MERELY RUMOUR

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3265, 19 May 1943, Page 7

MERELY RUMOUR

COUNTY COUNCIL AFFAIRS AUDIT-GENERAL’S REPLY LETTER FROM A RATEPAYER According to the conversation of the man in the street and letters in’ the paper a supQr man was needed to help the. Coromandel County Council out of the chaos into which they had fallen but a letter which the council had received from the Auditor-Gene-ral should be sufficient guarantee that the council is not in such a bad way after all, commented the chairman, Mr C. C. Rae, at the May meeting of the council during his remarks in the course of the election of a councillor to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr T. V. Whittle.

On the motion of Cr. A. J. Denize, seconded by Cr. A. Watkins, it was agreed that the letter from the Auditor-General be made available for publication. The letter read as under: —

“With reference to your letter of the 20th ultimo, I have to advise that beyond the matter referred to in my letter to the chairman dated the 6th ultimo, the investigations conducted iby the Audit Inspector did not disclose anything requiring- further action on the part of the audit office. As no doubt the council is aware, the Audit Inspector made inquiries regarding the question whether a councillor was a partner in a particular company and therefore, by reason of his concern or interest in certain contracts between that company and the council, disqualified in terms of Section 3 of the Local Authorities (Members’ Contracts) 1 Act, 1934, for acting as- a councillor. In this regard, however, the inspector found nd evidence which would justify audit inholding the view that the councilloi was so disqualified.

“As regards a letter of complaint received in this office I have to advise that the letter, which was personally signed by a county ratepayer, was marked “private and confidential” and the Audit Office therefore is unable to give any further information regarding it.”