ILLEGAL PAYMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1426, 29 April 1912, Page 5

ILLEGAL PAYMENTS.

[ . ... . 7-—-» -r v; ;■ -;;■ ON THE COAST.'" ■ "J WANT MORE THAN MY K\I'ENSKS." (pS Megmiih.—Prefee A'sfeoeiftUoTi.) ' - . . Hokitika, April j>:. Tbo matter of Iho Wsstla'nd ITo-piia' end Charitable Aid Board's much-discu-s----ed balance-sheet was again before. , public gar.e on Friday evening, 'wneii ijifv Morough Council's request for informal imi" in reference to the board members' travrlling expenses nnd allowances came'ljeltfir' (lie. statutory meeting of the board. It was-eventually decided to set up a subcommittee to meat the Borough Council , ! sub-committee. ' ■ ..:'.' " ■■' '.A During Hm discussion o'ne'of'-tlie membcrsi of the bourd said lie objected to the statempiit by one of tho borough repre." sentativcs on the board that thW who jioiild not afford to give their timo to the boards business without getting ■ paid-for-* it over and nbovo their legal,,travelliiVe' expenses ought k> resign. The member in question said that for his part lie would insist on beiag paid for his time, andlur continued; "When 1 come down here 1 want more than my cxjjenws, and if -lhave to put n man in.my place to do'iny' work when I'm hero J will see l.lint.thi« board pays that man's wages."'' This '■ Kjves an indication of the past rfdiniii'istration ol the bimrd, and is claimed to sh<w the justice of the council's demand for in-vesligal.-.on. .Several of Uio-liiaHl-memljcrj , ' were very wrath over-the'matter of travV t'lluip expcuMs, etc., being giveji .such wide publicity. ■■■,-.:■■ 'I'he Iward tlien proceeded to ilie tioti of a chairman Jor (he'ensiiius yejri" Air. Clifton was proiwfvd, Iml he slid jt seemed to him that the chnirin.iii'iiiiij W« a degrading position. He >,trolly to-'-: sentod what had )>i>-u said at tin- llorpHßh. , Council meeting. The jij-ople- imiM. know" that, a good deal of business was clone. l>otwecn the 'J'liis a ,, lot of travelling, , and principally lor the rpaH>n of thp remarks pasM<il at the coiln-; cil meeting he declined the-position: The retiring ehaii'inau, .Mr. T. (J. M'Guigii!i, agi'icd with these remarks, .aud.j added that he did not care "that" for the •■ Itorougli Council. . . ' ' Mr. Thomas Kennedy, of'Knmara, wai eventually elected to the" posilion linopi-. pnsed. Confidence in the conduct of Mr. Kennedy ns the :ie\y elininiiuu of the board may be anticipated trow the fact that in the.early stages of the meeting -Mr. Kennedy staled that it was perfectly clear that illegal payments had been accepted, and he for one was ready and willing to hand back to tho board the amount which the auditor has said he had taken ly.. This statement 'gave' Air. Ciawfoiif, o'rie'of tho "borough' representatives on- th« ; board, an opportunity which he was mil slow to grasp. Mr. Crawford, in second' in" Air. Kennedy's appointment, drew f sharp line of demarcation between the notion of Mr. Kennedy and that of Air. Clifton. Air. Crawford, referring to Mr ■Clifton's remarks, said it could only be a disgrace to a'chiii'rman if' ho acted contrary to the law, and pocketed money illegally. Instead of it being a disgrace! ul posilion to Mr. Kennedy, it would be an honourable one, because lie had already that evening stated publicly that he was ready to pay back what he had illegally roccivcilt ■ ■ ■ The position now is that the two Mil:opimnittccs are to meet, and a thorough investigation of the board's aliairs is M bo made. ■