The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, l886. THE TEMUKA TOWN BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1491, 10 April 1886, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1886. THE TEMUKA TOWN BOARD.

At the last meeting ol the Temuka Town Board Mr Michael Quinn umved, and Mr George Mason seconded, a resolution to the effect that for the next three months after the first ol May next the advertising of the Board should be given to the Tiraaru Herald ntlead of the Temuka Leader. There were present besides the mover and seconder MrK. F. Gray (Chairman), and Messrs Blyth and Brown, Mr Gray before putting the resolution asked whether there was any 'amendment, but no one replied, and the motion was put and carried, no one making the slightest remark with the exception of the mover and seconder. We understand that Mr Gray disclaims any knowledge of any previous arrangement to carry this resolution. Ha has also expressed him self very much and annoyed at the resolution having been carried. He has not the reputation of being spiteful, and we feel inclined to belu-ve that he has had nothing to do with it. He, however, left room for doubt when be did not utter one word against it until it was carried. The reason Mr Quinn gave for taking this course was to encourage what he called “ lokul industhry,” by which we presume he meant local mdaslry. Mr Quinn is a butcher, and if Timaru butchers were invited by the people of this town to come out herewith their meat, would ho think they were supporting local industry 1 Mr Mason is a saddler, Messrs Brown and Blyth are coal and timber merchants, and Mr Gray is an auctioneer, and we ask the same question of them ; Do they honestly thick that the best way to encourage local industry is to send the money to Timaru t There are nine persons employed on this paper, and there are several other persons dependent on them. All these consume meat and firing, and of course get them from the local men. Yet these local men “take the means of buying these articles away from the Temuka Leader people and give it to the Timaru Herald.” This is bow they encourage local industry. How can they complain of people going to Timarn for their goods when they sot such a bad example ? There is one consolation. The amount we received from the Board from the Ist of April, 1885, to the Ist of April, 1886, was £5 16s, and of that sum 15s was for priming. To support “ lokul industhry ” this is to be sent to Timaru. This is not enough to make os angry. Let it go. There are, however, a few facts we desire to point out. The Board was brought into existence by the proprietor of this paper. Those who constitute the Board did not know there was such an Act in existence as the Town Districts Act until we brought it under their notice. The proprietor of this paper, in company with Mr Ashwell, also took his pasto»pot and brush round the town, and pasted up the posters calling the first meeting to get up the petition to constitute the Town Distric t. He also is. a ratepayer in the town,, Does not ibis gDre him a claim on the Board 7

Anil furthermore, will those members please remember the time when the by» laws were made f May we remind them that daring the first three months of the Board's existence their meetings were characterised by outrageously disorderly conduct on the part of Mr Quinn. The facts are these : Under the County Council hotel licenses were only £BO, but immediately the town was proclaimed a Town District, the law required that these licenses should be increased by £lO. Mr Quinn was then a publican, and this touched him on a very sore part. It was Mr Gray, acting as Chairman, who first suggested that the licenses should be raised, and for this Mr Quinn attacked him outrageously at ev«ry meeting for some time afterwardi. Be went as far as to tell Mr Gray h« was taking money by mrans of false pretences Such was the state of affairs during the forming of the by-laws ; the proverbial beargarden was nothing to the Board j room ; the conduct of Mr Quinn was frequently so violent that Rome of those presant feared that there was something wrong with it. Is it any wonder that by-'aws formed under such circumstances as these were defective ? Had Mr Qojon

behaved properly, the probabilities are that die by-laws would have bpen made properly. But really it was impossible for tlie Board to do the work properly when their meetings were a succession of most violent rows: all because the pablic-house licenses were raised £lO a year. There can be no doubt but that Mr Qninn wns largely to blame for the by-laws being bad. This fitato of things went on for several months, and at last the other members got tired of it, and it was whispered that (hoy would have tt resign in order to get rid of Mr Qninn. Seeing the critical position of affairs, we published an article on the subject, and eTer since Mr Quinn has behaved 1 well. Wry frequently since tlio other members have expressed th-ir eratifleation at the change in Mr Quiun's conduct, and hare given the article we published credit far it. Since then the hatred Mr Quinn has entertained for the proprietor of this paper has known no bounds. He has been simply fearful in his hate, and has allowed no opportunity of giving us annoyance to pass, but we have never tak'ii any notice of him. We have had many opportunities ot doing so. The effigy burning, for instance, gave us a good opportunity, but we let him alone. Apparently the less we interfere with him the worse he gets. Like Miles Malone, he is evidently " blue-moulded for the want of a batiu','' but let him go on.

Finding that the members of the Board were irritated on account of the In-laws, he has worked upon their feelings till he was able to get them to assist him in giving effect to his spite. Mr Quinn's conduct in the first instance bad a great deal to do with the bj*laws being badly made ; some of the members have admitted this privately, and yet" now tbey have turned on the man that forced Mr Quinn to conduct himself properly.

And i.ow, What does this mean to the town T The price we charge for advertising is 3< p<r inch for the first insertion, and Is b'd for subsequent insertions. The price of the Timaru Herald is Ss per inch for every insertion, »nJ as lf>cal bodies gfln«rally give three inserti< ns. ev«ry inch advertisement, will cost the ratepayers 3a more than if they advertised locally. We also <-ffthl to advertise the bylaws for half-price, and so far have done so. N»w that they have given the advertising to the Timaru Herald, they will charged full price for the by-laws, which will have to be rc-advertised some time nfxt month. That will be about £5 extra to the ratepayers in one lump, but of course to put a couple of pounds ou< of the way of this paper is worth it. Tb<' matter is too potty to bother about, but we deem these few remarks due to ourselves.