"INQUIRY WELCOMED."

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 239, 9 October 1928, Page 10

"INQUIRY WELCOMED."

LABOUR COUNCIL'S DEALS.

"TECHNICAL BREACH OF ACT.*

STATEMENT BY MR. P. C..WEBBL

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, this d«T. Mr. P. C. Webb, managing director of the Point Elizabeth Co-operative C<*l Depot, Ltd., stated that he would" wdcome a most thorough public inquiry Into the whole of his firm's dealings with Christchureh City Council. "I sincerely hope," he said, "that «D broad-minded people will realise that even if a technical breach of the Act his been committed by Mr. G. K. Hunter, similar breaches have been committed bT dozens of large business men on local bodies throughout New Zealand, but I have no knowledge of any such actio* ever creating the amount of feeling this case has." ;'

The Christchurch City Council recently accepted with regret the of Mr. Hunter. The letter of resignation made no references to coal, but the Mayor, in a statement a few days ago, said the city had been using coal supplied by Mr. Hunter and his partner, Mr. P. C. Webb, who represent a party of co-operative miners at Point Elizabeth. However, this coal had been sold to the council through a third party. Tin audit office had stated this was only » technical breach of the law. Non-Labour membrs of the council later pressed for an inquiry into the circumstances of these coal contracts, but they were out-voted by the Labour majority by 10 votes to 5. It was stated in the course of a report by an officer of the engineer's department that Point Elizabeth coal obtained at a price 11/ a ton cheaper than the coal previously used.