Mr. R. i, Stewart was the frst ratepayer to mount the platform after Mr, Franklin had ended his proposal of the report and accounts, "He asked the Couneit if the expenditure during the year had been legally authorized under the terms of the Land Regulations and if all the Counelt's acts during the year had been similarly authorized: Concluding his questions, asked why the long-established practice of printing the names of rate. Payers attending the annual] meeting in the report of the meeting had been discontinued, In reply Mr. Franklin, amid loud bursts of applause, told Mar. Stewart that the Council's expenditure had, been authorized under Land Regulation 9 and there was no reason to suppose that any of its acts were unauthorized under the Land Regu tions, Answering the third question, he pointed out the difficulties of Printing the names of all ratepayers attending the meeting and added that Frinting of the number present and the total votes represented was more than enough.
Mr. Ranald McDonald, who walked to the platform amid a subdued murmuring from every corner of the packed stand, asked the Council it pensions granted to employees were provided for in contracts and it these contracts were in writing. If pensions were not granted by contract, he asked, were they voluntary or ex-gratia payments and, if pensions were granted by contract, whut year we the system introduced? He' conclud: ed by asking if it was legal under the Land Regulations to make a contract for a period of more than three years, unless a ratepayers' meeting fave its sanction.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.