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Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 713, 8 January 1903, Page 3

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THREAT TO lio-u-COUNCIL.

At the last meeting of the Borough Council a letter, which had been held over from the previous meeting, was discussed. It was a request from the Lands Department that the Council should pay an account for the fixing of standard points, cement, otc., in connection with the re-

survey of the town. The letter stated that in making this request thoy were not asking anything unusual, as other towns in the colony paid for the marking, and quite lately the city of Wellington paid £2UO towards the cost of the standard survey of that place, tho Council were also mistaken in thinking the survey was undertaken for the benefit of the Government. It was made almost entirely in the interest and for the security of landowners, the Government only having a remote interest in the matter. If it were right in assuming that the Council also objected to payment of .£2 23 for checking the land plans of the water works survey, he regretted to inform the CouDcil that he was directed not to examine or approve any plan for the Council

until it was paid. Cr Whinray said it was the most extraordinary thing they had ever had brought before the Council. They were asked to pay for the re-survey of the town. The Mayor stated that it had never been a real survey. They were now merely asked to pay for the standard points being fixed. Cr Whinray : Wo have already had to pay sorno £SO for that. The Mayor ; Yes ; wo throw away £3O by putting in a lot of points. Cr Whinray : Wo got a plan which cost us £IOO or more. The Mayor:’'That has nothing to do with this. Cr Whinray : I cannot understand our having to pay for all these corrections. Wo hear that this and that section has been found to bo so far out. The Mayor : I know nothing about corrections ; this is for fixing the points. Cr Whinray : What have they been measured from *? I remember Mr Drummond taking weeks fixing these pegs, ihe item is not a big one, but it seems extraordinary that such a proceeding should be uecessary now. The May or : It is necessary. Cr Harding : To my mind the objectionable thing is the tono ot the letter. The Mayor repeated that they were not being charged for the ro-survey, but for fixing of the points put in. Cr Whinray : Well, it seems extraordinary. The Mayor said that for the sake of the ten guineas it would be foolish to have the work Btupped now. Cr Lysnar said the Council should pay the money and get the work done, but he iiad thought it was included in the work io be done by Major Winter.

Cr Kennedy : No, no. Cr Lysnar: It was for permanent levels. Cr Harding : This has nothing to do with the levels. Tne Mayor : No, it has nothing to do with it.

Cr Kennedy: To put tho matter in order, I propose that the Council agree to pay the amount of the claim of the Government for the cost and fixing of the material.

The Mayor : I second that. It is a work that should be done. Cr Whinray : Yes, but it has been done in some form.

Cr Harding : We never took exception to the payment; it was to the tone of the letter. 4 Cr Hepburn : It was tho threat made. The Mayor: Well, is the account to be paid. Cr Jones said that before it was passed he should like to again refer to the letter, and to point out that it was not a respectful way to write to that Council. The letter was not only insulting to the Council, but insulting to about 4000 people whom they as councillors represented. They had never objected to paying the account, nor were they cavilling at it now, but they should give the Department clearly to understand that such an undignified letter would not be submitted to in silence. The Council had not refused to pay, but had simply pointed out in a respectful manner that they thought the expense should be borne by the Government, seeing that it was doing their own work over again. They should for tho sake of peace and quietness pay the amount, but protest against such a letter being sent to a public body. They were not like an individual to whom a threatening letter could be sent, frightening him into paying an account. He was satisfied that such a letter was not sent from the Gisborne office. He presumed that it was from Napier, and they had had previous experience of how they had been treated in that quarter. If the letter was sent from Wellington, thon so much tho worse, and they should not overlook it. At that stage he would like to point out that the town of Gisborne had been sold by the Government, whose duty it was to have had a proper survey made.

Or Whinray: Hear, hear. Cr Jones : 'l’hon how can they say it is our fault ? Every section, pornaps with the exception oi the one on which nis olfioe stood, No. 373, had been sold by the Government, and oven in rogard to that exception they had takon assurance fees. In audition to the fact that the land had been sold by tho Government from time to time, land Had been brougnt under the ■■ Baud Transfer Act.” Tne Government passed the plans, and now they were turn ing round unu saying that thuse plans which they themselves had passed wero not correct; now they said further that they had no real intorest in the mattor. If the land had been surveyed properly by the Government there would have been no trouble at all. It might seem a matter of not much consequence, but it was to individuals, if what they heard was correct,, that some sections were feet out in tne measurement. One would think that where the Government were in fauit they would try and put matters rignt without saying anything about it, and certainly the Uepartineut should be ashamed to come lurward in tnis way and use threats to the Council. While paying the account they should point out that they considered it was tho Government’s duty to make good these mistakes, Cr Harding : And also object to the tone of the letter. Cr Whinray : Those are just my sentiments. The Mayor: It is proposed that the account for pipes, ete., be paid, and, as Cr Jones suggests, to call attention to the

tone of tho letter. Cr Whinray stated that they had had such implicit confidence iu the original marks that they had built on them. The account was then passed, on tho understanding that tbe department’s attention should be called to the objectionablo tone of tho letter, and tbe Council’s opinion that the Government should pay the amount.