BRISK EXCHANGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 977, 21 May 1930, Page 9

BRISK EXCHANGE

MR. W. WALLACE OUTPOINTS MR. E. H. POTTER LEGAL OPINION PRODUCED I Asserting that a motion to reduce the Hospital Board levy was out of order, and that he was armed with legal advice to that effect. Air. W. Wallace, chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, brightened the final i stages of the board's meeting yester- ; day, when he came to grips with Air. i E. IT. Potter, the mover of the motion. | A hot verbal battle followed. ; Air. Potter's notice of motion was on j the last page of the agenda paper and • was to the effect that the resolution i to increase the levy from .2Sd to .3d ; be rescinded and that the levy be at the same rate as last year, but on the I new valuation. ! At five o'clock, after a long agenda paper had been disposed of. Air. Potter ] rose, and, picking up his agenda paper, \ “Air. Chairman, I am going to “There’s no need to go further,’’ interrupted Air. Wallace. “Your motion is out of order and I can t accept it. I have sought legal advice on the question.” Air. Potter: Well, that's a most extraordinary thing! What authority had you to do that? Air. Wallace: Here’s the legal opinion.- I made no comment about it. I simply handed it to the lawyer 'ancl this is the l’esult. Producing a document. Air. Wallace waved it in front of the astounded Air. Potter. Air. Potter: I challenge your ruling. You had no right to get an opinion ! from a solicitor until this motion had been discussed by the board. I’d like to ask what you said to the lawyer. Air. Wallace: There’s the opinion, i I made no comment whatever. A Member: Read the opinion. The lawyers’ ruling was read by the secretary. it stated, in effect, that the board did not have power to amend the levy. Air. Potter said that he would accept the solicitor's opinion. As far as he could understand the Act, however, there was nothing in it that empolvered the board to levy for unemployment relief.

“The Act calls on the board to make grants of food, clothing, or money to sick, indigent persons,” Air. Potter went on, “but there is nothing at all about unemployed. “SHOULD MAKE GRANT”

“If t4ie Government wants to provide for the unemployed, then it should make a grant to the board and not expect to pass the burden on to local bodies. It is a most irregular position at present. I’m going to move this resolution ”

Here Mr. Savage interrupted. Mr. Potter turned on him. “Air. Savage has a lot to say,” he said. “He knows a lot about the unemployed. - His party is actually in power in the House with the Government, but nothing has yet been done about the problem.” Here an uproar broke out, all the members talking at once. “I want to carry on,” said Air. Potter when he could make himself heard.

Air. Wallace maintained that as far as far as the board was concerned an unemployed man was indigent and had to be helped. “But the Act says indigent and sick,” Air. Potter declared. “The cost of unemployed relief in the Dominion is about £700,000 annually, though it is estimated to be actually more than £1.000,000. It is really the Government’s problem. The Hospital Board should not be called on to contribute. It s in the hands of the United Party and the Labour Party to solve it. Air. Wallace said he was in sympathy with Air. Potter on that point, but the Government was not favourable to the board’s representations. The position was as it had been laid down by the board's solicitor in the legal opinion and Air. Potter’s motion could not therefore go forward. The meeting then adjourned.