COUNTY COUNCIL MATTERS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1489, 29 December 1884, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL MATTERS.

A meeting of the ratepayers was held in the Oddfellow's Hall on Saturday evening last, for the purpose, of hearing the Messrs Ment ath, Campbill and Colliugs upon Count/ matters. The hall was densly packed in all parts, there being present a large number of persons from Boatman's and other Ridings. Mr Chattock was voted ti> tlie chair and having opened the meeting called upon the candidates to address the meeting. Mr W. G. Collings said as they were aware, a meeting of the ratepayers was convened a few days hack to nominate two candidates to contest the County election for Reefton. He attended that meeting and was asked to stand, avid having consented to do so, was nonrnated, and now, in accordance with what he regarded as a duty in every candidate, come forward to address the electors. He thought that, every man who sought election should meet the electors on a public platform, and not show two faces. (Applause.) Now there had been a good deal said as to the desirability of a change in the County Council, and for his part he thought that a change would do good. In the first place it was indispensible to good government of any kind to have opposition, and at present it was well known there was no such opposition in that body. (Applause.) If we looked back upon theadmiuistration of County affairs for the past six years there was no impartial man but would say that not only was an effective opposition necessary, hut also that a great and radical change in the constitution of the body was desirable (applause). The charges made against the late Council were of extravagance in man age.me.nt, of partiality in thedisposal of patronage, and generally the want of any kind of check or co.itrol upon the actions of the majority of the council. (Applause). Iv addition to this there was the further charge against the majority of the Council o£ using their position to secure a maintenance of power. Now, he believed that it was possible to conduct the business of the Council cheaper than it was being done at present. (Applause). He showed that last year no less than £1.960 had been expended by the* Council in conducting the business of the County. He held that thit was perfectiy monstrous, and showed an extravagance wluchoughtnot be allowed to continue,. (Applause). Ie was out of all reason that the County funds should be wasted in such a way, and in his opinion it was high time that a change was made in the Council. (Applause). Those who paid the taxes had a ri-;ht ti> a voice in the coutrol and direction of County affairs, and if the ratepayers wished to see this extravagance and misgovernment checked, now was the time to doit. (Applause). He showed that during the past 12 months £588 had been received by the Cijuuty in rates, for the collection of which Mr Heslop had received £171 or nearly one-third of the total sum. He showed that Heslop further received 12£ percent upou all miners rights taken out during the year, notwithstanding that four- fifths of the miners rights were taken out by the persons themselves. The collector might be entitled to 12 per cent upon miner's rights he was instrumental in having taken out, but should certainly not receive commission upon rights taken out by other persons. (Applause.) In this item a considerable saving could be effected. Heslop might be worth £317 a year to the Council but ho (the speaker) had never seen anything in him to justify others in thinking the same. (Applause.) He thought that considerable reductions could be made in the engineering staff and in other directions by tlmse who went willingly to work to effect it. (Applause.) He referred to the great neglect which the County Council had shown throughout to the question of the East and West Coast railway. They had taken no action whatever in the matter and had refused to contribute anything to the expenses of the Railway League, and had endeavored to choke the movement. (Applause.) He warmly condemned the Council for allowing its servants to take an active part in elections. (Applause.) The officers of the Council were the servants of the public, and ha I no right whatever to use their positions and the time of the public, as electioneering agents. (Applause.) This was a most disgraceful feature in the past management of the. County. The Council servants are jjaid to perform certain j duties, and it was a gross abuse of their j positions to spend their time in working j elections. (Applause.) Every right thinking man must condemn such action both on the part of the Council and its servants. (Applause.) He referred to the action of the Returning Officer at thu late elections acting in defiance of the law under instructions from the Council. Their action had cost the County £100 already and would probably cost a deal more. He next- referred to the manner in which the rolls of the Comity had been tampered with and condemned the now notorious miner's right business. Ho said such conduct on the part of any Council tended to degrade local government, and prove that the community which tolerated it was uuabln and unworthy to govern itself. He produced a list which he had compiled from the County books on the 17th December, and which showed that a number of persons who voted at the late election were not shown to have paid their rates. In conclusion ho said that since he had been nominated he had learnt that there was some doubt as to the legality of his candidature, being a bondsman for a Council contractor. Under those circumstances he had decided not to go to the poll and would therefore withdraw from the contest in favor of Messrs Menteath and Campbell. Mr Menteath said before proceeding with tho main issue he wished to say a word or two in explanation of his candidature. He was not insensible in any way of the honor, but it was not without considerable reluctance he had consented to become a candidate at the present election. He hail been nominated in liis ab--8e»oe and upon his return he had pointed out that his thno was already pretty fully occupied and if his inclinations were conpidbied he would prefer to stand out. Un der these circumstanens it was intended up to a few days ago that the two candidates should be Mr W. G. Collings and

Mr W. Campbell. But for tho reason just referred to by Mr Colling* the programme had been altered at the last moment, and as he was in the hands of the committee, and proposed to do as they wished, he now came forward toseok tho honor of election at their hands. It w<v* the feeling of the committee that it would be for the benefit of the district as a whole that lie should be able to get reliable information upon County matters. Tv his position of representative of the district lie had experienced some difficulty and did not wish to be misled in the same manner again. For this reason ho now came forward, and as a seat in the local body would givo him a more intimate and accurate knowledge <>f local works and n (fairs, so it. would add to his usefulness in the House of Representatives (Applause). This argument had had Sonus weight with him, and he ventured to think it would have some weight with the electors also. (Applause), llefore proceeding further he would dial with a mati<;r that was hardly worthy of ivfei-tMe-s, but out of which it had been sought to make some capital. A. letter signed "Spurts," had been published, and the writer of it. had been chared with end'i.'.voriug l-i stir up religiousand national prejudices in the interest of his (the speakers) <:;ui li dature. [Mr Menteath here real the article in (jaestiou]. He said it caun* :is not a little singular that the piper which to-day affected so much virtuous iudigua- ■, turn at the idea of stirring u[ religious ; prejudices, and treading upon the corns ' of the ruling section of the Council, had i on a former occasion committed the very crime and he rev I an extract from the fnuttf/iihutt Herald of the period in I question in which tho present ruling section of tht Council were charged in the strongest terms with suppressing the electoral rolls on the eve of a" County election, their otF .'tiding in this tv.speot being characterised as " Without, a parallel in any British eotiiiiiti.iUy." These were strong words to uv., yet tie writer of them was to day the mouthpiece of the very men who perpetrated that act. How that change of sentiment had been brought about he would leave the meeting to ju lge. (Applause ) It was not what a newspaper or Ihe writer of a letter alone might say that would arouse national or religious prejudices. For his own part be did not care three straws what a mans nationality or religion was so long as he faithfully performed the duty he owed to the community. But he would withhold power fro in a Scotchman or Englishman if he betrayed the trust reposed in him. (Applause.) To assert that Irishmen as a class were dispose! to tyranny, would be to stal-a what was not the case, for no one was more jealous of their freedom. The question was whether a small number of them should be allowed to usurp power to the exclusion of every other section in the community. (Applause.) The real cause of religious or national prejudice was to be found in deeds not in words. All the letters and all the words could never raise fellings of that kind unless there was something stronger at the root. (Applause). It was such acts as the taking out of the 65 miners rights : the repeated charges, unanswered against the Council, the refusal of the County Chairman to come on the platform and meet his accusers ; the servants of the County Council acfing as electioneering agenfca. It was acts such I as these and scores of others of the kind which aroused public feeling. (Applause. ) Had the County Chairman disaproved of the miners right business, would these right's ever be taken out. Undoubtedly i not. (Applause) The source of plitical discontent was to be found in these acts ; in acts of opprosssion, of unfair distribution of the County patronage ; of the unceasing electioneering activity of the servant of the Council in thinning nut one class of Voters on the rolls, and increasing another. , How is this shown in the case of the ! Crushington Riding, where by the miner's right operation of the 31st December last the ruling section of the Council had secured the last Riding in the County in which the other side were sure of a seat. (Applause.) By that one electioneering expedient of the servants of the Council the largest section of the community were deprived of a seat in the only Riding of the County in which they had been sure of a seat. (Applause). And how was that done : by crowding upon the roll a number of voters, many of whom had never even seen the Riding, much more lesided in it. (Applause) Was that not calculated to arouse public resentment, and stir up bad feeling. (Applause). And when the ratepayers saw this kind of thing done out side the Council, were they not justified in desiring to know what was going on inside. (Applause.) Was there anyone who would deny the Council was a happy family party, and what good Government could there be without an opposition to keep it in check and criticise its acts. Had there been the slightest check or criticism upon the Council in tho past ? None whatever, and it had now become a species of high treason for any man to attempt to point out its shortcomings. Was this a healthy condition of things, or was it conducive to the interest of the district; Had we not a right todemand equality of representation in the County ? Was it a crime for the ratepayers to put their shoulders together in defenceof their common civil rights. (Applause.) Was it right, just, or reasonable that one solid block-vote should, general election after general election go on returning tho same men to the Council, and must every attempt to break up that unfair monopoly be hounded down as a crime. For tho credit of the community he thought not. Having said so much he would merely add that if returned he would endeavor to discharge the duties of the position fairly and energetically. He knew his candidature would lie opposed by f he solid weight of the block-vote. The family party knew that were he returned it would add something to his influence as the representative of the district, which they would not like, and his defeat would tend to weaken him in outside estimation, which they would like. But he would risk all that. He was lighting against great odds, but he did so in the discharge of a public duty, and for the rest he cared liot. In conclusion, he would take that public opportunity oi requesting every supporter of his on Monday next to avoid plumping, and to divide their votes fairly between himself and Mr W Campbell, with whom he was united in the present contest. In conclusion, he thanked tho meeting for the long and patient hearing they had accorded him. [Cheers]. Mr W. Campbell aaid he would not detain them by making a speech, but if they returned him he would do his best for the district, and he would merely add that he wished no man to plump for him, but to divide fairly with Mr Menteath. (Applause). At this stage of the proceadings Mr R. Patterson got on tho platform and read a short speech, the substance of which was that he had beon invited to attend »

mooting (.. n.iminat.' aindidates. He atteirleit the lmlu an lei-iiicr n.eutioi; l.ut he very soon fuund that he \va- in a trap and not in decent company, and lef . Mr Meiileath in rqp'lyiitj; said Mr Patterson had the most astounding effrontery he had even heard oj. The facts w«ro theao : At the meeting in question fully fifty ratepayers were present. Tv opening the business the chairman explained that the meeting was called to nominate two candidates to uoMt^st the coining election, and asked any person present who was not prepared to a-cce.pt the decision <if the rnceMn" ns final and binding, to leave Uie room. Mr.Pattgr.s"n w;\.h present ami was pr<ipos.<l ai a canlidate. H-. st >od up an I said if Mr Canipnull was "oinjr to stand lie [Patterson] would nr)t oppose him. Mr Cam >helT th'Mi I agreed to stand and was noininatad' The nexc thing they heard was ihat Mr Patterson had betrayed them and »»ou« over to tli« other side and been nominatiKl t?> opp<)3.' Mr Campb.-11. Mr Pait.ii-s-.il denied that Mr Campbell cons'-nted U> stand. Mr Campbell said he did state distinctly at the meeting that he would stand. Mr < 'amphuil'H statement was enthusiastically applauded, and the two caudi-la'i-s tlu'ii left the platform. Mn-iinau then, by permission <>f Mr Muni alb, addressed the meeting at some ' J.in.gJli.