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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1349, 30 August 1883, Page 2

The question of calling public meetings on ihe requisition of a few ratepayers, is a matter which is causing some excitement just now on account of the farce of last Saturday. It is generally supposed that >ur Mayor has no option but to act in conformity to the wish of the requisitionists. But this is not so. It is entirely a matter for his judgment. He can, with equal right, refuse or grant the prayer of the petition. The requisitionists have, no doubt, custom, but no right on their side. If the rule were imperative it is obvious that great abuse would, no doubt, arise—such, for instance, as the one on Saturday night. No doubt His Worship felt somewhat awkward on this occasion, and we certainly must sympathise with him. But we ask him, for his <>wn sake, and for the s ike of all parties concerned, to set his face against this calling of public meetings for private ends. It cannot be doubted for one moment, but that the meeting known as “ Rees’s Meeting,” dso the last one, known as “Tutchen’3 Meeting,” was agitated for and got up solely in the interests of private speculative parties. The Bill is of undoubted public interest, not alone to this district, but to the civilised world. But it was not the importance of the Bill to the public, but its hearing upon private parties speculations that caused the monkey to instruct the cat in roasting nuts. To say the least, it was a mean and dishonourable trick, and alike discreditable to the monkey and the cat. Were these people not able to pay, there would be some metl od in their madness. We hope these last uwo lessons will act beneficially in regulating their future tactics. And we also hope that His Worship will, in the future, be careful and weigh impartially the pros aid cow.?, before he lends his prestige to any measure which is likely to produce more abuse and ridicule than honor. While on i this subject we invite some Councillor (we } would venture to name Cr Tucker) to confer a great benefit upon the Borough by bringing forward a motion, having for its object, something like the following :—His Worship the Mayor shall not call any extraordinary or special public meeting except under the following circumstances : (1.) Upon a requisition signed by (say) fourteen ratepayers ; 2. The said fourteen ratepayers shall deposit with the Mayor not less than (say) £10; 3. That all expenses of the meeting shall be paid out of the said £lO, and the balance, if any, handed back to the requisitionist who deposited the money ; 4. Should the Mayor neglect to comply with this rule he shall be held personally responsible for all expenses incurred. A measure of this sort would prove alike beneficial and productive of good both to His Worship and his fellow ratepayers.

That every rule (oven tnuL “ experience makes fools wino,”) has an exception, was amply demonstrated on Tm-sduy evening last. Mr TVTCIIEN, whom we pity as well as blame for not having profiled by his most recent experiences, again lent him-elf to a matter which resulted as is usual with all his public movements, in ridicule and disappointment. We ha 1 no cockatoo to shoot ; we were not to be bought by the promise of a calf ; but we were the contractors for the Borough advertising at so much per inch. Now, though there is no doubt, but what there are also exceptions to the rule that “ evil communications corrupt go id manners.” it was not shown in this case. Mr Tutchen has been in had, demo alising mmpany lately, which Has had the effect of his again lending himself as a “ cat’s paw ” to endeavor to scratch, not 7m en> niies. but the enemies of all wrong and chicanery. Mr Futciien lias himself narrated to us the pitiful appeals that has been made to him by Mr TIIOM'S Chrisp of the “ Toadeater’s Chronicle,” a‘*out the Borough advertisements. On that occasion Mr Tutchen expressed his scorn for tie pleader. Now, to make amends for past neglect ho boldly stands forth, and t wowing down the gauntlet, asserts he “ don’t rare if the Standard is down on him.” He n-xt unbosoms himself to the Council that he has b-en dcceiv-d, betrayed, and misled by that, journal not having set the advertise ments close enough. That more prominence had been given to Borough advertisem nts than private ones ; that he did not consider the Standard c miract such a catch afier all. In fact the gentleman sp nt as much eloquence upon thin occasion as would have immortalized his name had he but mounted the rostrum on Saturday evening and spoken up m a subject he knew equally as much about as the one he descanted upon on die present occasion. Though Mr Tutchen was so blinded by party spite, the rest of our sensible conn il ors could not but see that Mr Tutchen was not solely influenced by a desire to protect the public from loss. No doubt Mr Tutchen sought to kill two cockatoos with one stone on this occasion. He utterly faded to convince any councillor that he was not perpetrating a joke. “ All’s well that ends well.”