A WELLINGTON COUNCILLOR ON REFRESHMENTS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3374, 26 January 1884, Page 2

A WELLINGTON COUNCILLOR ON REFRESHMENTS.

A Wellington contemporary has the following :—“ The refreshment accounts still seem to trouble Cr Petherick, Last evening he moved for returns showing what sums had been paid for the Wainui-o-mata waterworks loan, and among the items he ; wished it to be shown were included the “ amounts paid for cab and other carriage hire and refreshments." He complained that when he had previously moved for valuable returns like these he had been treated by the Council with derision, and the information was refused him. He himself had never participated in these trips to Wainui-o-mata,and consequently had not disqualified himself as councillors had done, by voting money for their own bellies. (Laughter.) He found that sixpence was actually charged for a bottle of lemonade, and six shillings for a bottle of whisky. (Cr Maginnity, derisively, “ Monstrous !’’) Altogether he believed a hundred thousand pounds had been thrown away unnecessarily. (“Oh, ohl” and laughter.) Or Petherick’s motion for the returns was seconded by Or Fitzgerald. The Mayor pointed out that until the waterworks were finished the returns would be of an incomplete character; he therefore urged Or Petherick to withdraw his motion for the present. In any event he did not think the returns coul||J.be rendered so comprehensive as to show the one bottle of lemonade at sixpence. (Laughter, and Cr Petherick—“Oh, there are dozens of them.”) Cr M'Kenzie did not think Cr Petheriok’s statement ought to go uncontradicted that a hundred thousand pounds bad been wasted by the Council. (A voice—“No one takes any notice of him,”) After other remarks the motion was withdrawn, leave being given by a majority of 3."