APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES OF INVERCARGILL MUNICIPAL SINKING FUND (CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1879 Session II, H-24

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Sess. 11.—1879. NEW ZEALAND.

APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES OF INVERCARGILL MUNICIPAL SINKING FUND (CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. The Town Clerk, Invercargill, to the Hon. the Colonial Secrktarv. Sir, — Municipal Offices, Invercargill, New Zealand, 12th February, 1879. 1 have the honor, by direction of the Municipal Council, to request that you will be good enough to move His Excellency the Governor to nominate John Dalgleish, Esq., and William Horatio Hall, Esq., as Trustees for the Invercargill Municipal Sinking Fund, vice Sir John Bichardson, deceased, and Mr. Wood, left the colony. I have, &c, J. B. SCAKDBETT, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Town Clerk.

No. 2. Mr. G. S. Cooper to Mr. P. Dalrymple, Invercargill. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 28th February, 1879. 1 am directed to forward, for your information, a New Zealand Gazette of yesterday's date r containing on page 296 a notification of your appointment by His Excellency the Administrator of the Government to be a Trustee of the Invercargill Municipal Sinking Fund. I hare, &c, Peter Dalrymple, Esq., Invercargill. G. S. Cooper.

No. 3. Mr. (t. S. Cooper to Mr. T. Pratt, Invercargill. Sih,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 28th February, 1879. I am directed to forward, for your information, a New Zealand Gazette of yesterday's date, containing on page 296 a notification of your appointment by His Excellency the Administrator of tha Government to be a Trustee of the Invercargill Municipal Sinking Fund. I have, &c, Thomas Pratt, Esq., Invercargill. G. S. Coopkb.

No. 4. Mr. G. S. Cooper to the Town Clerk, Invercargill. Sib, — Colonial Secretary's Office, "Wellington, 28th February, 1879. I have the honor, by direction of the Colonial Secretary, to forward for your information a New Zealand Gazette of yesterday's date, containing a notification of the appointment by His Excellency the Administrator of the Government of Messrs. Peter Dalrymple and Thomas Pratt to be Trustees of the Invercargill Municipal Sinking Fund. I liave, Ac, The Town Clerk, Invercargill. G. 8. Cooper.

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No. 5. Mr. H. Feldwick to Mr. G. S. Cooper. (Telegram.) Tnvercargill, 14th March, 1879. Could you inform date of letter ; also postmark despatch and arrival letter Town Clerk, lnvercargill, re appointment Sinking Fund Commissioners ? G. 8. Cooper, Esq., Wellington. H. Feldwick.

No. G. Mr. G. S. Cooper to Mr. H. Feldwick. Sir,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 19th March, 1879. 1 have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram of the 14th instant, and in reply to the inquiry contained therein am directed to inform you that the date of the letter from the Town Clerk of lnvercargill, relative to the appointment of Sinking Fund Commissioners, was the 12th of February. It was received here for record on the 17th ; but lam unable to give the postmark, as it is not customary to preserve envelopes. 1 have, &c, H. Feldwick, Esq., M.H.E., lnvercargill. G. S. Coopkr.

No. 7. The Town Clerk, lnvercargill, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sic, — Municipal Offices, lnvercargill, ~Ne\v Zealand, 14th March, 1870. 1 have the honor, by direction of the Municipal Council, to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Cooper's letter of the 28th February, Nos. 71, 79/789, with the Gazette therein referred to, and to state that, the letter having been considered, the following resolution was adopted:— "That, in the absence of any reply from the Government to the letter from the Corporation of 12th February, other than the formal one accompanying Government Gazette, 27th February, notifying appointment of Messrs. Dalrymple and Pratt as Trustees of the Municipal Sinking Fund, instead of the gentlemen nominated by this Council, the Council are of opinion that an unwarranted slight lias been cast upon the Council by the disregard of the nomination." I have, &c, J. B. Scandkett, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Town Clerk.

No. 8. Mr. H. Pollen to the Town Clerk, lnvercargill. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 16th April, 1879. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th ultimo, forwarding copy of ii resolution adopted by the Council of the Borough of lnvercargill, to the effect that an unwarranted slight has been cast upon the Council by the Government in disregarding their nomination of Trustees of the Municipal Sinking Fund. In reply I am directed by the Colonial Secretary to point out that the Corporation has assumed a position which is not tenable in claiming a right to nominate Sinking Fund Commissioners. This is a responsibility of Government, and in this instance the appointments have been made after careful ■deliberation. I have, &c, Hugh Pollen, The Town Clerk, Invcrcargill. For the Under Secretary.

No. 9. (Confidential') Deau Sir,— 18th March, 1879. 1 herewith inclose, and forward for the information of the Government, a Public Scrap of Oppinion (*«e), which is composed of party Strife by the Members of the Town Council, and marked thus (*), Being no doubt necessary intilligence (sic), so that you may be prepared to Give a reply to such Impudence and Ignorance from a Town Council, in having to state instructions of such a Nature to the Government I am in all hopes the said Town Council will be entered in the permanent Defaulter Book until their (sic) is ample sattisfaction (sic) Give for party insult, in bringing before the public Such outspoken language towards the Government. I am, Dear Sir, Tour Most Obedient Servant, A Government Subject, In private confidence. The Colonial Secretary, Ac., Ac, &c, Colonial Office, Wellington.

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Enclosure in No. 9. (ExteAct from Newspaper.) "With reference to the appointment by the Government of two Trustees (Messrs. Dalrymple and Pratt) of the Municipal Sinking Fund, regarding which the official notification was read — His Worship the Mayor remarked upon what appeared to have been a studied insult to the Municipal Council. He said two gentlemen were nominated by the Couucil some time prior to the 12th of February, and a letter was forwarded to Wellington intimating that the nominations had been made. He might say that the Council, in making the nominations, were not influenced by any political bias. It had hitherto been usual that the Municipal Council should be consulted in connection with an appointment of this kind, and he might say that the Superintendent would never have thought of making such appointments without doing so. Necessarily, therefore, the Council, having been consulted as to the first appointment, had a right to consider that when a vacancy occurred, their nominations would receive at least courteous acknowledgment. Instead of that, however, their nominations had been treated apparently with complacent indifference, notwithstanding that the letter of the Council must have reached the Government before the Gazette containing the notification referred to was published. Under these circumstances he considered that a very great indignity had been cast upon the Council. Councillor Kingsland concurred in the i-emarks of the Mayor. He felt quite sure that not a single member of the Council had any political leaning when they nominated two gentlemen to be Trustees of the Sinking Fund. Both gentlemen commanded the highest respect of their fellow-citizens, as being men of high social standing and possessing eminent commercial fitness for the office. He was very sorry to see, therefore, that they had a Government who could pander to such low ideas as attempting to purchase political support. He moved, " That, in the absence of any reply from the Government to the letter from the Corporation of the 12th of February, other than the formal one accompanying the Government Gazette of February 27th, notifying the appointment of Trustees (Messrs. Dalrymple and Pratt) of the Municipal Sinking Fund, instead of the gentlemen nominated by this Council, the Council are of opinion that an unwarranted slight has been cast upon the Corporation by the disregard of their nomination." Councillor Goodwillie seconded the motion. Councillor Johnson moved, " That the Town Clerk be instructed to lay before the Government the facts of the ease, and respectfully request an explanation." He thought they had no right to come to the conclusion that the Government were influenced in the manner suggested by Councillor Kingsland. The Government had not acted discreditably in the past, and the Council had no right to assume that they would do so now. They might find out that they had made a mistake. Personally he should be very sorry to see the Council take any political stand in the matter, and therefore would suggest a postponement of action till they were thoroughly acquainted with the facts. Councillor Roche seconded the amendment. Councillor Kingsland said he had no objection to withdraw his motion in the meantime. Ultimately the respective questions were put to the meeting. For the amendment only the mover and seconder voted. The motion was carried.

Authority : Gsoroe Djdbbcry, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB79.

Price 3d.]