CRITICISM OF COUNCIL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5291, 25 June 1928, Page 2

CRITICISM OF COUNCIL.

INSPECTOR DEFENDS HIMSELF. MR. CAMERON’S STRAIGHT TALK. Caustic criticism of his treatment by the Hauraki Plans County Council was made by Mr R. H. Cameron, late overseer and inspector, when replying to eulogistic references to his. work by speakers at a farewell function tendfeu'ed to him in the Turua Hall by Turua and Netherton ratepayers last Thursday evening. Stating that he Always spoke his mind and said just what he meant, Mr C.ameron recalled that lie had arrived in tlie district five and a half yetys ago to undertake bitumen reading work for the Turua Ratepayers’ Association. That arrangement was very satisfactory, as it meant that he was his own boss. The speaker congratulated the Hauraki Plains; County Council on its reading policy a,nd the way it had handled the work. He mentioned that when he first arrived he had to use a horse,' and showed by inference the improvement in. the roads. The district was braye, he said, in launching out in the way it did; Continuing, Mr Cameron recalled that when l Mr Basham, the present county engineer, arrived, the council had put him under Mr Basham’s control. They had. got on very well together, and in the three years there had l never been a row. Mr Basham had had) sufficient confidence in him to put him in full charge, and had not interfered with his method's of doing the work. He had always endeavoured to make the money gp as far a.s possible for the benefit-of the ratepayers. He was pleased) to hear that the workmen had esteemed him, for he knew that they thought him a hard boss. However, he knew that he had been just, as the workmen never left him. That had always been his experience. THE INSPECTORSHIP. Three years ago the council decided to appoint an overseer and inspector for the whole of the county, said Mr Cameron. He put in an application a.nd was,, given the position, .although there was some opposition in the council, particularly from one man who had a friend for whom he wanted the job. This councillor had said in open, council that a young man was needed —one who would get on a motor-cycle and get ;a,bout the hills. After referring to the disability of his missing leg Mr Cameron challenged anyone to say that he had not given full attention to all works ' no matter where they were. . Continuing, Mr Cameron said that until three years ago the council had its road metal flumped from the scows and punts on to the riverbanks and later lifted into trucks to be carted away. He had advocated, and had eventually had, the scheme altered to unloa.di.ng direct from the scows to the motor trucks, thus effecting a saving of 2s a yard l . Though the council used some thousands of yards- of metal a year, n'o credit whatever was given him for the saving he had! thus effected. The council hAd contended that he had not given sufficient, attention to the inspectorship. He claimed that more work had been done in the last two years than in ,any similar period before, and that it was more important to give Attention to the roadwork, which involved the expenditure of thousands of pounds, than to attertd to the- inspectorship, which was only a matter of shillings. The first friction with the council in regard! to the inspectorship was iji November, 18 months ago, when he was- “slated” inopen council when he was, not present for giving too much attention to the roadwork and not enough, to the inspector’s duties. On the same date there was, in the county office, a list of 14 names of motorists he had caught for speeding. The chairman, an<] ; also the clerk, knew of this}, but neither of them ahd saifl a word to vindicate him. The council did not prosecute those offehderss, as its bylaws were not in order. That was not the inspector’s fault.-- The by-laws were amended,, and three or four months later two batches of 40 and 30 motorists were caught far speeding. A. conviction had been secured against every one of these motorists, despite the fact tha.t many of them had a lawyer to defend their case. The magistrate had commented on the satisfactory method employed by him in catching these motorists, but the County Council had n'ot even complimented him. Last iGctober he received instructions from the clerk not to proceed with the trapping of motorists, and he had wondered what the reason was. Later he found out that he had caught some of the Councillors’ friends. The council did not prosecute, and made the excuse that its speed limit was not high enough. It was not the inspector’s fault that the speed limit was not high enough. The council immediately took steps.- to amend 1 its by.la.wS.

In March last, continued Mr Cameron, the council gave him notice terminatng his. appointment, as it was intended to retrench and he was too expensive a man to retain. He was not offended, as he realised that it wafe quite right for thte council to en-cfe-avour to save money for its ratepayers. However, the following week the council decided to appoint an inspector at £6 a week to do one-third of the work he had been doing for £7 a week. That, was what h'Ad hurt him. A worse insult was that the comity chairman had stated in open council, and it had been reported in the Press, that he had proved unsatisfactory as an inspector. The chairman had not only given him a “slap in the face,” but had also spoilt his chances of getting further employment.

The county clerk and some of the councillors, he said, hAd broadcasted all over the county that he had lost the council over £2OO in fees which had not been collected. He had gone to the clerk and had .asked what were those fees, and had been informed that one billiard room license had not been taken out, And that there were three or four motor-trucks for which licenses had pot been taken out for the conveyance of passengers. These

cases, said Mr Cameron, were hot ■regular passenger-carrying vehicles, but were motor lorries of owners who sometimes took people to the pictures-. The drivers had stated when & PP ed that a license was not necessary, as no fares wx-re charged. The inspector could not compel them to take out licenses, .as he could not catch the drivers collecting fares. Contending that the chairman bad no grounds for stating that he had. proved unsatisfactory, Mr OAmeron read some figures which he had taken from county balance-sheets. In the year before he took office £175 had been collected for licensss and fees-, and £1 2s 6d for dog tax. He was appointed half-way through the year 1927, and in that year licenses and fees totalled £477-odd, and dbg tax £B7 2s 6d. For last year the fees- totalled £795-odd, a.pd dbg tax £lOB-bdd. He claimed that these figures; proved that he had done his duty, and he would leave it to the ratepayers to judge whether he had bon /insatisfactory. (Applause.) ( Concluding, Mr. Cameroij. stited that he could have made a lot of money while in the council’s employ} had he chosen to do so. It had been, put to him by contractors that he was an old fool, but he had replied that he was not built, that way,' and when he left the district he wanted to do so with a clear conscience. That was what he was now doing.