IMPUGNED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1453, 30 May 1912, Page 6

IMPUGNED.

• * j METHODS OF HARBOUR BOARD. CHAIRMAN'S DENIXL. At tho last meeting of tho Wellington Harbour Board, the statntcry meeting for tho election of -chairman, tomo statcmenls were made by .Mr. .1. CI. Hnrkness, the defeated candidate, impugning the methods «l ills successful rival (Air. J!. Fletcher) in his conduct of the business ot tin; Board. Mr. Hnrkness .said in elfect. that more <f the board's busine-s was dime in committee than had been so done prior to Mr. Fletcher's election to liie e'liiir. and Mr. Fletcher challenged him to verily his statement. Mr. Darkness acceptco fin; challenge, saying that he would take l.lio hr.st possible opportunity ot proving lii s case.

At the ineehng of the board last night Mr. IlnrKncss asked leave to make a personal explanation, lie referred to the incident at the previous meeting--!ho challenge and his acceptance of it. Jlo had not desired i 0 take any unfair advantage in the mailer, ami he had not Miiigul. to find any stronger evidence in support of his statement than the instances !io luul in mind when he made it. On October 17 lust the; Wharves and Quays Committee decided that the firemen on the Whakariru dredge be granted Ills, per month increase in wages. 'J'hat was never reported t„ Die beard. The same committee had granted increases in wages to sioremen amounting to £X\ per annum. He i|tioted from the bv-law.s to show thai. the committee were prevented by (heir own by-laws Irom granting increases in wages, and they had no power to dra! with the expenditure without reference to the board, of a larger slim than .£SO. This matter al-o was not reported to the hoard. The-e were tiie onlv cares to which he would refer, and"if he were proved to be wrong he would apologise. Mr. Hotelier (alter referring to the committee's minutes): 1 said at the time tnat Mr. Harkuess made his statement thai ho was wrong, and T say now that ,he is wrong. ] say now that nothing has been done by the committee that has not been reported (,o the ijoard." He went on to, say that he thought it "n paltry Dung" on Mr. Darkness'* part to bring up a matter like this eight months after the event. Mr. Darkness was Vi member of the Wharves and Accounts Committee; why had lie not brought it up before? The general inference from the statement made was that he (.Mr. Hotelier) had fought as a private member for more publicity in board business, and then as chairman been a party to doing things in secret. 'lie denied that there was too much of the business of the Harbour Board done in committee. Ho did not agree with Mr. Harkness's interpretation of the by-law as to tho committee's power to deal with wages. Mr. Harkuess: May I make another explanation? Mr. Fletcher: No, I think we have had fjiiite enough of it for the present. You can bring the matter up in another war.