CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1313, 7 June 1883, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

W« do net hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents]. :o: TO THE EDITOR. Snt, —At a late meeting of the County Council a motion was brought forward, the practical object of which was to reduce the salary of the County Engineer. Two of the Councillors present when the vote was taken declined to vote for the amendment that the Engineer’s salary should remain at £4OO, but they voted against the reduction. The question will again come before the County Council on Thursday, the 7th inst. Will you be good enough to insert the following taken from the “ Answers to Correspondents ” in the last number of the Weekly Mews, Auckland, and oblige, yours, Enquirer. Enquirer, Gisborne, writes: Will you kindly oblige by answering the following questions? —l. At meetings of County Councils and other local bodies, is every member present when the “question” is put, bound to record his vote “For’’and “Against?” (In May’s Parliamentary Practice, the point, so far as Parliamentary usage is concerned, is chiefly in the affirmative.) 2. At a meeting of a County Council eight members are present. A motion involving the expenditure of money comes on in the usual way for discussion. An amerdment is proposed, and put to the vote. Of the eight councillors present, two decline to vote for or against the amendment, although they took part in the discussien, but four vote for it and two against it. Included in the latter number is the chairman, who of course would have had a casting vote iu ease of a tie. As the matter now stands, it ‘s contended that the amendment is carried. Is ths amendment legally carried ? Having in view section 71 of the Counties Act, 1876> I am inclined to thiuk the amendment is nut carried, because the question has not been settled in accordance with the terms of that clause in the Act, namely, by a “ majority present,” no fewer (I need not point out) than five votes constituting a majority under the circumstances. Kindly give your own opinion. 3. Should the whole question be re-opened, and the voting taken de novol 4. Would the Council be justified in spending public money on the strength of a vote given under the circumstances related ? I have written rather fully in order to put the matter as dearly as possible. I. Certainly. May is a safe guide to go by. The County Councils are representative bodies, elected by the votes of the people who are qualified to record their votes, and it may be taken fur grauted that no constituency would elect a man to any representative position who had not sufficient courage to record his vote on any question that might come up for discussion. Those who desire to run with the hare and hunt with the hound should not be allowed to fill any public capacity whatever. 2. As the •’ majority present ” did not vote for the amendment it cannot be regarded as carried. In such a case, when the Chairman saw the disrespectful behaviour of the two members who refused to vote, before pronouncing whether the amendment was carried or not, he should have caused the vote to be taken over again, the “ayes ” to go to the right side of the chair, and the “ noes ” to the left of tne chair. Every member present would then be compelled to record his vote one way or the other, as their presence on one side of the table or the other would either count for or against the amendment. We have seen an honourable member too sound asleep to be aroused when a division took place, vote on a question the reverse way he intended, simply because his body was on a certain side of the house. 3. Yes, and act open the hint above given. 4. We doubt it.