"INSULTED."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1189, 26 July 1911, Page 8

"INSULTED."

STATEMENT BY THE ACTINGMAYOR. . A MINISTERIAL ATTACK ON ■ WELLINGTON. Asked by a representative of The Dominion for his opinion of the behaviour of the Hon. E. M'Kenzie when interviewe<l by the tramways deputation yesterday morning, the Acting-Mayor (Councillor .1. Smith), speaking with evident restraint, said: '

"1 have bren a resident here for f-ixty-nine years; I have had 'twenty-five years' municipal experience; I can honestly say that I possess the goodwill of the whole of the inhabitants of the city and surrounding districts, and this is "the first time I have ever boon insulted. I was present at the deputation; not only in my official capacity as Acting-Mayor of this city, but as chairman of tho Tramways Conference, to introduce, the deputation to the Minister. Mr. M'Kenzie's attitude placed me in a very awkward position in that I was not able to refer to those matters which had engaged the attention of the conference. His action was unjustifiable in the extreme. No doubt he was considerably exercised in his mind over my action in placing, at the disposal of the reporter the proposed .tramway regulations, which were marked 'confidential.' "With regard to that," eaicl 'Mr. Smith,

"I just want to say this. The Minister was written to asking him to withdraw the word 'confidential.' nnd as the time was rapidly approaching when these regulations would be gazetted, and so become law—the. ,11st, as a matte- rof fact-1 considered it advi.-ahlc to immediately take action with the intention of bringing about a conference, of 'delegates from all over Iho Dominion who were engaged in tramway undertakings or nroporcd undertakings. 1 therefore (hink that publication of these regulations at that juncture was perfecllyjuslifipil: that, as a result of Hie conference, it would be shown to the Minister that, a strong feeling existed in Now Zealand that the- rlnnsvs proposed jwere unjustifiable, unwarruntttble, and utterly unworkable.

"Ungentlemanly and Uncalled-For." "Tho Minister's language to me was ungentlemanly and uncalled-for, and precluded mo from stating my side of the case. His remarks apparently were intended to hit Wellington very hard, lie blamed the management for the excessive fares charged and tho hardships put upon its employees, and slandered the Wellington tramway system us tho worstmanaged in the world. Tho answer to these wild statements is that according to tho recent commission which sat throughout tho Dominion tho Wellington tramways were well managed and altogether complete. The fares charged on our tramways," ■ continued Ur. Smith, "compare very favourably with those in vogue elsewhere, and I have personal experience of the working of tramways iu the Old Country, the South of France, India, Cpyloii, Australia, and various other places. Mr. ll'Kf'iizie told us yesterday that he had his information from a car-

tiiiii section of the men. Why was no notice taken of the reports of our tramwii.v officer.--, ivliu cniilil have given him complete information)' We have verv strong reasons fur believing," concluded tho speaker, "that (Jio Department's engineers were never , consulted about those regulations, and (his is .supported by expert, opinion, which declares that no electrical engineer would ever have introduced to a set of tramway regulations such absurd and unworkiiljlc provisos, which have been so .strongly objected to."

KARORI COUNCIL SPEAKS. THE MINISTER'S ATTACK. "WITH HIS SLEIOVES ROLLED IT." Brief but pointed remarks were made about the much-dbcusfod tramway regulations and attendant affairs at: the meeting of the Knrori Borough Council last evening.

' Speaking of the conference, the Mayor (Mr. C. Cathie) remarked that provincialism had got to work to some extent, with the result that tho main issue of State interference with municipal enterprise had been pushed into the. background. Some of the visiting delegates had sympathised with the Minister in regard to the publication of the regulations, and had been a little inclined to criticise the chairman of the conference and the Wellington members.

The unwarranted rebuke from the Minister at that day's conference, Mr. Cathio continued, had not done him any credit. It was a very painful thing to witness, and very uncalled-for. 'At the same time, a man in the Minister's position thought he had a right to say anything ho liked, and say it in any way he liked.

"I don't know," said tho Mayor of Karori, "that we can control a man like that. We must leave him where he is for a bit."

Councillor Hildreth hoped the council would not pledge itself to support the Wellington Council in any action it might tike. The action thus far taken by Wellington was not calculated to promote an amicable settlement. As to tho action of the. Acting-Mayor in divulging the regulations, there could bo no two opinions as to its being wrong. Councillor Burn took another view, and declared that, if he had gone to the conference, he would have commended the action of tho Acting-Mayor. The whole support of tramway systems was not the Karon Council or any other such body, but tho public. Tho public must bo studied in this matter, and were entitled to know what, was going on. Councillor Hildreth said that Wellington had "gone off like a packet of crackers, and got up an agitation that inado them all look very fool Mi.

"A Fighting Attitude." Councillor Hamilton thought that, whatever might, bo said about the action of the. Acting-Mayor of Wellington, the action of the Minister at the conference that morning could.not be justified. The Minister had approached the conference in a fighting attitude, "with his sleeves rolled up.' As an onlooker, tho speaker considered that, if the Minister wanted to tackle a man, he might have tackled one nearer his own weight. There was a great clillerenco in the circumference of the two men.

Tho Mayor: "Ho will be'tackling you next!

Councillor Hamilton: "I don't care What I want to emphasise is that it was tho city of Wellington and not Mr. Smith, whom the Minister sat on this morning." Unfortunately, he went on to remark, the Mayor (Mr. Wilford) was laid up. If ho had been up, Wellington would have, put up a very different front than it had put up that morning. The Acting-Mayor had said, Councillor Hamilton added that politics would bs kept apart, but, to his view, the whole thing reeked with politics "from south to north." Tho Mayor remarked that the thing to bo resisted was State interference with what should be municipal government, pure- and simple. Municipal engineers certainly knew their business better than any engineer in the emplov of the Government.

Ihe council decided to reply formally to the letter received from the Public Works Department covering a copy of the regulations.