“CLEAN-OUT OVERDUE”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 508, 10 November 1928, Page 1

“CLEAN-OUT OVERDUE”

CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT’S COMMENT An incident which occurred at the City Council Chamber on Thursday evening is described and commented upon by Mr. F. W. Jefters, a correspondent of The Sun, who writes in the following strain: — . ... „ “The ineptitude of civic administiators and their indifference to the public convenience was strikingly demonstrated at last night’s council meeting at which, in response to a corporation notice appearing in your issue of October 26. over the name of the town clerk, some 100 electors attended to record their votes to decide whether or not portions of four city streets mentioned in the notice should be stopped. “Despite the fact that the meeting of the electors was advertised to be held in the council chamber at 7 p.m., not one of those who attended was permitted to enter the chamber. Some 50 were herded in the gallery while the remainder had to hang about on the steps and in the corridors, where they sweltered for the best part of an hour waiting the pleasure of the Mayor to transact the business as advertised. ~ , _ “Mr. H. P. Taylor, vice-president ot City West Ratepayers’ Association, sent a message by the Mayor’s messenger to him requesting that the many ladies enforced to stand be accommodated with chairs on the floor of the council chamber until the vote be taken. This request was rejected with a peremptory ‘No.’ “At 7.50 Mr. J. R. Lundon wrote and had delivered by official messenger to the Mayor a memo pointing out that it was long past the advertised hour for taking the vote and politely asking whether or not a vote would be taken that night. That memo was entirely ignored and thrown on the floor in full view of the crowded gallery. Finally, Cr. Murray, in response to numerous requests from the gallery, rose, read the town clerk’s advertisement calling the electors to the chamber at 7 p.m., and asked why the business was not being transacted as set out by the notice. After conferring with the town clerk the Mayor replied: ‘The town clerk informs me that there has been an amendment to the Act.’ At Cr. Murray’s request to read it the town clerk, in an inaudible tone to councillors, and a tone which also failed to reach the gallery, was seen to be reading something, but though asked to speak up remained inaudible to the assemblage. Further questions by Cr. Murray elicited the admission that although the Act was amended on the 9th ultimo, thereby preventing the holding of the meeting last night, the advertisement calling the meeting appeared on the 28 th ultimo, 17 days later. “As no further information reached the public one of them wrote a note to Cr. Paterson asking if a vote was to be taken that night, and received the answer, ‘No,’ whereupon the assemblage dispersed, having waited over an hour through the discourtesy and want of consideration above referred to. “If this is a fair sample of how business is conducted in the Town Hall, a complete cleaning out would appear to be overdue. F. W. JEFFERS.’’ Jervois Road.