COUNCIL WANTS LAW TO DEAL WITH MEMBERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 399, 6 July 1928, Page 16

COUNCIL WANTS LAW TO DEAL WITH MEMBERS

THE JAFFE CHARGES So far as the City Council is concerned the statement bw Mr. Reuben Jaffe concerning: Cr. W. H. Murray and Civic Square leases, is finished with, except that the council proposes to ask the Government to enact legislation on the lines of a British Act, with a view to allowing local bodies power to have members examined, and, if necessary, ejected from office. Last evening the City Council adopted the following report from the Finance Committee without discussion: “The committee has carefully considered the statement made by Mr. K. Jaffe relating to Councillor Murray’s action in connection with one of the Civic Square leases, and feels that this statement makes a serious imputation against Councillor Murray in his capacity as a member of the Auckland City Council, and for the sake of the honour of civic administration in Auckland, apart from any personal considerations, the committee feels that Councillor Murray should promptly take steps to clear himself. “The committee is also impressed with the fact that no provision exists under New Zealand law for dealing with allegations such as those now made, and recommends that the council should make representations to the Government that legislation should be enacted in New Zealand similar to that contained in the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act. ISS9, of the British Parliament, so that such charges could be judicially investigated and dealt with.” “In England there is an Act which deals specifically with such questions,” said the city solicitor. “The Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act, 1889, declares that every person who corruptly solicits for himself or any other person any gift, reward or advantage as an inducement to or a reward for or otherwise on account of any member of a public body doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any matter in which the public body is concerned, is guilty of a misdemeanour and on conviction is liable to imprisonment for two years and a fine of £SOO, together with the forfeiture of the office held by him in the public body. “What is here alleged clearly comes within the terms of the English Act, but no similar provision has been enacted by the New Zealand Parliament, and the English statute is not in force here. A further remedy is or may be possessed by corporations in England, namely, the right to remove members for misconduct. This right is known as the right of amotion.”