UPROARIOUS PROCEEDINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3139, 27 August 1892, Page 2

UPROARIOUS PROCEEDINGS.

MEETING OF .RATEPAYERS AT CAMBRIDGE. Onb of the liveliest meetings that has been held in Cambridge for a considerable period, took place on Wednesday evening. Tho meeting was called by tho Mayor (Mr Webber) in response to a petition that had been sent in to hun asking that a public meeting might be called for the purpose of discussing the question of what are stated to be encroachments in Victoria-street. Tho Mayor presided and opened the proceedings by reading the advertisement convening the meeting. Ho then proceeded to state he did not think there was the slightest necessity to have called the meeting (prolonged cheers), for Mr Gwynneth who had been prominent in the matter, was well aware that the chief surveyor of Auckland, Mr Mueller, had piomised to send a Government surveyor to fix the lines of some of the streets, and he (the Mayor) ttnught that was all that was required as everyone could then fix the boundaries of their properties. Mr Gwynneth thought it a most unusual proceeding for the Mayor to make remarks upon the question to be discussed previous to other speakers. However, what he had said was perfectly true; Mr Mueller had promised that Mr Laurence Cussen should come and fix the lines of some of the streets. Mr Mueller had also examined plans of some of the streets made by him (Mr Gwynneth) and stated they were started from a proper basis. In Tuesday's issue of the Waikato Times there was a long letter from the Ven. Archdeacon Willis touching the matter in dispute. He did not think it wise for a man to adjudicate upon a case in which he was one of the culprits, he would advise the reverend gentleman to "stick to his last." The advertisement calling the meeting only appeared on Saturday, and the Archdeacon must have been very busy on Saturday or Sunday, writing the letter that appeared in Tuesday's issue, as it would have to leave Cambridge on Monday morning. He thought the Venerable Archdeacon would have been better employed preparing for his Sunday duties. Having made these preliminary observations he proceeded to refer to the so-called obstructions and said that 11 years ago, when the Church fence was about to be erected, ho pointed out to the Archdeacon the proper line of the street; yet in spite of that the Church fence was put about four feet outside that Mine. (A voice: 'And quite right!') Shortly after he (Mr Gwynneth) was Mayor of the town and when houses were burnt, he took care that the new ones were erected on the proper street line. Mr McFarlane and Mr T. Brown had both set back to the line, and they had repeatedly spoken to him about the others not being made to follow suit, and as the Borough Council did not seem disposed to take action in the matter he had taken steps to call the ratepayers together to give their views upon it.. He would ask no man to move a building until such time as it was being altered or repaired, but thought they should pay a slight acknowledgment. The Archdeacon in his letter said there was "no finality." Archdeacon Willis : Hear hear! Mr Gwynneth : I appeal to your Worship to protect me from interruption by the Archdeacon.

Mr Willis: I ask your Worship if I am in order in saying hear hear ! The Mayor ruled that Mr Willis was in order.

Mr Willis: I hope I know my duty as a gentleman better than to interrupt. Mr Gwynneth continuing said Mr Willis' letter stated that the matter affected every property owner in the town. That was not. correct. He did not think it "good form " for a minister to mislead his parishioners.

Mr McCann: Read the letter; lots of us have not read it.

Mr Gwynneth continued to read extracts from the letter, but the Archdeacon objected to portions only of it being read, so Mr Gwynneth read the whole of it. At the conclusion Mr McCann said : And a very good letter, too. At this point the fun became fast and furious

Mr Bach objected to the meeting discussing the letter; what they had met to settle was the encroachments.

Mr Gwynneth said he had been told the meeting would be packed to oppose him, bnt he had more faith in the people of Cambridge than to believe that the discussion would not be carried on in a fair manner. He would not ask that houses should be put back, but only fenoes. No permanent wire fences had been erected ; only temporary ones, An old fence near the Church, that to his knowledge had stood for 25 years, had lately been moved out to the line of the Church fence. Mr Clements

owned the ground, and he had not been consulted, and was astonished when he saw the feuce had been moved. (A Voice: He's the wrong man to object to getting the extra four feet without "parting.") Mr Nixon had set a quick fencp, but that gentleman had admitted to him that he knew he was on the road, and was quite willing to move it back when the others did.

Mr Nixon : That is not true ! Mr Gwynneth t-aid it was. Hβ knew the proper mad lines, and in a few years he might not be here, and the matter would be more difficult. No other surveyor outside of Auckland had as much knowledge of the borough roads as he had. The Borough Council did not seem disposed to do anything because Mr Mueller had promised to send Mr Cussen to look into the matter after he had finished some Piako work. He (Mr Gwynneth) knew that Mr Cussen had finished at Piako long ago, and was now doing work in Hamilton similar to that required in Cambridge. It was for the ratepayers to say if they would submit to the encroachments. The Borough Council had not done its duty; hence the steps he had taken. He then moved : " That this meeting is of opinion that the Borough Council should take immediate steps to ascertain by actual survey (by an authorised surveyor) of the several allotments on the west side of Victoriiistreet, between Queen-street and the Hamilton Road, and it they are found to be encroaching on the street beyond the limits prescribed in their title deeds, as registered in the Land Registry Office, Auckland, then the Mayor should take such action as may bo necessary under 'The Municipal Corporations' and ' Public Works Acts ' to ascertain the true line of the street aR originally surveyed." He only wanted the Council to do its duty, and have a proper plan of the borough prepared. He did not want the job, but he had offered to do it without cost to tho Council.

The Mayor : Yes ! on certain conditions, viz., without coso if you did not succeed in proving the encroachments ; but if you did

succeed, then we were to pay. Mr Gwynneth : Certainly ! Those who had encroached would havo to pay the costs, and the money would be just as well in my pocket as the Council's. (Laughter). The motion was seconded by Mr H. Kerr.

Archdeacon Willis rose to speak, but he was greeted with cries of " platform," so he went on to the stage. He said he did not intend speaking when he came tn the meeting, neither did he expect his letter to have been read : but Mr G-wynneth had mentioned his name so treely, and had made such very wild statements that he felt he must correct some of them. Indeed, when Mr Gwynneth stated he remembered the fence on the allotment adjoining tha church being up 25 years ago ; he (the speaker) could but wonder if Mr Gwynneth really remembered anything. The Archdeacon continued : Many of you will remember the fence being erected (cries of ' Yes !'), for it was only put up about ten or eleven years a»o. When the new church fence was erected, some of the old material was used to fence the allotment, which up to that time had been open. Mr Gwynneth still persisted he remembered the fence being up a. quarter of a century ago, but he was greeted with loud cries o? ' No !' Mr Willis said Mr Gwynneth might have spoken to him about the church fence line, but if ao he had forgotten it. But even if Mr Gwynneth had pointed out what he considered the proper line of road, would the church people be likely to set the fence back when their rfwn surveyor hail marked out the fence line for them. He thought it wae not gentlemanly of Mr Gwynneth to try and make out that, because he (Mr Willis) was a clergyman, he should not be a citizen and take part in what was of interest to the whole community. He might further enlighten Mr Gwynneth and inform

him that they agreed aa to the observance of the Sabbath, and consequently he (the Archdeacon) wrote the letter Mr Gwynneth liad read to them in the early hours of Monday morning, when his Sunday duties were over. He apologised for having troubled the meeting, but said he could not let such an nngentleinanly attack as that made hy Mr Gwynneth upon him pass without replying. Mr Arthur Bach said they had heard Mr Gwynneth say a good deal about the encni.vjltmeiits, as he called them ; but why was it that, when he was Mayor of the

town, he did not take step.-: to remedy tho evil.

Mr Gwynneth : I did ! Mr Bach : I have searched the minutes and can't find any record of it. Mr Gwynneth ■ I was not clerk. Mr Bach: Soon after Mr Gwvnneth was made Mayor he had a Mayor's office omit at •i cost of abont £30; then he was vntod a -alary of £50 (which none of his successor* have had) and nearly £120 was spent upon the saleyards ; so altogether there was un expenditure of nearly £200 during his term of office, that does not return the ratepayers one per cent i'i>"» the outlay. At this point Mr Gwynneth objected to Mr Bach proceeding without ho moved an amendment. , r After an excited disclaim between Mr Gwynneth and several of the audience, MiBach to settle matters, moved as an amendment: "That tho q-.iestion of encroachments be left to the Borough Council t. de-il with." lie was sure the Council was quite alive to the facts of the case ; but he did not think any of them would wish to destroy the church fence, for it was an ornament to tho town. Mr Mueller had said the street boundaries were a dangerous matter to touch, and he doubted if even the Government would undertake to alter C hem.—The amendment was seconded by Mr J as. Young. „ T , ~ Mr T. Wells upheld Mr Bach .* contention, that the boundaries were a dangerous thing to touch ; it w> uld be better to Me* j sleeping dogs lie." When he was on the Town Board he had consulted Mr Farcy Smith about the variations of the different surveys, and Mr Smith said it must settle itself He had also seen t'oren Ministers about it and they had all advised lotting it go Most blocks in the town had too much land in them. Certain blocks of stone for guidance had been put down in Victoria street, and he had no doubt if Mr Mueller were asked, he would cause more blocks to be put in, from which to measure, and that was about as near as thev could hops to get to a solution of the difficulty. Many of them would remember that years ago the Town Board had a difficulty with the owner of the Masonic Hotel, and the Board thought thev might fix the matter up, if, as the Board believed, they could prove that the hotel encroached upon the street, lhey tried it, but they found that where they could get two surveyors to swear it was on the street, Mr Clements could find four to swear it was not; so the Board had to give

in and pay. Mr A. Clements then went upon the stage and commenced a violent attack upon the late Town Board which gradually turned into a personal attack upon Mr Wells. Mr Clements had evidently misunderstood Mr Wells' remarks, and being aware of that fact the latter gentleman wisely refrained from replying. Mr Gwynneth then replied and said it was evident he had taken action when he was Mayor for some buildings had been set back during his term of office. He had brought the matter forward and had done his duty. If the ratepayers wished the encroachments to continue he was satisfied. The Mayor then put the amendment which was carried by 29 to 1 (some said 32 to 2) amidst prolonged cheering. A vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding, and to Mr Gwynneth " for the evening s amusement," closed the proceedings.