COUNCIL DEFENDED

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 25, 21 April 1927, Page 4

COUNCIL DEFENDED

MONEY NOT WASTED MISS MELVILLE’S UNIQUE RECORD A defence of the heavy expenditure of the Auckland City Council was made by Miss Ellen Melville last evening. She told her listeners in the Grey Lynn Public Library that the critics of the council were wrong when they said that the money had been wasted. Every penny of it had been accounted for by a Government auditor. Miss Melville has a unique record with the Auckland City Council. She has been a member of it for 14 years, a member of the Legal and Finance Committee for 13 years, and she has never missed a meeting through illness. “That,” she said last evening, “Is a sufficient answer to the argument sometimes heard that women are not capable of holding public office on account of physical disability.” Speaking of expenditure Miss Melville said that the control o? the city of Auckland was now such all enormous undertaking that it was impossible to call a complete halt. During the last term, she said, a tremendous responsibility had devolved on the council.

Contrary to fact the rates had not been raised—in 1924-25 the total rates of 3s lid had been reduced to 3s lOd, the rates prevailing at the present time.

Miss Melville expressed pride in the extension of the library system which had taken place under her dir- ■ ection. The Auckland public libraries were now unequalled in New Zealand. | During the coming year the speaker | said that she intended to press for | more playing areas for hockey, basket- ; ball and other games for girls. Miss Melville said that her attitude | regarding the Civic Square had been consistent. The ratepayers had rei jected a scheme to erect a block of buildings, and she took this that they were against the scheme to use the old market square as a civic centre. She favoured the creation of a Civic Square in some other part of the city, and of retaining the old Market Square for commercial purposes. One thing Miss Melville urged should be done immediately and that was the erection of a new Art Gallery in place of the present one, which | was overcrowded. I Miss Melville’s meeting was prej sided over by Mr. A. A. Piesse, and was well-attended. She was ar--1 corded a vote of thanks.