LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1924, 5 December 1913, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE UPPER HUTT TOWI=J";SOAtt'P,

Sir, —Your information relative "to local 'Town Board proceedings is amus-' ing, but not accurate. The motion iclative to excluding persons uiidor the I influence; of drink from board .weet- | ings was refused by Iho chairman at | the meeting of November 1?, ami'that j individual then moved, in disregard of 'existing standing orders, a motion regretting I had placed my motion on tho I order paper. Acting upon advice, I ! placed the notice of motion-on last j Monday's order paper, and moved it at meeting as a protest against the chairman's irregularities at tho previous meeting. My motion lapsed for want of a seconder. After. 1 had niovvd tho next motion standing in my name, "that casuals be paid on Tuesdays by the foreman," the chairman again violated the standing orders by rising and speaking to the lapsed motion, saying it was a reflection on tli* chairman's conduct of meetings. Commissioner j Jtobertson followed the chairman, and argued that the proper course at the j previous meeting was not in have veI fused my motion, but to let uie move jft and allow it to lapse. A'o ono else i spoke mi tho subject. A;; a matter of ; fact, since Mr. "\\'ohh became chairman. | tnere have been six instances of porl i sons under the influence, of drink beiiut j permitted lmchecki'd to take part in the proceedings of the board—probably as a result of my notices of motion oil tile subject the present chairman will do as his predecessors did, viz., not' permit intoxicated persons to enter the room.—l am, etc.. _ ANGUS J. M'CUIJDV. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HARBOUR BOARD. ■Sir,—Since reading your very moderate article of a week ago, re tiie action of the chairman of the Harbour Board, asking him what lm has to say. about his contradiction of your statement about wool being shipped through j Napier, I have been anxiously waiting jto k-iir tvhut, lie has to say. lint I have j not yet come across any answer to vouv | query. I should like to know if he' hits ; any reply. Also 1 should like to know jif the chairman still lias tho same ! powers as at the commencement of the ' strike, or has the board relieved him of them and taken them over themselves, ! as I feel sure it is. dangerous to allow ] a man 1 who acts as he has done to ho i allowed the power he arrogates to liiflij self. Mr. Fletcher is evidently sitting j oil the rail again, as practised at the i general election, when he fortunately j fell on the. right side. He will find it i'poor sport running with the hare and j hunting with the hounds. Who is Mr. Fletcher that he should be allowed.to dictate to (he Harbour Board anil'the owners of the wharves? 1 take it they belong to the community, the general ' public, aiid not to Mr. Fletcher or the ! lied Feds or the late wharf workers. ' The public who pay the piper sends j the chairman and the members of tho I board to carry out their will, not simply i the will of one man. And if they f;p'l i in their duty, why ihc same force that' I put them in llioir present position will jbe able .to put them out. It seems to bo j liie.ii treason to contradict Mr. Fletcher. j Why? Is lie always right? Can he do no wrong? Is no ono else to be allowed to have a contrary opinion? .Let it Ik* known that the 1500 old union and,the Red Feds do not now nor over-shall control the wliarvos. .1 iini glad, to seo by your issue of this morning that Mr. A. D. 'Kennedy is to 'bring forward at the next meeting of 'tho board, his rosoiution re Arbitration wharf...workers, and I sincerely hope this wljl not bo iibsirticted. I think men coming forward as the iimv workers_havodoiioo.ro deserving of every eonside.rat.ion, arid • tlioso who threw away good Work'nhsiv luteiy none. I shnll bo interested uio hear about tho election of the now chnirninn, who really should be .«• man of broad unbiased mind, and. .should in no way bo intimately conmrled with Customs and carrying trade of the port or with, any other interests .which may coniliet with or give him an advantage, in auv wav over liis rivals.—l am. Ho . • OXK WAX. I>ccembcr i, 1013 v