UNDER WHICH KING?

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 573, 3 July 1933, Page 4

UNDER WHICH KING?

It does not always fall within the scope of the councillors of a munieipality to pfovfde the amount of diversion which the | Opotiki Borough Council has re- j cently given its ratepayers. During the past week, there appears to have been a minor crisis in the municipal politics of that borough which has thrown it into the limelight outside its own immediate sphere. It is a little difhcult to disentangle the threads but one thing does appear very definite; two sharply divided factiolis have developed within the council and they are at present busily skirmishing for position in the final engagement. Unfortunately for himself, the ! mayor's party appears to be very much in the minority and as a result, a species of guerilla warfare has been imposed upon him. The oppositionists have apparently decided that since the mayor does not agree with them, they can do without him and have held a series of meetings at which the deputy-mayor has presided and a eouncillor has been appointed to record the minutes. In the dust of the conflict, the fate of the mayor is not recorded. The chief point at issue has been a motion to dismiss practically the whole boriough staff and re-engage them (or otherwise) at a new scale of wages and a determined effort ihas been made by the stronger { section of the council to have this motion considered. So far, however, on one point and another, it has not been considered, the mayor taking the stand that its introduction this far, has not been in order. His ruling, however, has not been accepted by the opposition camp which has held several further meetings with all the pomp and ceremony of official proceedings but without the mayor or the town clerk officiating. So far as can be gathered, the mayor has simply been asked to leave the chair and the

councillors have carried on with j the deputy-mayor presiding. Apparently however, the mayor had a loyal henchman in the town clerk, who declined definitely to record the minutes of these meetings and said that he would j take his instructions from his s worship. But like Cromwell, who served his King too well, the town clerk, has now found himself beset from all sides and by resolution carried at what might be called one of these "impromptu" meetings, is to be replaced by a new clerk. Nevertheless the town clerk has refused to recognise the legality of this decision and was even found working in the council office when the opposition group, led by the deputy mayor decided to hold yet another meeting in it. Notwithstanding the fact that

earlier in the day, this same assembly had summarily disposed of him by deciding to appoint another clerk, the borough's chief executive was once again asked to record the minutes and Once again refused. Apparently having arrived at this interesting stage, the meeting decided it could do no more and once again decided to adjourn. At the present time therefore, the clerk has beeti deposed by a meeting at which the mayor did not preside, the mayor himself has had the deputy-mayor put in his place by a majority of his council- and everyone is looking at everyone else wondering what to doi next-. Iiirthe 'meantime, the oppositionists! have arrahged fbr ypt. another meeting ;bub whether •the'/mayor. - 'and the town clerk will be among those present is not known. So far Jhe

main result of the deliberations has been to adjourn to a further date^and quite'possibly this next meeting ; will have the same momentous outcome. In -th.e interval, Opotiki is in donbt as to whether' it has a town ; clerk or not and whether it ■ has one mayor, two mayors, or hone at all. The situation is so intriguing that it is hardly fair to dis- j turb it. It should be permissable . to point out, however, - that the | mayor is the chairman of the i council, elected ■ -by -the .ratepav- j ers and not by the councillors j and that aiiy ; meeting ■ nL which i the councillors override the elec- 1 tion of the ratepayers by;displac- j ing the mayor, is not -properly constituted. It is hardly fair, j however, to ihtroduce rthese issues into the situation. The Opotiki councillors ;cannot , fte; accused of failing- to ? provide their ratepayers with diversion and anyone who can do this'in these times of depression has certainlv ac.hieved something, • -