HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 598, 28 August 1909, Page 7

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

i / * . .v, (From - Special ItcJ)orlcr,) , / ...■ -;v, % \ PETONE'S MUNICIPAL OFFICERS. . i - another version is given m regard ,Jo the deliberations ambng certain . councillors which led to the voting on the, recent motion [ by the Mayor of Petone-expressing, confidence in the.town clerk and .borough engineer. Conn-, j oilier i Colquhonn"' takes strong 1 exception - to i certain remarks "by rCounciUbr "Young* ;which were published" on 'Thursday.- Councillor 1 Young's .'statement * was' :• , '■ •• - ■ "Councillors Colqnhoun, Piper,. and my- i self oaine out of tho-Council Chambers one ~ evening,-' and I 'said that wo would have : ■ to reduce the- cxpenditnre. . Councillors :- Piper'and Colquhoun desired to. dispense With the clerk,-' and'/asked me- if I was '•. agreeablo. I replied'that if wo could re•duce the expenditure .by the amount of his ■'salary I iwould' be quite willing, but not i otherwise. -I had nothing -against him at all.-J, If wi' were 'to call for applications ; , for- another clork, I' Should not vote for it, , , because we : would not benefit, as .we al- - ' ready nave, a: good -man in the- present i.clerk." 'I- was -not- present at any -meeting : . •• of councillors; 1 -The other five held, a - 'meeting;- but they; ware. not eertain how .I. ■ was going to vote."' I never went to the • council with -any intention of discharging . the clerk." 1 • Councillor Colquhoun's criticism of the: in', cident -is as follows-.—"Councillors Piper> , Jones,biYounrf/. and-myself _ left'. the Council Chambers and went,down-Jackson We had a . consultation, and., Councillor., • -.■.Young, ■asked me if I: was agreeable- to tho'proposal, to disponse with the services of the. oletk.r ■,;[. asked' ',him: 'what ywcts.'going' ..to be'..'dohe .^ifi'^this' was decided' upon. He said "that. Mr. D. Jones (then' assistant' town clerk) was'quite capablo of'filling the-position as town'clerk,- with anincrease, of- salary. I told Councillor Young that, : l 'svoiild give, him:my answer soon." - We : proceeded as far as the corner of Fitzherbert Street,', when Councillor Young asked me what .1 wai' going to:,'do. ''1. replied' that if he (Councillor . Young) would stand -by us,.l would agree-to tho proposal. •1, met him three-days later at i liis- house on : W hito's (Line. He, stated that'he was still -Ot the samevopinion as be had been wlieu he left-. Councillors Piper, Jones; and •. myself. I accepted . this statement,. and acted, accordingly, but.'.to ;my astonishment,- he voted against us. V /I.considered that-we-had a- good man in the town clerk,: ;and Ij ~as a councillor, had nothing against him.' There was no meoting of five councillors that I was aware of. ' It there was, then Coun-, cillor- You'njp must,'have been one of them, as 'he appears/to; Know . all about: it.: 'I> consider that the engineer .should not have been brought into this matter at all. I have, not one. word to say against" him as an engineer." ■~-. :

JOTTINGS ■ The report of - the special committee, set-up. by tho Hutt Borough. Council, .in connection with .the expenditure .'of .the! £52.000.' lean,, is causing comment m the district.- It seems that it does not meet with'the unanimous approval of tiro members of the counoil. 'Further consideration will be given to it on Friday next. ■ The difficulties confronting the Hutt ,Park' Committee,-in' consequence of the demonstration that the'Hutt Golf Club does not owe it the'amount previously understood to be diving, will be discussed at a meeting to U held: next week. ' ,v