LOCAL BODY SERVICE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18236, 21 November 1924, Page 8

LOCAL BODY SERVICE.

STATUS OF MILITARY DEFAULTERS. (special to "the pbbss.") DUNEDIN, November 20. Thofro was expectation that there would be "something doing" at a.meeting of tho City Council in connexion with a contract for the erection of reticulation poles let at a previous meeting to Patrick Cody, of Riversdale, who while by far the lowest tenderer, was an alleged military defaulter during the war. However, events took a turn which debarred Councillors from airing their views on the action taken at the meeting a fortnight before. Tile matter came up in the early stages when a letter was read from the U.S.A. Executive asking that a deputation, be heard in regard to tho contract. Bearing on the same matter was a letter from Smith and Dolamore, solicitors, of Gore. The letter stated 1 that tho writers had been consulted by Patrick Cody. He had informed them that the Town Clerk had directed his attention to the provisions of section 13 of the Expeditionary Forces Amendment. Act, 1918, providing that military defaulters were incapable of being appointed to or of holding any office or employment in the service of any local or other public authority. It ,was also provided by the Act that if any person deprived of civil rights accepted, or attempted to accept, any employment for which he waß disqualified, ho was liable on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding; twelve months. In view of the wide terms of the section, and of the grave doubt whether Cody's contract came within its provisions, the writers asked that Cody should be relieved of any obligation under the contract.

. It was agreed that the request in the letter be granted, and the tenderer relieved of tho contract. A member of tho Returned Soldiers' Association said that the members of the executive had been astonished ■ to see the number of defaulters' names in the "Gazette" of December 10th. 1918. Most of the defaulters were still over, seas. They were going to approach the headquarters of the New Zealand R.S.A. with tho suggestion that the names should be printed and exhibited in every U.S.A. office and club room throughout the country. Further, they were going to suggest to headquarters that tho Government be approached to have the Expeditionary Forces Amendment Act (Section IB) so amended as to remove all doubt as to defaulters receiving any pecuniary benefit from public bodies or the Government until the last hour of December 10th, 1928, had struck.