PROPOSED NEW TOWN HALL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 310, 17 October 1929, Page 5

PROPOSED NEW TOWN HALL.

ALTERNATIVE SCHEME. Ruled Out Of Order. The question of an alternative scheme to the new town hall proposals which, subject to the approval of the Local Government Loans Board, will be submitted to the ratepayers at an early date, was referred to at the last meeting of the Town Board by Mr. K. McDermott, who was responsible for the idea of an alternative scheme being submitted. Mr. McDermott asked for information as to the position of the alternative scheme.

The chairman, Mr. G. G. Griffiths, stated that he had obtained legal opinion on the subject, and it was out of order. They could omit but not add to the proposals. They could re-advertise the whole scheme, but this would be upsetting, and they would have to start all over again. They had advertised the whole thing, had had special meetings, etc., and if unforseen delay had not cropped up there would not have been any attempt to upset things. Mr. McDermott stated that the idea of the alternative scheme was to save money in the event of the original proposal being turned down. At the chairman’s request the matter had been held over to enable him (the chairman) to ascertain the position. Mr. Griffiths agreed that that was so, but he was not agreeable to it being re-advertised.

Mr. McDermott asked the chairman if he were not in favour of saving the ratepayers’ money, but the chairman reiterated that if agreed to finality would not be reached. In reply to Mr. A. E. Barr Brown, the chairman said that it would take three meetings plus re-advertising to bring it into order. They might cut down the time by a special meeting. Mr. McDermott held that if the matter had not been delayed by the chairman the whole thing would have been arranged by now.

The chairman stated that if Mr. McDermott’s suggestion be given effect to finality would not be reached. The whole thing had been threshed out, data obtained and because of unfortunate circumstances some one not agreeable thought of a new idea, so that if this were agreed to finality would not be reached. He had been generous to members by not ruling it out of order in the first instance. Mr. McDermott complained that the generosity of the chairman was being discounted by his action in not being prepared to let the alternative scheme go through. Mr. Tomalin held that Messrs. McDermott and A. E. Barr Brown should have been present at the special meeting. •? The chairman disagreed with Mr. Tomalin. Any objection should have been made earlier. The special meeting did not count. Mr. McDermott, in reply to Mr. Tomalin, said that only three days’ notice had been given. The meeting was called for the consideration of the plans, and there was nothing about the plans going before the Local Government Loans Board. Whether he had been at the meeting or not the chairman would not have allowed the scheme to go forward. Mr. Griffiths again stated that if this were done finality would never be reached. The matter then closed.