FAIRLY FARCICAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1592, 8 November 1912, Page 5

FAIRLY FARCICAL.

CITY COUNCIL. CR. GODBER MOVUS A .MOTION, QUOEUM VANISHES. A. peculiar incident occurred at the special meeting tii' tho Wellington City Council last evening during. a ilcbnlo on tho following njolion by Councillor Godbcr :— "That tho following resolution, i passed at the meeting of tlio Wellington City Council, held on the Jnl day ' of October, rcsciiwlcel, viz,:-- ; " 'Thai; the time is opportmio' for i the City Council to favourably coii■fiider a scheme for a more ecqAonvicni, speedier, and nioderii service in eonuectipu with this transit of passengers and trullic by means of electric traction, and the- utilisation ,of tho municipal tramways, whereby the Harbour Board wharves and railway stations should bo Jinked up by direct tram communication with all the suburban districts. " 'That with tho above object in view a conference bo called by the City Council, consisting of representatives . « the Government, City Council, Suburban Jxjcal Bodies, and Harbour i Board, Tncluding Chief Government ' Jvngineer, Corporation, and Harbour Board Engineers, to consider tho pre* posal. ihcro were present at tho meeting; The Slayor (Mr. D, M'Laren), and Councillors E. Fletcher, J. 12. Fitzgerald, G. • Frost, JJr. Cameron, J. Godber, W. H. P, Barber, G. Shirtclirte, and E. Tregear. Motion to Adjourn. Councillor Shirtcliffe- protested against tli?-discussion of such a proposal by almost a bape- quorum of the council, and moved the adjournment. Councillor Fletcher opposed the motion ■wr adjournment. If certaiii councillors were not sufficiently interested in thisquestion to attend the. meeting, was that any reason why those who did attend should waste their time and bo debarred. from disposing of the business? Councillor Fitzgerald also objected. Had Councillor Godber not left the Cbuncil Chamber before the motion was carried at. a previous meeting, ibo matter would have been disposed ot PnCo and for all. - Councillor Godber, in a pefsbnal explanation, took exception to the implied su : g- ; e«snon of Councillor- Fitzgerald that ho (Councillbr Godber), had neglected his. duties. Councillors knew very well that he- was most regular in his atfentipn to his civic duties. On the occasion referred to by Councillor Pitzgerald he- had'had' to leave on urgent business. Several other Councillors objected to an .adjournment.' ■ The Mayor Kgrctted the absence of sbnie of tho councillbm, and spoke strongly against th& practice, which had grown of ■ eternally postponing consideration of Per-' tarn questions on the order paper. These, questibns must bo disposed of, either in ■ ea>cral mating or by special meeting. i ftp motion for the adjournment of the council was lost* on ft, division,' by five - : ■■votes-to fbur. - ; ( the "Cipsiire." Couucillor Godber then'moved his. motion- to rescind the- previous decision of - tho council, which, he declared, had teen HM^* 1 °S a^ to > vot > M'said Very, little tor the attention, of some councillors tp. their duties that'seven werb,absent that evening. The present was an iiibp-' portune time for the council tP considersuch a .proposal as was dutlined in' the: iivotito which he desired to have resclndf, ill 6 fr amway system: Was'ih, a state ot transition, and the .corporation engin-, eere were fully becupied in at- '■ tending .to the febrgan.isati.6h scliem'e. which was at present in progress.:.' Tt was .perfectly Well known to cbunciilors that the Government had no intention.' .of; interfering with tho Te Aro line, and'when «) this fact tvias added the prospect cf a. large increase in what he described as: self-contained traction-i-Kiotpr-waggons, etc—consideration of such a proposal was prematura _. ; .. At this stage CbuncillbrS Erbs't and . Shirtcljlfo left the room,- and the 'TJare: quorum disappeared.. "Thajfs not very nice," -.cbmniented Cbuiicilloi:, Fletcher. . The Alayor: It is. Very ungracious tb i brother cpuucillpr—l say this in'tlip hear-. i-ng of tlio press—it is a wrong sort'of way to treat anyone. The hrotibn to adjourn the council was. negatived,-, but'it. was open to anyone to move the ad--journnieivl' of the debate, and so ,rjfford ■ Councillor Godbesr an oppottuiiity of ha'y--lng his motion voted upon by a ; "f.uii' : council. ...'.' Councillor Fletcher said that the action of Councillors Frost and Shirtcliffe. 'liiJ reti'ripg as •they did was- -ah act of cpurtesy to the Mayor and to the .councl'L 'I propose.'ta nibve that a record, he, taken pf the names of those tvlio. have;, remained behind to transact the-business' of the council," he said. Tho Mayor said that he could! hot ac-' cept a motion in the absence of a 'qUoruhi.'-: "Well," said' Conueil'lor Fletcher, "I? shall take tha necessary steps to havo ■this done at ti(6 next meeting," ' _ Tho Mayor: For coiineiUbrs tb walkout in this way is outrageous, discourteous,and unmanly. I shall certainly not callanother special meeting of the council : unless I can h.o assured that councillors will-attend. Explanations, . At. this juncture Councillors Shirtcliffe and Frost returned to the council chamber. Councillor Shirtciiffe said-that he i'egvetted if his retirement ha.dbeend.hterprbted. is ftii' net of discourtesy' to the, : Mayor and .the other councillors.; But' he objected to such an important question dobatcd in a thin council, and..hb had left the chamber as a prptcst. The veting, p:n the' proposal Would hot. bo a fair indication of tho niind of the counoil on the question. That was his solo roason, for leaving tho council chamber. Councillor Frost spoke in a Similar : strain. ■ He was not responsiblb for th.bso. ■ who vere not present, put tit' the- sauib; tinie ho objected to a q'u.estipn .of such i'mportaflco being submitted to a, baro (jubrum of tho council. No discourtesy: Sftd been intended. ' The- Mayor; Councillor Shirtcliffe and : Councillor FrOst, t have listened to your J explanation, and I enrt't admit that it is a sufficient justification for your act-ion. ! Tlio meeting was called by- myself for the . ■special purpose of clearing, tho order ■! paper, and it is. altogether improper for . you to take Up tho position that you. -eim cbmpl your f.ellow'-cOttucillors to adjourn. ■ _ Councillor. Godber at tliis-ftngb reminds ed the Mayor that ho had placed his and Councillor Barber's notices of Inotibn oil the Order paper fpr the special iiieet'iUE pf, the council on Tuesday without consult-' iug the movers. The Mayor replied thftt the main, object. of that meeting fras 10 ar'ra'ngb Certain Ereliininaries in regard to tlio farewoll to. is EKellehoy the Governor, and o.ppp> tunity was then taken to dispose 6f tfieso two notices of motion, which had been standing for somb time. Councillor Fitzgerald said that if th'n method adopted by the councillpva who. had retired was to bo jus'lifiedi tlio -result would bo that tho council Would be «t th'o mercy of one or two when there was. a small attendance. Cpunciilor Shirteßfffr said to was sc'rrj tho jiayor had not n.ccoptcd his fcxplana. tion of the reasons fur his .retirement from. thß ehaiuben It had seemed to hw> that that was tlio only Way" in Which tb securo proper consideration jof tho qucs. tion. "Half of us. werb not listphing to Councillor Godber," ho said. "I confess that I left rather abruptly—niofo abruptly than perhaps I should have done." Tlio Mayor -said that if tho business, of the council could not bo accomplis'hetl i;n' general meeting, then it ivduld hnyo to bo done by a special mooting. It was useless ■postponing again niid ngdiii tlio. business set down on tlio order paper. It was only fair to say that the aosoace of certain councillors was s'Stisfftctorily .nc-. counted for. This ended the discussion, uiid councillors "then dispersed.