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Star (Christchurch), Issue 5563, 10 March 1886, Page 2

A Motion Introduced in thk City Council meeting on Monday night, by Councillor Gray, was ruled out of order as a matter of course. Equally as a matter of course, Councillor Gray knew beforehand that there would be such a ruling. He had adopted a set plan for exposing what appeared to him to be a gross perversion of the principles of justice. In the earlier part of the evening, by means of a question, he elicited the information that 215 summonses had been issued against defaulting ratepayers. Later on, he disclosed hie purpose. The Finance Committee have to deal with defaulters, and evidently they had been pretty active in the discharge of this part of their duty. But it was Councillor Gray's contention that there had been groea partiality: the more gross because—it was understood— there were two members of the Committee who had not paid their rates, and who, by reason of their position, were chiefest among the sinners. The cap seems to have fitted one member of the Council uncommonly well, since he so far forgot what was due to the Civic dignity aa to launch out in a tonreat of personal wrectfre, Assuming, aa we may fewrly d«,

that Councillor Hosking was one of those* (specially aimed at in Councillor Gray* motion, we shall advise him, in his oim. interest, to do two things : first, to take care that his own rates are paid in future before he supervises the unpleasant process of grinding the faces of others; and m the second place, to exercise a somewhat better control over his temper, if he wishes to be regarded as at all fit to occupy a seat at the Council table.