The Avondale Comedy

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 127, 19 August 1927, Page 8

The Avondale Comedy

Council Without a Quorum Civic Affairs at Standstill WITH only four councillors active, the Avondale Rorougli Council at presents lacks a quorum. The resignation of the Mayor, Mr. H. Tiarks, and three councillors, lias precipitated a comic opera situation. If Mr. Tiarks wished to embarrass the council he could not have timed better his melodramatic move.

THE statutory quorum being five, the defection of the Mayor and his three followers would not have left the council impotent had two of the remaining councillors not been unavailable, one owing to sickness, and the other because he is at present in Fiji. Four perplexed survivors yesterday consulted the council’s solicitor, and learned that they had no standing

whatsoever. Inexorable statutes decree that, as far as Avondale borough is concerned, it takes five to make a quorum. Mayor Signs Cheques With this in their minds, the councillors realised that the affairs of the borough threatened to come to a standstill. -Under a previous arrangement the Mayor, Mr. Tiarks. had to sign all cheques, but Mr. Tiarks had resigned, so they could not operate on the bank account. Wages would not have been paid to-day if the surviving four had not

decided to give the bank their personal bond against the amount necessary. All the difficulties that have arisen are of a purely formal character, yet for a time they looked insurmountable. The governing legislation makes no provision for the kind of comedy that Avondale has presented. After the sensational meeting on Tuesday evening it was remembered that the council had not been able to deal with several items on the order paper. One of them was the sealing of the petition for amalgamation with Auckland, and the law says that until the petition has been formally sealed it cannot go forward to the GovernorGeneral. Thus the borough’s wish to amalgamate cannot be fulfilled until a quorum of the council again functions. Solution of Problems There is a way out of nearly all troubles, and this morning Mr. Nunns, town clerk, said that it was expected that the sick councillor, Mr. W\ Manning, would next week be able to participate in bedside meetings, at which any essential business can be transacted. Meanwhile. Mr. Nunns. who as returning officer has full power in the matter, is inviting nominations for the vacant seats on the council, and a by-election has been set for September 1. In this, again, the situation is Gilbertian, for the amalgamation of Avondale with the city will probably be effected very soon afterwards, so that those who fill the vacancies will have only a brief reign. Under the circumstances, the support of the people may not be keenly sought, and the number of nominations will possibly not exceed the number of vacancies. Decided to Close Discussing the situation this morning, a solicitor observed that the council had exceeded its powers in doing any business at all after the Mayor and three councillors had given their resignations to the clerk. From that moment they ceased to be members of the council, without power even to declare the meeting closed, as they had done. Mr. Tiarks explained his position to THE SUN yesterday. He said he had been the victim of a campaign of spite, and had simply been goaded into fighting his opponents with their own weapons.