DICTATORSHIP

NZ Truth, Issue 1181, 19 July 1928, Page 6

DICTATORSHIP

Mutt and Jeff Come Last Again

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Auckland Rep.) Is Mayor George Baildon aiming at a municipal dictatorship, with . himself filling the Mussolini role and J. S. Brigham, town clerk, understudying him? THE trend of events m council affairs is surely sufficient to connect both gentlemen at least with an attempt to set up a quasi- dictatorship. In October last year this paper directed public attention to the extraordinary powers .councillors had conferred upon the mayor and town clerk at the instigation of the latter. It was decided to leave m the hands of the mayor and J. S. Brigham the matter of determining what business would come before the full council and what before various committees for finality. The plea advanced, at the time, m support of the town clerk's recommendation, was that such a course would facilitate and expedite routine business. Opening Back Door "Truth" stressed the irregularity of such a procedure and voiced the warning that it was but a step towards the transaction of the ratepayers' business at the back door instead of over the front counter. With unanimity, pathetic m its sheep-like acquiescence, councillors accepted the Brigham-Baildon dictum and . delegated to these two gentlemen their power to act on their own judgment — even to think for themselves! • This exhibition of abject self-efface-ment has now been paralleled by an even more striking example of servile surrender of representative entity. Again Mayor Baildon cracked the whip and, with one or two exceptions, the representatives of the ratepayers went through their well-known and remarkable trick stunt of "performing like deaf mutes. All that George desired at last council meeting was that his colleagues should support him m a flagrant act of despotism. In responding to his request they voluntarily denied themselves, as representatives of the ratepayers, the right to examine any document or correspondence file connected with the affairs of the City Council. An astounding state of affairs indeed ! It appears that Councillor W. H. Murray gave the town clerk a written demand, as a councillor, asking, for the file concerning the whole of the councils transactions and business with regard to the Civic Square sites. The town clerk refused, to make the file . available without consultation with the Mayor. . „.- : Apparently, the same sure, instinct which prompted J. S. Brigham to refuse the file for inspection also induced George Baildon to seek legal advice on the subject. He sought the aid of City Solicitor Stanton and that neverfailing council legal prop did not disappoint him. On Lawyer Stanton's advice, George told Councillor Murray that there was "nothing doing." Had the refusal been made to a ratepayer it would perhaps have. been understandable, but to deny a city councillor the right — unquestionably his 'by virtue of his office! — is ..carrying the affair beyond mere ofliciousness into the realm of mayoral tyranny. If Lawyer ' Stahton's interpretation of the Municipal Corporations Act is correct, then it is time the : Act was j amended. As an exhibition of sheeppsychology, this 'latest action of councillors, m prohibiting: themselves access to documents and correspondence files dealing with" the affairs of the council, is surely unique. ■ Government Or — — ? Let us have local government by the paid servants of the ratepayers and. be done with it; that certainly is all that it amounts to. What have Mayor Baildon and J. S. Brigham to hide m connection with the Civic Square leases? They have gone to J extra ordinary lengths to suppress the information contained on this particular file. Why? ■ They are' going to even greater extremes to safeguard documents relating to council affairs. At the last council meeting; the Finance Committee's recommendation, that the mayor and town clerk be authorized to act m accordance with the city solicitor's advice, was carried by the full council, j In effect, the city solicitor's advice j is that the question of determining when and under what circumstances) City Council documents and corres- , pondence files should be open for inspection by councillors, should be left to a resolution of the council. The ratepayer is, apparently, not to be permitted under any circumstances to bury his nose Jn his own affairsl The sooner the ratepayers get together over this matter the happier they'll be from the point of view of efficient administration of their business. , ■ . ■ It is time they took a hand m the game and squelched the arrogant despotism of one or two paid servants, who are painstakingly endeavoring to bolster up the budding ambitions of George Baildon to become a second Mussolini. ' ■