FOURTEEN-MILE BEACH GOLD DREDGING COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2433, 31 October 1900, Page 20

FOURTEEN-MILE BEACH GOLD DREDGING COMPANY.

A meeting of shareholders in the Fourteenmile Beach Gold Dredging Company was held on 24th inst. in the Dunedin Stock Exchange, and was attended by about 40 shareholders. Mr John Ewing was in the chair. The Chairman said this was a private meeting, and if there were any representatives of the press present, as hei thought there were, they should retire. None of them were present at his invitation, nor, he hoped, at the invitation of any shareholder. It was an entirely private meeting, and he did not want them to be present, because there might be things said that might be constiued as- libellous, and they did not want them reported. If they reported them they did so at their own risk. He was acting on a legal opinion, and .did not want anyone present to be prosecuted for libel. WJiat he said was the truth, and he was quite within the limits of his power in saying what he had said. Mr Steele : I think, considering the meeting is called by Mr Ewing lo consider the charges The Chairman: This meeting has not been called by me. Mr Steele: Well, I think it would be advisablo to hpve an independent chairman appointed, and would suggest that Mr Tapper take the chair. Tho Chairman : I have no wish to prejudice any one; but unlil it is the wish of the meeting for me to vacate the chair I will remain in it. Mr Thomas said that what had to come before the meeting was practically a ca3e of plaintiff and defendant, in which Mr Ewing was a party, and it was a wrong- thing to huve him as a judge of any one of the others. He moved that Mr Ewing vacate the chan-. The Chairman • I shall not vacate the chair until the meeting votes me out of it. I have a perfect right to be here; but if it becomesnecessary for me to do it 1 shall vacate. Mr M'Pherson seconded Mr Thomas's motion. The Chairman: Very well, the meeting can put it to the vote. Mr M'Pherson thought it vould he much better that the conducting ot the meeting should not be in the hands of anyone interested in. the questions that were likely to be discussed, and he thought the chairman and the local directors were in that position. The Chairman: Yes, but 1 am not going to have a chairman put into the chair who is antagonistic to me. Mr Thomas : Well, appoint your own chairman. The Chairman : I shall not vacate the chair until I am voted out of it. There are certain formalities that I understand better than Mr Tapper, or "anyone else. When it becomes necessary for mo to leave the chair I will leave it. Mr M'Donald said that seeing Mr Ewing had assumed the attitude he had he might mention that he never had been elected chairman of directors, aaid was not chairman of directors then. The Secretary (Mr Crawford), on referring to his beaks, said that the last meeting was held on ihe 18th December, and since then there had been no actual chaiiman of directors appointed according to the minutes. The Chairman: I was elected chairman of directors, and I have continued to be chairman of directors ever since, and until another chairman is appointed I shall continue to act. In order to solve the question, will anyone move that Mr Ewing be chairman ? Then we will have a straight-out question before us. It has been proposed that Mr Tapper be chairman. I -would ask some friend of mine to move that Mr Ewing be chr.unian. Mr Donnelly moved that Mr Ewing be chairman, and claimed that he was stiii chairman , Mr M'Pherson said they had two motions before them. It had been first proposed that Mr Tapper be cha-nman, and then that Mr Ewing leave the chair. He would like to know which they were to vote on 9 The Chairman: The first Is that Mr Tapper be chairman, but that was not seconded. Mr J. A. Kirby said he would second that motion. The Chairman: The whole question will be decided upqn the motion that Mr Ewing leave the chair. Mr Steele said his motion was seconded. Mr Talboys proposed that a show of hands be taken on Mr Steele's motion. The Chairman) : I am not satisfied with that because a great many shareholders are represented by piosy. I would ask that scrutineers be appointed. A single person objecting to a show of hands can ask for a poll to be taken in the proper way. The Secretary directed attention to the facl* that it took five to demand a poll. The Chairman : All in favour of demanding a poll. Four hands were held up, including the chairman's. The Chairman: All those in favour of me taking the chair to hold up their hands. Three hands wei'e held up, Mr Steele's motion that Mr A. Tapper take the chair was then put and carried, most of those present showing their hands in its favour. Mr Tapper then took the chair, and said he thought they had wasted quite sufficient time already. He had had no idea of occupying the position of_ chairman at the meeting. They all wanted this company carried on in a proper way. Apparently there had been charges and counter-charges brought by one side against the other, and he felt suie every shareholder was sick of the aflcair, and -would cry " A pest on both your houses/ This company was one of the best on the river, and if men were going to carry on like this, disputing just when the dredge was about to begin working, it was a shame. — (Applause.) He thought that as the charges were made by two directors against the other three directors, the way to have the charges laid befoie the meeting would be to let Mr. Ewing, who was the spokesman £or his party, make his charges, and the others reply, and' he felt sure that whoever was in the right would be exonerated, and whoever was wrong wouldbe agked to retire from the directorate. Mr Platts said there was the question about the press. They were going to wash a great deal of dirty linen, and there was nothing in it from a bus-mess point oi view. Ho thought the piess might be asked politely to retire, and that if it was suggested the meeting would take it up. He would like to propose that, under the circumstaJices, seeing the infoimalion to be gained could not be of interest to the public except as evidence of an unseemly dispute, the press representatives be -asked to

A shareholder seconded the proposition, which was carried, four hands being hejd up against it, and the reporters then retired.