A BROKEN MELODY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1751, 16 May 1913, Page 5

A BROKEN MELODY.

GRIEVANCE OF A CITY COUNCILLOR.. 11l and out of the tranquil progress oi the City Council's* business last evening, like a broken melody, sounded the reiterated protest of Councillor E. Tregcar against tho method adopted of appointing committees and electing committee chairmen. As reported at the time, Councillor Tregear objected very strongly at tlio Jluyoral installation proceedings to tlie continued existence of standiug committees—minus the defeated or retired councillors —alter the old council had ceased to exist, his point being that these committees died with the old conucil, and that the new committees should be constituted de novo, instead of filling Die vacancies by adding to the personnel of the old committees tho names of new councillors. , . Councillor Tregcar began early 111 the evening by challenging tho minutes as being nil incomplete record of the proceedings at tho appointment ot the committees, and reiterated liis objections to the procedure tlien adopted. The Jlavor (Jlr. J. .l\ Luke) was sympathetic, and regretted tliat tho council had not seen its way then to adjourn and elect its committes do novo. At a later stage Councillor Tregcar held up' a clause in tho report of the Finance Committee, on tho ground that that com« mittee wits irregularly constituted, the baMs of the irregularity being tho method adopted of electing tho new committee. Alter further parley, Councillor Irefear agreed to give notico of motion to rescind the whole of the resolutions referring to the filling of tho vacancies on the old committees. Somo further talk 011 procedure arose later in regard to the appointment of committee' chairmen. Councillor liegem complained that, from what lie had heard, there had been an excess of punctuality in the commencement of the meetings of the committees which had been convened for tho purpose of electing their chairComicillor J. U. I'iiiigerald then told the council that he had arrived at his meeting two minutes late, to lind the business over, lie regretted that Councillor l'lelcher had not been elected chairman of a committee, and so made eligible for a seat on'tho Finance Committee. Councillor Fletcher was one of the senior councillors, and would bo a valuable member of the l'initiice Committee, said Councillor Fitzgerald. ~,,,,, Councillor It. Fletcher admitted that he would have liked to have had an opportunity of serving on the Finance Committee lie had had six years' service on (he council, and had twice been senior councillor. There had been -a suspicion of indecent haste, said he, in tho rapiditv with which Hie committees had assembled and transacted their business. He happened to be a little late, and when he arrived it was all over. In deference to a point of order, ( the speaker amended his expression ' indecent hasle," to "undue haste. Councillor 1!. A. Wright put caso from his own experience. 110 had, ho said, arrived at tlie meeting place (Abattoirs Committee) punctually. At ji o'clock precisclv—the Town Hall clock and the l'ost Office clock were in exact a»reoiiiont—the committee clerk took, tho chair and called for nominations. lie (Councillor Wright) proposed Councillor liodber, and Die motion was seconded, The clerk called for further nominations, Iml none were forthcoming. Councillor Ciodber was therefore clcctcd, and there bein" nothing else to do, the meeting ilisfi»r="d. lie suggested that if Councillor Fletcher had desired nomination he should liave let them know. After furl her talk, the matter dropped.

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