SERIOUS CHARGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 195, 19 December 1941, Page 5

SERIOUS CHARGE

LETTER REFERS TO COUNTY

COUNCILLOR

MUST BE SUBSTANTIATED

"This statement is very serious -and I do not think it is right. Unless he is prepared to sub--stantiate the part of the letter referring to the councillor the letter should 1 not be received," said' Mr J. L. Burnett, chairman of the Whakatane County Council when at Tuesday's meeting a letter was received from Mr G. Kiirkbride, of Waimaoa. "It is a thing to say and! I don't think it is right," added the chairman. The letter pointed out that it had 'bejen .stated at the Council table that diversion work carried out : adjacent to the writer's outlet road had been duly authorised by the Council. The writer thought tliero was need for further investigation ■of this matter as he bad looked through the minute book and had found no authorisation fpr such work. Regarding the work and other matters connected with this road, he stated that it was evident that the riding member was using his position as a councillor in obtaining special advantages for his relation. He further stated that the work had * cost the ratepayers about £130, and that a Government grant of £120 was lost previously by the methods adopted by the riding member. The writer respectfully asked the Council'if it would agree to asking the Minister ~of Public Works to an official of his department to reimport on these matters with which 55 dissatisfaction and concern had been expressed by ratepayers. "Sick" of Letters Following the chairman's remarks Cr T. G. H. C'awte suggested that the decision of the Council should be more drastic. "Could we not decide that unless the statement is -substantiated that Ave receive no further letters whatsoever from the man. I am getting a bit sick of his • letters," he said.

In reply to the chairman Cr R. F. Wardlaw said he denied the allegations. Gr A. F. McGougan referred to 'the letter appearing in the BEACON 'making similar statements and written by the same man. "I expected to. see an answer to< that," he added. Cr McCready said the letter should have been contradicted if it was untrue. The chairman replied that the 'Council could "not enter into' a press .controversy. Cr McG-ougan: "It should be contradicted." Cr H. C. McCready aslted if it •was correct that no minute appeared on the books as stated, and the •chairman replied that it might 01 might not be on the minutes, but jnanj r works done were not minuted. Shouild Refute Statement -Cr McCready: "We're sailing close "to the wind spending £130 without the full Council's authority." He continued that he would like to have liad the motion recorded so that no •opening was lesft for criticism add : ing that lie did not recall the authorisation. The speaker added that the Council should be able to refute the statement. Cr C. T. Smith explained that Mr 'Kirkbride had gained the impression that the Council had authorised ■the work from a report in the Bea,con and then had discovered that was not so. The work had not been authorised by the full Council before it was. commenced added Cr :Smith who claimed that he had been misreported as saying the work had ueen authorised.

(Cr Smith ancl others were incorrect in stating that remarks had 'been incorrectly reported. The Beacon recorded Cr Smith's remarks as follows: "That the whole position had been fully discussed at the table and the adoption of the best means of preventing the erosion had been left to the chairman and. the engineer, was claimed by Cr Smith.—Editor). The chairman said he could not ■see the writer's reason for com—the, work was completed and satisfactory and Cr L. W. Luxton added that, although there was no .accounting for moves "of a river, it would take an "old man" flood to .alter the new river course. No End! of Trouble Cr McGougan stated that ever •since he was elected to> the Council -the Kirkbride-Wardlaw argument had ensued, and the Council had had -no end of trouble. He liked to see ■=all a fair deal and in this case • Continued in next column)

the Council might be to blame as the work was not properly authorised. However, the Council was satisfied with the result and the job had been done at a low cost. The Council was satisfied with the work and it was not Mr Kirkbride's place to> criticise. He concluded by saying works should be authorised by the Council. The clerk explained that the loss of £120 mentioned was not quite as stated —the Council had not done work with the result that a 50-50 subsidy was lost. The chairman stated that if the writer wished to get a P.W.D. officer to inspect the Avork then he could—the Council had nothing to hide. "If Ave patch this up there Avill be something else from him next week," said Cr Cawte. "Yes, he is never satisfied," said the chairman, "there Avas trouble when I came on the Council, has been ever since, and Avill be long after I 1 am off it." It was decid'ed that until the statement regarding- Councillor Wardilaw wefe substantiated his allegations be not received' and that the Council had no objection to iai P.W.D. inspection providing Mr Kirkbride paid for it. Cr McCready asked who would be the judge of the matter and other councillors stated that that Avas not the Council's affair. No Reason For Complaint Cr McCready persisted that the Council should clear itself of the charge of spending the money Avithout authorisation and the chairman pointed out that the Council Avas Avithin its rights—money not on the estimates AA r as frequently spent. This latitude had to be as essential emergency jobs arose. He added that the diversion at Waimana had been estimated to cost £400 by the engineer and the Grown. Lands Department, but had been successfully done much cheaper. The diversion had been necessary and the interests of ratepayers had been seized. There could be no fault found.

Cr W. A. McCracken pointed out that the work was charged toi the Main Roads Account and frequently -work not estimated for had to be done. The Works Committee had seen fit to do this work and the Council as. a whole would not- concern itself providing funds were not overspent. Such works were undertaken the committee expecting to get the approval. Cr McCready persisted that the Council had been of fault and Cr Smith rose to point out other instances. "I have no recollection of the expenditure of £21 being authorised for a culvert at Taneatua," he said, "and that was aggravated in that it was spent for the sole bene fit of the councillor." Cr McCready hotly replied that authority had been on the minutes long before, and added that he had hundreds of pound capitalised through the acts of the Council. "Then a man says that about me— that's all I could expect from him." Cr Smith replied that if a coui"H cillor wanted work done and money spent then he should let the Works Committee advise upon it. "I am on that committee and I do not recall the authority," he added. At this stage the discussion lapsed.

difficult, but it has been forced to take such steps because of the serious crisis which Ave are facing. "There are, however, many farms and farmers who have not been interfered with because no one; has been called from their working staff. It is to those farmers particularly that I am now making an appeal for them to voluntarily come forward and offer assistance with harvesting and other farm work to their neighbours and other farmers in their district who will have had their ordinary working personnel seriously depleted. Hundreds of men have gone into camp or are going into camp during the next few days and the work they would ordinarily perform has of necessity been passed on to the fewer hands.

"This additional burden can be lightened if all farmer's not soi affected will niatte enquiries in their district and find out where assistance is urgently offer share their available labour to relieve such cases. "Perhaps in various localities Farmers' Union committees and others interested will take this appeal up and organise labour in their areas and thus lighten the burden which has certainly been placed on many farmers."