A Comedy of Errors.

Patea Mail, 12 January 1882, Page 3

A Comedy of Errors.

A regrettable discussion took place at the* Harbor Board meeting on Monday, respecting a serious irregularity in the Board’s business. The irregularity was this. The Board had resolved in committee, at the previous meeting, to accept a tender for building a protection wall. The Board “resumed,”and the process should have been to move that the report of committee be received. That being agreed to, the next step should have been to move that the report as re ceived bo adopted. This would have confirmed what had been done in the stage of committee, and would have been a legal authorisation for the Chairman to sign a contract for the work. As it happened, however, the Board is unable to say what it did after coming out of committee, the members contradicting each other, and most of them having only a hazy recollection. The official record shows that the Board did not receive or confirm what had been done in committee. This irregularity being pointed out through the Mail, some soreness was caused, for the record was certainly not creditable to the Board or its Chairman, He, however, is to be excused in a sense, for want of experience in such matters. The discussion began in this way. The minutes of the last ordinary meeting having been read, The Chairman said ; There is a little wanting there. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Horner, that the lender of these men who were doing the work be accepted. Mr Horner: I recollect that in committee I proposed that. My memory is not clear, but I thought the resolution was put to the Board after we resumed, but it appears there is no record of it. It is for you to determine now whether we are in a position to receive a report of that committee and to adopt a resolution to make it formal.

Chairman: Yes, I think so. It was put as resolved because you asked me to do so. Mr Gane : I think the whole Board was in favor of it as it stood, that the tender should be accepted. About the formality of resolving, and all this sort of thing, it is a lot of humbug and bunkum, and may be put on one side, I believe the whole Board was in favor of it, and the assent was given in that manner. Mr Aitchison : I was under the impression that it was put to the meeting after the Board resumed. I could not be positive whether the resolution was put or not. Mr Adams : l am perfectly certain that it was not put after we resumed. I did not think it was my business to draw attention to that, as I was rather sat upon at that meeting. Mr Gane : As to Mr Adams being sat upon, there was not a member that was allowed more latitude.

Mr Peacock ; I forget about that portion, bat it ran in my mind that it was put to the Board. Chairman : It seems very clear to me, as far as I can recollect. We proposed in committee that the tender be accepted—proposed for acceptance, and also that Mr Dickson be appointed to cany out this work. Upon resuming it was pointed out by Mr Horner that I had better put that to the meeting again, I did put that as resolved, not as a resolution that the tender be accepted. It was carried without a dissentient voice ; but there is no record of it. It is now for the Boai-d to see how that is to be recorded. No member wrote out a resolution. No report came from the committee. Mr Aitchison said if Mr Adams noticed the mistake at the time, it was his duty to point it out. Mr Gane : Fair play. Mr Adams ; Allow me. Mr Horner : I must rise to order. Have we anything before the Board except personalities. I want to get away to my business, and not be kept here all day. Mr Adams said : Mr Gane and Mr Aitchison have been allowed to make remarks, as an attack on myself. It is a matter of explanation. Chairman : Quite so. Mr Adams ; At the last meeting I read clauses in the Act showing the illegal manner in which we were conducting business, by accepting a contract without first getting the Governor’s permission to do the work. I was told then that the Chairman knew all about it, and that they did not want any of my reading-. I threatened to read the whole Act if they did not allow me to read the part applicable to the point.

Mr Gam; interrupted. Chairman : Order ! Mr Adams ; That is the reason why I did nni; draw attention to the manner in winch the Chairman was carrying on the business of the Board. Mr Horner proposed a motion on the subject. Mr Peacock : The minutes arc not confirmed yet. Mr Horner : Ob, I beg pardon. - Chairman : Before confirming these minutes I wanted toSecretary : I am prepared to swear in any Court that the minutes are correct. Mr Dane : If there is such doubt that they are correct, we can’t adopt them. Mr Peacock : Then we can start afresh. Mr Aitchison ; We are not objecting to anything entered in the minute book. It is to something that ought to have been there. The minutes were then confirmed as written ; and at a later stage the Board passed a resolution to confirm what had been done in committee, and thereby legalise the procedure. A SERIOUS DOUBT. Mr Peacock : I should like to ask whether the report in the Mail was conect as to my being ruled out of order by the chair. Various opinions were offered on this point.

Mr Horner thought that Mr Peacock did propose a resolution to the same effect as one that had been rejected. Mr Adams said it was Mr Gane who was ruled out of order instead of Mr Peacock, Mr Gane : 1 was not ruled out of order. Mr Adams : The amendment was to the same effect as the original motion, which could not be put; and that is ruling you out of order. Mr Horner : Of course it could not be received. Chairman : The matter is quite settled. He wished to know whether he would be entitled to reply if the amendment was put before the resolution. 1 told him I was not sufficiently acquainted with public bodies whether that should be done or not. He asked me whether I would rule him out of order. I said I would endeavor not to rule him out of order. Mr Adams said Mr Gane and Mr Peacock were both ruled out of order. The matter dropped. ANOTHER COMEDY. A motion was made, at this meeting, that a certain letter lie on the table. The Chairman put the motion, and declared it carried. Mr Aitcbison said that was hurried 100 much, as lie wished to speak on it. He was allowed to speak on the matter, and the Chairman took up the written motion again and put it to the meeting, declaring it carried. A few words passed, and then a member asked if that motion had been seconded. The Chairman said it had ; but no seconder’s name being on it, the motion was now duly seconded and the name written on it. A member asked what was meant by letting it lie on the table. Another member said it meant that the letter could not be farther considered till next meeting. Then tiie Chairman put the motion once more, and once more declared it carried. This was not the end of it, for when the accounts came to be dealt with later, this very letter that was to lie on the table was actually dealt with by the account to which it referred being discussed and passed for payment, and so doing what the letter required. This record is not made from hearsay, but from a close and amused observation of the proceeding.