POLITICAL "DOSS HOUSE."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1793, 4 July 1913, Page 6

POLITICAL "DOSS HOUSE."

WESTPORT HARBOUR CONTROL. The affairs of the West-port Harbour Board lmvo been much discussed lately owing to tho fact that the present board lias recently asked tliat a Government Commission of Inquiry should bo set up to consider the previous board s opera-* tions. For about 20 years past members of tho board luve been nominated by tho Government of tho day, but in November last an amandine Bill to tho constitution was passed at tho lustanco of tho Minislor for Marino (the lion, i. MB. Fisher), which gavo tho right- to «estport residents to nominate two members to represent tlw borough, whilo two were to bo olected to represent the county, and tho Government retained tho right txr nominate three members. Tho present chairman of the ward (Mr. F. F. Munro) and Mr. It. Gillen, a mem« bcr of tho board, are at present in Wellington, and were last night' seen by n Dominion reporter. They pave their opinion that, for the last (wentv ywrs, the board had been a political doss house." One of the first matters which the now board had to attend to was tho "whitewashing" of tho appointments of a scoro of the permanent officials of tliq board who had been improperly «P" pointed, according to tho boards own bylaws. Theso by-lawe> set out that all vacancies should bo Advertised for at least soven cloar days in tho local press. _ Tho officials referred to had been appointed: in defiance of that by-law. Out of tho twenty appointments so made, the new board reinstated nineteen, so that tho officials could participate in the super* animation fund, and the one position that had boon questioned in the public press was llio only one in which it was decided that a change was absolutely uecessarv. Further, Messrs. Munro and Gillen said that during the past 12 years threc-quar-iers of a million of money, from revenue and loans, had been spent, and there was not sufficient work in evidence, to justify nil expenditure of ,C 300,000. The members considered that tho commission would lead to the disclosure of a most monumental waste of public money on tho pa.rt of tho previous board. Beyond that they would not go, in view of the inquiry liaving been ashed for. Mr. Gillen further staled that, although a strong supporter of the present administration of llio West port Board, lie wished to challenge a statement mado by Mr. Seanlan, a member of tho board, in reference to him (Mr. Gillen) havinff been appointed as a Reform candidate, inasmuch as he was nominated by Laboul and appointed a Labour representative.