BUYING A CAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 465, 24 February 1933, Page 6

BUYING A CAR

BREEZE IN COUNCIL. : ij * ji SECOND HAND CAR LEADS TO SOME PLAIN I SPEAKING. | ACRIMONIOUS DISCUSSION. \ ■ I The purchase of a second-hand »| motor car for the Borough di-ainage $ engineer by Cr. 0. H. Coleman chair- ;• ] man of the Drainage Committee, gave rise to some acrimonious rej.' ] marlcs in the meeting of the Rotorua n Borough Council on Wednesday night which culminated in a division of 'I opinion. At first Cr. Coleman refused 'I to vote on a motion that the purchase ; j be not approved but subsequently on . I the instruction of the Mayor (Mr. T. j Jackson) he did so and the motion i j j. was lost. : There were only the Mayor, Crs. j Geo. Urquhart (deputy mayor), F. J. ! l Bayfeild, 0. H. Coleman and E. T. J!|i| Johnston present and a request from ! Cr. Coleman that he might leave the j |j t'hamlu'r rather than vote of the if moHon was negatived by the mayor, :i| who pointed out that if he did so g. there vouJd not be a quorum present. The purchase of the car was iij1 iv-i'oinmonded in a clause of the : | drainage committee report which ran | *"'s follows: — v:i Purchase of Car. , The committee recommends that the action of the committee in purchasing a car be confirmed. The car together with new parts and ; 'ij; necessary repairs has cost approxiji>, imately £56/10/-. if Departure From Strict Method !;;; When the committee's report was ; '|j read the Mayor said that this clause : !|L required some explanation. There had Jj | been a departure from the strict : method of procedure. Briefly the .iil position was that when the Whakarewarewa sewerage loan was carried "the drainage engineer, Mr. Lenihan ijf j; had approached him with regard to j'.-ip the provision of some means of con|'i veyance for himself and his instru'||j| ments to and from the work. The mayor said that he had sug- : gested the use of the council's present j; >|j car which had been utilised on the ij suburban drainage scheme but had / || been told that it was absolutely worn . )i|! out and unsafe to drive. To his suggestion that a push-bike could be used the drainage engineer had pointjj|j ed out that not only was this slow tjjjj,; but it would not be possible to carry ;! ||'j the instruments on it. The mayor ' i|:j said that he had interviewed ' the • |jij council's mechanic who confirmed the I . JHfh statement as to the condition of the council's car. |!|; He had then asked the drainage fe engineer to look around for a "baby" !;j',j car and one had been submitted to 1 |'|j him but it did not appear suitable |||||j and the borough engineer then made }} I the suggestion that a half-ton truck if ;■ . be secured. Inquiries were made j| •: throughout the district but none suitjjji; able could be located. ,{ Visit td Auckland. j,;jL Then, said the mayor, he had seen jljl Cr. Coleman and Mr. Lenihan at the borough yard when they were about j to go to Auckland to finalise a deal j|ji in pipes and he had told Mr. Coleman of the position, asking him to •|j keep his^eyes open for a suitable truck in Auckland. At first Cr. Cole- ' '•j, man had said that he did not thinlc .jjiji a truck was necessary but the mayor ' said that he had told him to see if ij: he could get one if he thought it was iljji necessary, and charge it to the Whaka A loan. The mayor said that he had at || that time overlooked the fact that ; 'here was no provision contained in . Ti 6 the loan for the payment for plant.

;:•§ ■ Found a Bargain. Cr. Coleman continued the mayor had concluded his business for the J council over the pipes and then searched Auckland for a suitable truck. However, he was unable to jp|| find one and eventually discovered !p a cheap car. This he tried out and | found satisfactory, and though it was | not exactly what he had required for ' iij® the dual purpose of transport of the : H'(. || engineer and his tools, etc., Cr. Cole-' j p, man thought that it was such a good /I' |/T bargain that he bought it so that it * | could be used by the engineer and }' L also by the council's committees.

., | p The Bargain Breaks Down. | b Th'-» engineer drove the car down ■ , j'towards Rotorua but on the Razor- ! ! bf cks the^e was an accident and the I ; i ijcaT1 was ieft there with a damaged i jcruwn wheel which was something j 'that could not have been foreseen Y j; l and might have happened at any time. • }| j; f/When the car was finally got to Roto- ■( j rua it was found that certain other | • / : necessary repairs had to be done and 1 1 bhough the price of the car had origin- | ally been £35 the final cost to the j| | council was £56/10/-. With the new \ / parts installed it really stood at about j£50 and provided it was used as a ' lual purpose car and not purely for • he »-ngineer it was a good purchase. ( ; j' ,,'The matter had been explained to 1 i.'fvhe committee and they had recomnended that the action be confirmed. ti i [3trictly speaking the matter should ! .i,i lave been reported to the wholt j j i ti' i :ouncil before the purchase had beer ]| inalised. He would point out thai i « Cr. Coleman had made the purchast Ij,; Imder the impression that it could ; I t'ae charged • to the loan account !>: which, as chairman of the drainage |j i ' :ommittee, he thought he had a right |j. o do and though this was not pos- «•[ {!'' ible it would eventually be possible l|J "o make a weekly charge for its use jjjtf "gainst the loan. account.

j| ; Cr. Johnston's Opinion. |j[ Cr. Johnson submitted that in the 'J: j' rst place no car or truck was needed ijij'j ', or the drainage engineer. A push ; N ' ike would have filled the bill and in i |: j ddition there was a bus service run!l • ing to Whaka which should have een used. As for the old car being fe nfit he had heard that months agc |j' ut it still kept on running. !|tF --'The fact is your worship," said L • I r. Johnston "that both you your- ; U M ;lf and the chairman of the drainage j;, : ' immittee thought that a car was not i f.jj v'seded and that only goes to prove -jr | iat it is not the mayor and council : { ho are running the business but one 4.i '. :• the council's employees and bejV-| l[tuse he wants a car one is securec vay altogether from the ordinarj . .•|'Aeedure of the council, When the jl 't ' >rk's committee wanted a trucl !i d could have got a truck from the ■ J ?00 left in the footpaths loan the

can come along and get a truck ancl that without proper investigation. Not only that but it looks to me as if Cr. Coleman and the engineer didn't lcnow much about a car. Why I hear that you had to get a new radiator and if there hadn't happened to be an old one handy it would have cost the council pounds. "I will move that the recommendation of the drainage committee that the action in the purchase of the car be not approved." wound up Cr. Johnston. Admitted Wrongly Purchased. This was seconded by Cr. Bayfeild who remarked that the car had been wrongly purchased. A truck might have been in order but not a car which in his opinion would cost , the council a lot of money. He wishsd to know if the car had already been purchased. The Mayor: "Yes." Cr. Coleman: "Oh I'll take the car; I've acted in what I thought was the best interests of the council and have devoted my time and trouble to it and never charged a penny of expenses." Cr. Bayfeild: "Oh I think you did your best." Cr. Coleman: "Mr. Mayor, has Cr. Bayfeild the right of reply? I don't .vant to hear his opinion." Cr. Urquhart: "I thought Cr. Colelan had done his best and I intend .o support the purchase of the car, I think the car will be useful but at che same time I don't like the way t was done. It should have been put to the whole council."

: The Majmr: "I may say in Cr. ! Coleman's favour that had I not met , him that morning he would have ■ cnown nothing at all about the car, I j ieft the matter in his hands, otherwise he would not have bought it. It ; certainly is not what I would have i bought myself but I think it will serve che purpose." / Cr. Johnston: "It's the principle i pm up against. The very fact that a ; v'ehicle has been secured without any | ref erence to the council is what I ) don't like. In any case it should have i been a utility vehicle. The whole ^ ching hinges on the fact that it looks ; like an employee dictating to the i council." ! Result of Voting Queried. The mayor then put the motion. : Crs. Johnston and Bayfeild voting i for it and Cr. Urquhart against it. ;; Cr. Coleman did not vote and the re- : sult was queried by Cr. Johnston. The mayor then instructed Cr. Coleman that he must vote. Cr. Coleman: "I wish to leave the room and I do not wish to vote." The mayor: "If you leave there j will be no quorum." Cr. Bayfeild: "You're taking this | ;oo seriously Cr. Coleman." : Cr. Coleman: "I'm taking it personxlly. I seem to be able to do nothing •ight." The mayor then put the motion igain and it was lost, Crs. Urquhart, Coleman and the Mayor voting against and Crs. Johnston and Bayfeild for it. Cr. Coleman: "Can we go into aommittee." The mayor: "Why?" Ci\ Coleman: "Because I've got jomething to say." The mayor: "What is it?" Cr. Coleman: "I'd rather not say n open council." Cr. Urquhart: Is it new business? Ye'll be here all night." Cr. Coleman: "Well, I'll write it lown."

Cr. Coleman then wrote and passed Jie slip of paper to the mayor. Subsequently after the drainage com- : mittee's report had been adopted with certain alterations the mayor said that there was a matter which he lesired to bring up in committee. fhe council then went into committee ' and on resuming open council the j1 nayor reported that whilst in comnittee the council had decided to » ,ake over a building on the medical jflicers' reserve and pay £15 com- > )ensation to the occupier. No ref- ^ rln * ■ r tsii 1 ~