"PICKING."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 3

"PICKING."

: ETHICS, OF LOCAL (jO.ymNMENT. :,:(By '-TeUeiaph'.— Press'.Association'.).'. : ■ ■'••. .;, ; ! ■ ■' !. i--'jNapier,- January; 19;,. ...The •■audit officer "has: certified to? the ■cprreptness.\pf; the 'Napier' Borough.:Coun:'cirs ?.balance-sheet, ' with " the,: 7 exception jthat. payments ,'for! supplies had! been made to ja-member of the council,': for .'an. amount' which exceeded the "maximum .prescribed,., by Subsection .L : 'of Section '42 of the-Municipal Corporations Act. 'At.-the. council' meeting :to-night ; a letter ques.Uon .tendering'his designation.: This: was -accepted with; regret; The. .Mayor.pointed out that companies, < o£ ; whichl.councillors 'we're"members,- could legally .srfpply ■ goods ' to' the'-. council, :■■ while , councillors carrying: on private businesses,could not ■do so. In.fiis.opinionj.if any councillor .were .debarred from : supplying,"goods.'to the council, '.all! should be' placed on the \same footing..: .!. : ;-.... i - i -,-. ,'i: " .■'

(By, Teletfraph.—Special Correspondent.). .■■■,■•'■■.'■' .-.' ..: .-..■...-, Napier, :january 20.'". . "It■ is-with-'.:extreme■• regret. (Bays 'the Napier.; "Daily: Telegraph"■■; to-day)-' that we refer to one' phase' of the proceedings of- the .Napier Borough'; Council last night"—alluding' to the'.discussion'^concerning 'the; 1 Auditor-General's "tag , ' to the borough'ac'coiints, ; ahd the' : necessary result in. the ■ retirement ;of Mr.' :J. P. Thomson from" the: , counciL V The coni'ment ■we feel i called upon: to' make' in ■ the public.interest,': and' .with, the .reverse -of pleasure,' .is- .upon . the '.'pickings , -,.' theory put, forward.■by,,,one., : councillpr,■ andun■directly supported .by : another... According', to, the' ■ reports, Councillor Williams gave it as his opinib'n" : that.~'there would ibe Something rotten in:the 'state:of.Denmark . if; councillors. who gave: their!' time .and' attention to .municipal affairs could •not..get. any -little pickings '■'. that' were :going.' .' On ;.the 'other,.' hand; : there ■; is something rotten!in :ev'e'ry'.State, in every community, where: the' publio.' , service is held -to entitle■ public .servants-, to -'pick■ings.'. A recent : trial.in, London of couhcillors\forining part of. the local' goyernniont machinery, of two- large '.boroughs, arid their sentence r :to v long' terms! of: imprisonment,- sufficiently. ■ point the moral to .this aspect-of- the .case.- . ■:Of course, there -is: no ' other parallel,':! as!.'nothing whatever: suggests:that, corruption in! the .of. the term' ;has.ibeen: in question in"Napier. Y.The'imp'ortant thing ■to_ bear: in; mind,, .however, 'is that "the . jDicMngs',' theory,.-if-/carried-,. out,-i'must oi necessity open the.door .to cornrptibn, and, in the -end,.;involve. it. ''-The' surprise is that in any publio : body a councillor can:be found with .daring .sufficient ;to enable him to stand, up: and advocate oither-'pickings', or ..that-the'law-'against them is absurd arid -nonsensical.- , We deeply regret that snch '■ sentiments "should have been uttered. It will-boa bad dav for- kevr 'Zealand if ever ■ the'- people of this country permit • themselves '•' to en- : dure the 'pickings', theory in local Government, and to regard as.'absurd and nonsensical' the laws designed to shut out : both- theory and practice, t .- ■"'..-■