Port Adelaide - Plaque proclaiming the site where the first members of the Corporation of the Town of Port Adelaide were elected in 1856. South Australia
CORPORATION OF PORT ADELAIDE.
A public meeting of persons entitled to be placed upon the citizens' roll of Port Adelaide was held at the Ship Inn on Monday evening, for the purpose of determining upon the persons to be recommended to His Excellency for appointment ad interim to the various Corporate offices.
Mr William James, who was unanimously called to the chair, reminded the meeting that a Committee had been appointed, upon a former occasion, to take all requisite steps for bringing the Corporation into operation at the Port.
That Committee, pursuant to the instructions then given to it, had presented the necessary petition to His Excellency the Governor, who as they were all aware from the Gazette, had acceded to its prayer by extending the provisions of the Corporation Act to Port Adelaide.
It had occurred to the members of the deputation when they waited upon His Excellency with the petition that it would be necessary to give in the names of certain persons to be appointed to the various Corporate offices, and this they had done to the best of their ability; but a letter had since been received from the Crown Solicitor, informing them that names would be required for some further offices besides those which they had thus supplied, and they had then determined to call the citizens together and take their opinions as to the entire number of offices to be temporarily filled.
They were all aware from the Gazette notice that the Corporate town of Port Adelaide was divided into West Ward and East Ward, the Commercial Road forming the boundary between the two. They would have that night to nominate a Mayor for the entire Corporation, and, for each ward, an Alderman, three Councillors, two Assessors, and a Collector. They would further have to nominate, for the entire Corporation, two Auditors, and a Town Clerk.
These had better, perhaps, be taken in their order, and he would first call upon them to nominate a fit person for Mayor.
Mr Grosse moved that the meeting should simply elect Councillors, and leave to them the appointment of the Mayor and Aldermen. That would be the system under the Act when the permanent appointments were made, and he saw no reason why the rule so laid down should be departed from.
The Chairman would leave it entirely to the meeting.
Mr Smith preferred the plan the Chairman had suggested. He moved that the meeting proceed at once to the nomination of the Mayor.
Mr Calton seconded this. It would be casting their franchise to the wind to leave the appointment of Mayor in the hands of eight men.
The Chairman thought it proper to explain that there was nothing irregular in Mr Grosse's motion, though it was not seconded. There was not really any franchise in the case, as they were at present only meeting recommend persons to His Excellency for appointment and when the permanent appointments were to be made they would, as Mr Grosse had said, vest in the Councillors, not in the citizens at large.
Captain French was declared elected for nomination as Mayor ad interim.
West Ward nominations:-
Alderman Mr Bower
Councillors – Walter Smith, Grosse, and Collinson.
East Ward nominations:-
Alderman – John Smith
Councillors – France, Galway and Cave.
The two Assessors for West Ward – Robert Murray and W F Webster.
The two Assessors for East Ward – C Boykett and J Giles.
Collectors – explained as a paid office. Mr Perry elected for West Ward, and Mr Graham for East Ward.
Auditors – as it was understood that the ad interim Corporation would be
without funds, their office would, of course, be only honorary:
Mr Ferguson and Mr Calton were appointed.
Nominations for Town Clerk – the only persons nominated were William Boykett and the Chairman himself, and both immediately withdrew, Captain France being temporarily called upon to preside.
After a show of hands Mr Boykett declared the nomination for Town Clerk.
A vote of thanks was passed to Mr James for his conduct in the chair, and for the exertions he had used in securing the extension of the Corporation Act to Port Adelaide.
The Ship Inn was on the south side of North Parade, between Nelson and Mildred Streets, Port Adelaide. Established in 1840, destroyed by fire 1857, rebuilt on same site. Stopped trading 1909. From June 1840 to March 1841 it was known as the Help Me Through the World Inn. John Smith was the owner from 1860 to 1884.
Ref: South Australian Register (Adelaide SA) 8-1-1856
Port Adelaide - Plaque proclaiming the site where the first members of the Corporation of the Town of Port Adelaide were elected in 1856. South Australia
CORPORATION OF PORT ADELAIDE.
A public meeting of persons entitled to be placed upon the citizens' roll of Port Adelaide was held at the Ship Inn on Monday evening, for the purpose of determining upon the persons to be recommended to His Excellency for appointment ad interim to the various Corporate offices.
Mr William James, who was unanimously called to the chair, reminded the meeting that a Committee had been appointed, upon a former occasion, to take all requisite steps for bringing the Corporation into operation at the Port.
That Committee, pursuant to the instructions then given to it, had presented the necessary petition to His Excellency the Governor, who as they were all aware from the Gazette, had acceded to its prayer by extending the provisions of the Corporation Act to Port Adelaide.
It had occurred to the members of the deputation when they waited upon His Excellency with the petition that it would be necessary to give in the names of certain persons to be appointed to the various Corporate offices, and this they had done to the best of their ability; but a letter had since been received from the Crown Solicitor, informing them that names would be required for some further offices besides those which they had thus supplied, and they had then determined to call the citizens together and take their opinions as to the entire number of offices to be temporarily filled.
They were all aware from the Gazette notice that the Corporate town of Port Adelaide was divided into West Ward and East Ward, the Commercial Road forming the boundary between the two. They would have that night to nominate a Mayor for the entire Corporation, and, for each ward, an Alderman, three Councillors, two Assessors, and a Collector. They would further have to nominate, for the entire Corporation, two Auditors, and a Town Clerk.
These had better, perhaps, be taken in their order, and he would first call upon them to nominate a fit person for Mayor.
Mr Grosse moved that the meeting should simply elect Councillors, and leave to them the appointment of the Mayor and Aldermen. That would be the system under the Act when the permanent appointments were made, and he saw no reason why the rule so laid down should be departed from.
The Chairman would leave it entirely to the meeting.
Mr Smith preferred the plan the Chairman had suggested. He moved that the meeting proceed at once to the nomination of the Mayor.
Mr Calton seconded this. It would be casting their franchise to the wind to leave the appointment of Mayor in the hands of eight men.
The Chairman thought it proper to explain that there was nothing irregular in Mr Grosse's motion, though it was not seconded. There was not really any franchise in the case, as they were at present only meeting recommend persons to His Excellency for appointment and when the permanent appointments were to be made they would, as Mr Grosse had said, vest in the Councillors, not in the citizens at large.
Captain French was declared elected for nomination as Mayor ad interim.
West Ward nominations:-
Alderman Mr Bower
Councillors – Walter Smith, Grosse, and Collinson.
East Ward nominations:-
Alderman – John Smith
Councillors – France, Galway and Cave.
The two Assessors for West Ward – Robert Murray and W F Webster.
The two Assessors for East Ward – C Boykett and J Giles.
Collectors – explained as a paid office. Mr Perry elected for West Ward, and Mr Graham for East Ward.
Auditors – as it was understood that the ad interim Corporation would be
without funds, their office would, of course, be only honorary:
Mr Ferguson and Mr Calton were appointed.
Nominations for Town Clerk – the only persons nominated were William Boykett and the Chairman himself, and both immediately withdrew, Captain France being temporarily called upon to preside.
After a show of hands Mr Boykett declared the nomination for Town Clerk.
A vote of thanks was passed to Mr James for his conduct in the chair, and for the exertions he had used in securing the extension of the Corporation Act to Port Adelaide.
The Ship Inn was on the south side of North Parade, between Nelson and Mildred Streets, Port Adelaide. Established in 1840, destroyed by fire 1857, rebuilt on same site. Stopped trading 1909. From June 1840 to March 1841 it was known as the Help Me Through the World Inn. John Smith was the owner from 1860 to 1884.
Ref: South Australian Register (Adelaide SA) 8-1-1856