Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1921. COUNCIL COMMITTEES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2277, 17 May 1921, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1921. COUNCIL COMMITTEES.

A STRATEGIC blunder has been made by the Mayor in selecting the personnel of at least two of the Council Committees. A majority of the Council endorsed the Committees brought down in the Mayor’s motion at the first meeting of the new Council, but. such endorsement does not alter the fact that a mistake has been made. A wise captain will place his team where they can be of the best use in the field of play, no matter what his opinion of individual players may be oft' the field. This point is obvious. Now, it cannot be denied that C’r. Wliib!ey should have been selected as one eminently fitted to serve on the Finance Committee. Yet he was overlooked, for which no reason was assigned by the Mayor. The second error was to pass over Cr. Marlin’s qualifications for the Gas Committee, than whom there is no one more qualified on the Council to express an expert opinion. The exclusion of these two Councillors from the Committees mentioned has ied to a good deal of adverse comment.' This will not preclude either of the Councillors mentioned from free and reinvent criticism in open Council, which will re-open and prolong many discussions which would otherwise be dealt with and settled before the reports are brought down. Such criticism in open Council on matters of detail does not make for harmony, though a majority of the Council may endorse the reports. We do not anticipate any breaches of the standing orders, nor can the closure be applied to any report, hut much time would he saved and a better understanding arrived at in open Council had the course we suggest been adopted. Otherwise, the Committees as set up are satisfactory.