COUNTY TRUCK

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 11, 2 October 1942, Page 5

COUNTY TRUCK

FLAGRANT MISUSE ALLEGED

CR McCREADY'S CRITICISM

The County Council last Tuesday commenced a discussion on the plant hire rate charges to be imposed in future, when Cr McCready exploded a bombshell by his vigorous criticism andscathing condemnation of the manner in which one of the trucks had been allowed to de- " teriorate. ''The truck when I saw it," lie said "wa,s just about ready for the scrap heap and will take something like £100 to be repaired. I was so aghast at the state it was in that Ii asked if it had been over the cliff, but was assured that it had not. There's not another lirm in Whakalane that could stand such treatment of its property," he continued, "and if the same driver is going to be put on again, I'm going to strenuously oppose it." The acting engineer, Mr R. A. Tomkins, said that the truck had been deteriorating over a long period and could not be entirely be credited to one driver. It had on account of its worn condition been given most of the rough wor'k around the county. He admitted that the driver had probably not taken the care he should but submitted that, the bad state of disrepair it was now in had been progressive. He was not however prepared to dismiss the man, but would take steps to give him a severe warning before he next took over. Cr McCready said he was not at all satisfied with the explanation. The mudguards were in ribbons, the cab like matchwood, the handles lost, and the tail-board missing. He was going to suggest that the mechanic in future be empowered to call trucks off the road when they were seen to be in an obvious state of disrepair. Cr MeGougan said he would not be agreeable to such a course. Cr McCready: There are other trucks and I maintain that this one should never have been allowed to go the Avay it has! Cr MeGougan: I agree that the truck was not in reasonable order, but at the same time it is impossible sometimes to avoid trouble of this sort. I think we should still leave the. control of our trucks to the engineer. Mr Tomkins said he accepted, full responsibilit3\ Mechanically the truc'k was amongst the soundest of the fleet, but owing to I lie rough nature the work it had been doing had been extensively damaged. He held no brief for the driver and was prepared to admit that lie had not shown the care that he might have.