“BASELESS COMPLAINTS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1001, 18 June 1930, Page 1

“BASELESS COMPLAINTS”

CRITICISM OF BATHS SUPERVISOR LETTER OF WITHDRAWAL After making complaints about Mr. Malcolm Champion, superintendent of baths, and criticising the City Council for allegedly maintaining the Parnel I baths in a condition ‘'absolutely disgraceful and a menace to the public/' Mr. C. E. Collins, secretary of the New Zealanders’ Association, now withdraws his charges. ITo was called before a sub-com-mittee of the Parks Committee and invited to substantiate his complaints, which he failed to do. according to one of his interviewers. Instead, Mr. Collins admitted in effect that his complaints were based on hearsay evidence. It is understood that although Mr. Collins has withdrawn his statements, certain members of his association are taking steps to repudiate the withdrawal. Writing under date of May 12, 1930, Mr. Collins, acting by authority of his association, said that the fullest investigation had been made, and the conclusion which the association (which comprised 480 men and women) arrived at were (inter alia) as follow:—•

“Wo consider Mr. Champion’s appointment ill-advised, in as much as he is not popular with the public, nor with those under him. His manner is, and always has been, very abrupt, and numerous complaints have been made as to the manner in which both he and Mrs. Champion are in the habit of speaking to patrons.

“Seeing that Mr. Champion is paid £ 400 a year, with free quarters, light and fuel which is equal to another £IOO a j-ear, making his salary just on £lO ?, week, is it right that members of his family should be employed at the baths, paid by the council, thus depriving others in more need from earning a few shillings? If Mr. Champion cannot keep his family on £lO a week without employing them in the baths, we consider it near time that someone was appointed to the position who can do so. “NOT NECESSARY”

“We respectfully ask the council to reconsider the appointment, as it is in our mind not necessary, and an absolute waste of ratepayers’ money, that could be better employed in other directions such as relieving unemployment. “If your council considers the appointment necessary, then we suggest that a supervisor of public conveniences be appointed, also an inspector of street lighting, as there would be more scope for the one appointed to earn his salarjr than there is in the appointment made.”

The association went on to complain about the recommendation of the Parks Committee to close Shelly Beach baths during the winter. “Your council will say that the receipts from the baths do not warrant the expenditure. Certainly on the last three months’ figures the expenditure has been far ahead of receipts, but why worry about the receipts in this case? The ratepayer has to foot the bill. The council does not look at receipts or value earned when it proposes to increase the salary of already overpaid officials, which we are informed it proposes to do,” the association said. “I have personally inspected the Parnell baths, and consider that the Health Department should be requested to take action, and demand that the baths be closed for all time,” Mr. Collins said. “The conditions prevailing are an absolute disgrace, and a menace to the public who use them. The from the conveniences is discharged into the water within 50 feet of the intake pipes, and on the western side of the baths, and below high-water mark, is a collection of decaying rubbish dumped there by your Parks Committee from the Point, also a rare collection of old tins, boots, and coconut matting, all of which goes to purify the water taken into the baths through the defective pipes already referred to.” “INSULTING LETTER” When the council read the letter, some members favoured sending it back “unreceived.” Councillors described it as “insulting.” Some, however, thought there might be something in the allegations, and a subcommittee was deputed to investigate. In the meantime, this further com- ! munication, dated May 26, came from the secretary: “It is possible that the sub-commit- ; teo may wish to defer the letter to j some distant date, and thus try to | side-step the matter, in the hope that we might let the question drop. This we have no intention of doing, and I am instructed, in the interests of those who are ratepayers in this association, and of ratepayers generally, to insist that our letter be dealt with in open council, and that the matter be not shelved.” Mr. Collins was then requested to attend before the sub-committee. The following letter, which he wrote to the Town Clerk, Mr. J. S. Brigham, on June 14 explains what happened: “THE RIGHT COURSE” “I desire to tender my sincere thanks to Crs. Paterson, Phelan and yourself for the very courteous interview this morning on the subject of the public baths, and respectfully beg to assure you that, after having had the whole matter explained, and the position of Mr. Champion as baths supervisor verified, and results of receipts and expenditure in connection with the Shelly Beach Baths produced and explained, x thus justifying the closing of same during the winter, I am quite satisfied that the council has taken the right course in giving effect to the recommendations of the Parks Committee. “I therefore respectfully ask your | kind permission to withdraw my letters of 12/5/30 and 19/5/30 in full, and am sorry that I should have been the 1 cause of any inconvenience or unnecessary work that you or your staff should have been put to.” t The Town Clerk said today that the

council had received numerous letters from important swimming clubs and organisations dissociating themselves from attacks on Mr. Champion.