SPECIAL MEETING OP THE COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1851, 8 December 1874, Page 2

SPECIAL MEETING OP THE COUNCIL.

A meeting of the Council was held regarding the foreshore. Dr. Kilgour and Mr. Spencer remained.

Cr. Brown said the only action they could take in this matter was to appoint a committee to wait upon Sir Donald McLean and urge the necessity of handing the foreshore oyer as soon as possible, according to the promise which had been j made by Mr. Vogel. Ho looked upon this as their duty, and they should inform Sir Donald that the Municipality had been formed in anticipation of getting this and other endowments, and though it had been in existence 12 months, they had not received a penny from any quarter. Cr. Anthony said it was no use speaking to him about any other endowmeuta, such as land. ■-The Mayor said thoy could wait upon him about the foreshore. Cr. Macnab said the Council would remember that when His Honor was waited upon respecting the making of tha road along the foreshore to Sbortland, he j had declined to take it in hand himself, and referred them to the General Government. Hence their course was now to urge upon Sir Donald to expend a part of the public money upon this work. Cr. Butt said there was still a difficulty with the Natives in regard to the Poreshore, Native title not being extinct. It was clearly a question for the General Government. Dr Kilgour said the estimate of the Government Engineers as to the cost of the road appeared much above the mark —being over £10,000, and to be constructed of stone. They did not want such an extravagant work. Wood would answer in view of the foreshore being reclaimed, which would do away with, its necessity as a sea wall. The Mayor said the estimate of the Engineers was £10,000, and he had been assured by Mr McLaren that it was of wood. A Committee was appointed to consist of the Mayor, Ors. Brown, Eowe, Macnab, and Dr Kilgour to wait upon His Honor I regarding the foreshore. The Mayor considered that Mr McLean should also be asked to set aside some .land at Ohinemuri, or between it and the Thames for Borough endowments, or for the. whole district. Seeing that they had no endowments, and that the place contained a large population, they could not be expected to support the roads and other expenses out of the rates —their only income at present. If such land as he referred to could be put to no other purpose it would be useful for school endowments.. Now they had not a single acre of ground that could be set apart as endowments. Dr Kilgour thought that the suggestion of the Mayor was an admirable one, inasmuch as he could think of no request which would be more likely to meet with response. It embodied the very intentions of the Ministry of the day whose object it was to aid local bodies in carrying out the work of local self-government, in view of the purpose to libolish Provincial institutions in the Noirth Island. Cr. Brown said they had got a strong case in the subject mentioned by Dr Kilgour. Although this was a goldfield district, they had drawn \ very little for the repair and construction of goldfields roads, and they could not reckon upon obtaining another £1500; and if they did not succeed in obtaining some further endowments they could scarcely exist as a municipality. The meeting then adjourned.