ENTITLED TO KNOW

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 525, 30 November 1928, Page 8

ENTITLED TO KNOW

AGREEMENTS BETWEEN PUBLIC BODIES SHOULD NOT BE CONFIDENTIAL The agreement concerning power charges between the City Council and Power Board caused some dissention at the City Council meeting last evening. At 6-30 p.m. the Tramways Committee met and approved the agreement reached this week with tit board, and later in the evening recommended the council to adopt it. ana recommend it to the Transport Boar* for execution. The report contained the names of the chairman, town clerk, city solicitor, tramways manager, city electrical engineer and a public accountant. The recommendation pointed out tnai agreement was exactly on the lines previously agreed upon as desirable to the council. Councillor T. Bloodworth moved that consideration bo deferred in view . the lateness of the report. He said it was a most important stop and the councillors were entitled to every piece of information. Councillor E. J. Phelan said the Tramway Committee knew the full details and knew what it was doing. Councillor Allum said the committee had started on this two years before but had been delayed in dealing with it. The solicitors had not finished with the draft agreement until late in the afternoon. The committee felt that having done as mueli as it had. it should now hand over the agreement to the Transport Board with an expression of its opinion. The recommendation was adoptedImmediately afterwards Councillor Bloodworth moved that councillors be supplied with copies of reports and correspondence since council officers investigated the Power Board books. He said that there was no necessity whatever for confidential treatment of negotiations between two public bodie?Xo private individual was concerned. If any overcharging on th<* part of the Power Board had been discovered it should be made known. If no*. members and the officers of the board were entitled to have this known. Councillor J. B. Paterson seconded pro-forma and Councillor G. Knight supported the motion. The tram chairman. Councillor Allum said th© committee and board had agreed to leave the past alone and work for better methods of computation in future. They believed that the board officers had honestly done their best for the city. Th© publication of the reports would only cause discord between two bodies where there was now the greatest accord. .. Councillor Bloodworth said that 1 there was any “dirty past” it shod!* be mad#* known to councillors, and * chance given to clear it. up. The motion was lost by 7 to !*•