution was put, and 30 voted for it There being no amendment, the result was r£ ceived with vociferous cheers. -■ i ¥*£' Downey , at^ ed that to his own knowledge the Council held the meeting at which! to borrow the money earlier than usual in order; to blind the ratepayers. As a fact, the Mayor had made arrangements to borrow the money before ontering the Council Chamber. Th'ev were already L2OOO in debt, and owed L4OO : to Caversham, towards the payment of which the whole of last year's rates (L 300) were devoted They simply wanted to widen Moloney's Road.— (Cheers.) What was there on the South Dunedin road. Was there a Btack of firewood there, or a bushel of wheat ;6r; 6r pound of butter ? No, there was nothing thete but tor them to commit suicide and jump Into the sea. Any action towards widening the road would be premature. Let the City Council do their share towards widening the road as far as Tim Hayes's, and the Caversham Council ■&> their share hefore South Dunedin interfered He proposed— " That this meeting desire to express their surprise at the conduct of their Councillors refusing to give a detailed statement of the financial transactions since its formation. Although a motion was put forward for that purpose it was lost, and the reasons given ngainst it-^chiefly by the Mayor— was that it wonld entail too much trouble on the Town Clerk.^ Such conduct was .(Hisses.) Mr Geo. \vybar seconded the resolution " Mr Hodges denied that the Council did airy public business secretly, or met any earlier to consider the matter of borrowing. }f t Mr Naumann also apoko. He characterised it as a great injustice to those who represented them to pass such resolutions. When the proposal to borrow L3OOO was mooted, not a single ratopayer in his ward objected to it. ' • There being no amendment to the resolution, . • . Tne Chairman declared it to bo carried. '. Mr P. K. Leyden moved, »nd Mr &. STRAOHEtf seconded—" That in the opinion '6t this meeting the Mayor and Council are not competent to deal with our public money-mat-ters, seeing the shameful way in which jthev have spent the same in the past, and tho loose manner in which they pass works." " „', The motion was put amidst confusion, and declared by the Chairman to be carried: i ;