A TOWN CLERK’S SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 169, 13 April 1921, Page 11

A TOWN CLERK’S SERVICES

DECISION OF HUTT BOROUGH

COUNCIL.

At Monday night’s meeting of the Lower Hutt Borough Council, Councillor A. J. Guineas moved : "That the resolution passed dispensing with the services of the town clerk be rescinded.” Councillor Guineas stated that hd was not serving any party or section in bringing the motion forward. It was his own resolution. 'When the initial motion had been moved he had given the mover every credit for being actuated by honest reasons. Since then he had had an uncomfortable feeling that the council had done an injustice to one of its old and trusted servants. One. of his reasons for moving the resolution was that no definite charge bad been made agnin s t the town clerk, either in open council or in committee. Another was that the clerk had not had an opportunity to defend himself in open council. The speaker was of the opinion that the ratepayers and the neopie of the borough did not clearly understand the position —thev hnd been left in the dark. He would like to remind the council of the occasion on which, some years ago, it had congratulated the town clerk on his work. It was a question of principle—of doing the right thing by the indi. vidual. There had not been a breath of suspicion against the town clerk’s integrity, The fact that he was no* a young man should also lie considered. Councillor A. Macaskill seconded the motion. The Mayor (Mr. E. P. Rishworth) said that the services of the town clerk were now still as valuable as they had been. He would support the motion. The motion was lost on a division, the voting being- as follows:—For: Councillors Knight, Guineas, Macaskill, and the Mayor. Against: Councillors Hobbs, West, Cotton, Meldrum, Hardy, and Mitchell.