CITY COUNCIL TENDERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 10

CITY COUNCIL TENDERS.

Sir, —Councillor Carinichacl is to be ootuir.endcd for hiA actioni yesterday. rd members of: limited 'liability -serving. as councillors and voting: on .matters in. which •ithoyv ard. personally , iiiterbsted.'' Councillor' Luke; said that whenever his firm'B tender came before a committco ho always retired. iOoiihcillor'- 'Balliriger- pointed out )that when' 6n principle; Tho.: public call- believe . this if it : likes. But" .tho. gentlemen concerned reaHy;.i)bscurod\tho point. . ."•• t Tho real question whore: Will Councillors jl/uko and Ballingor dony.that as councillors access ; to . all the . records..- of the ■ (joumiil, •:tha' 'private 'and: confidential documents, and repbrts .of tho officials,' and have •a''i'Bpedal , -''rightV.to''' ; obt.s!ii' information of .a special nature' 'that qualifies them., to. baso a .tender VonS; knowledge that cannot ; be-oh-. 'tained -by■ any. other•,tenderer? .•, Whether ■ they-db .it Or not is beside tho question. The real point is that-'llO councillor should ertjoy ■these;spo<Sial advantages- over any other tenderer. . There' has recently been some trouble ovor a ilraiii-pipe tender.' ; Tlie . grievance of tho • 16wist .tenderer, .'whose price was net ,ac- : : -eepted,".is,;ac6ontUated by. tlio. faet that' the. ' came.' from :a firm in which at vleast two' members .of ' the - Council-, were either:' directly.:or>:indirectly interested. It seems an oxtremd.. course; to. suggests but. it ''would be'~aV'jviso law: "that provented these bcCurt'ences.'rit'is.absurd to'say that a t miv'n '. is -ooramittiflg .an? illegal; act by' -voting in: : for -the' acceptance Of his own tendbr. .and yet .permit , him, .upon-hia: election: to the "council,' 'to ''turn; his ■business■' into ,a limited, liability oomp&ny by 'joining-in his wife.and merev.dummiesi : and thus legally giving him power to move, if ho is so inclined, the acceptance of. his own tender.—l am, otc., TENDERER . May 0..