Council Papers.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1588, 26 June 1874, Page 266

Council Papers.

REPORT of the Select Committee appointed on the 10th June, .1874, to consider the question of Tendering for the Provincial Government. Your Committee regret to have to report, as the result of their investigation of the papers connected with the Printing Tenders for 1874-5, and of their examination of the witnesses, whose names appear in the margin, [Messrs Fannin, Tylee, Harding, Grigg, Biriwiddie, Morrison, Weber, Carlile, M.P.C., iiis Honor J. D. Ormond, and Johnson!, is the establishment, with certainty, of the fast that the complaint made of the non-acceptance of the lowest offer is well founded. £. Even before your Committee assembled, it was well understood, and indeed was publicly admitted, that grouud for the charge existed. Their endeavors, therefore, were directed less to the obtaining of proof on this point, than to scrutiny of the system of tendering for provincial supplies at present in

practice. 3. That system they cannot but characterize s 8 loose, inefficient, and calculated to engender suspicion of the good faith of the Government in the breasts of tenderers. The natural jealousy of the latter is increased, if exceptional advantages be conceded to any of their number; or if departure be made from an open, rigid, and just lino of procedure. Misunderstanding of official form and routine, want of conception of the shackles binding the free action of public officers, and sometimes loose speaking, are each and all causes why accusations of unfairness in the acceptance of tenders are far from being uncommon. Such then being known to be the ease, it was the more imperative on the Tender Board to exercise the utmost caution to avoid imputations on their conduct. To their own want of vigilance and ciire in this respect, aud to the apparent absence of all appreciation of the true weight of their responsibilily for the due guarding alike of the interests of the public on the one hand and the relative interests of tenderers on the other, do your Committee attribute the blunder that has arisen. Of corruption in their duty they hold the board wholly absolved. In truth, no direct charge of that nature is made, nor has there been any attempt even to imply its existence.

4. It will be seeu iu Mr Fanniu's evidence that, he takes, as his exclusive burden, full and entire responsibility for the mistakes which he admits to have been made. The other members of the Tender Board were Mr Weber, the Provincial Engineer, and Mr Tylee, the Provincial Treasurer. 5. Mr Weber's participation in the settlement of the Printing Tenders appears to have been confined to the giving of his signature to any recommendation prepared by the other members. He avows, and your Committee yield implicit credit to the statement, that he possesses no acquaintance with printing matters. It is therefore only a fair inference that his error in this matter has been very venial. 6. It would have been a pleasant duty for your Committee could they have equally exculpated the Provincial Treasurer from blame. The evidence precludes their doiug so. As the financial officer of the Government, it would manifestly be more incumbeut on him, than perhaps on either of the other members, to be specially careful and exact in making money calculations, from which results decisive of the relative eligibility of tenders were to be educed. In a careful discharge of the duty he has evidently failed, aud his own explanation is that " the whole thing was done in such a hurry that there was no time to check the calculations." 7. The remaining member of the Printing Board—• Mr Fannin, the Superintendent's Clerk—asserts that a mistake exists in the schedule exhibiting the com. parative price of the two tenders received, viz., one -from Mr Harding, and the other from Messrs Dinwiddie, Morrison and Co.; and that it was under the influence of such mistake that the contract was awarded to the firm of Dinwiddie, Morrison and Co. In the making of the calculations referred to, as calling for the exercise of care by Mr Tylee, it appears iMr Banuitt shared; and he seems moreover to have furnished the data of quantities necessary for computation. In the statement of these quantities the main error has happened: but Mr Fannin's assumption in consequence.of exclusive, responsibility, your Committee cannot allow. The weight of censure must fall on all concerned, but in a greatly enhanced degree on Messrs Fannin and Tylee. 8. After closing the evidence on the subject, remitted to your Committee's care, they took into consideration the question of redress of the grievance under Which Mr Harding unquestionably labors. Two or three courses seemed open as covering the case and their advisability and merits were fully entered,' into. Finally it was resolved to recommend, as the most judicious/least severe aud troublesome course, that the Superintendent cancel the contract awarded to Messrs Dinwiddie, Morrison and Co., and transfer it to Mr Harding, who, according to ordinary official custom ought to have received it. 9. Iu regard to the general question of procedure in reference to tendering, your Committee suggest a a follows, viz.:— (1) That, as far as practicable, all tenders be made on printed forms ; and that, in the case of printing no tender be received save on a form of the kind (specimen form annexed.) (2) That a box, with" a secure lock, and marked "Tender Box," be affixed iu the hall of the Public Buildings for reception of tenders. (3) That all tenders be opened by the Board in the presence of such tenderers as may be present, immediately after the closing hour. (4) That the Government reserve the right of acceptiug other than the lowest tender. (5) That in preparing schedules for Ironmongery, Hospital, and Gaol supplies, only leading items b 8 comprised—the opposite practice of including every possible requirement, serving but to overload tenders, and make them unnecessarily iutricate. (6) That adequate specifications be prepared in the case of road works. (7) That a list of tenders accepted and rejected, with the prices be, as speedily as possible posted in the hall of the Government Buildings. Jonx Buchanan, For Chairmau pf Select Committee.

RE PORT of the Select Committee appointed on the 13th June, 1874, to revise the Country Electorates set forth 'in the Representation Bill, with an instruction that no alteration be made in the proposed division of the Town of Napier,

Your Committee have taken into their careful consideration those clauses of the Representation Bill, ami sections of the Schedule, that were remitted to them for enquiry; and beg to report the following as the amendments iu the Bill to which they have

agreed, vi>..: — ■ . 1. That tin number of members named iu clause I. be fixed as nineteen, this' being an increase of one member.

2. That the seat in the Provincial Council, which would, on the approval by the Council of this proposal; so become available, he allotted to an urban constituency ; and your Committee recommend the conferring of it on the town of Waipawa and its immediately contiguous environs. 3. The formation of a new town electorate out of the surrounding country districts necessitates revisal anew of the boundaries of several of them;'and it is almost wholly in consequence thereof that your Com. mittco suggest any change in the printed Schedule. 4. The Provincial Engineer having, at the request of the Committeu, prepared a Schedule, iu conformity with the accompanying map of the revised electorates, your Committee submit the same, and recommend its embodiments in the Bill.

John Buchanan, For Chairman of Select Committee.

, The Nelson Colonist asks, " Are the public satisfied with the way in which the affairs of the Province have Over hill and dale comes the voice of the country—No !',' < •