DAYLIGHT COUNCIL MEETINGS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1044, 7 August 1930, Page 1

DAYLIGHT COUNCIL MEETINGS

CURB ON MEMBERS’ ELOQUENCE

HOW OTHER AUTHORITIES MANAGE

IN most Australian cities it is the practice to hold meetings of the City Council and controlling authorities during the daytime. From time to time members of the Auckland City Council have mentioned the advisability of experimenting with day meetings here with a view to cutting short nocturnal deliberations which, during the last year or 18 months, have been lengthening out of all proportion to the business to be transacted.

lu an informal discussion this morning, Cr. A. J. Entrican, who is acting as Mayor in the absence abroad of Mr. G. Baildon, expressed agreement with the idea of an experiment, if it was the mind of the council to give day sessions a trial The Au c k 1 a n tl Transport Board and the Harbour Board each meets during the day. the Trans port Board sitting a 11 o'clock ever? Tuesday morning alternate weeks be ing given to board in-committee worl and open board The agenda paper is generally fairly comprehensive and a large amount of business put through. Nevertheless, the meeting rarely sits longer than an hour and a-half, one hour frequently sufficing for disposal of the important questions which have to be dealt with. The board-in-committee often deliberates for a longer period, but almost invariably completes its business before the one o’clock lunch hour. HARBOUR BOARD IDEA "Until about three months ago, the Harbour Board used to meet at three o’clock on Tuesday afternoons, alternate weeks in committee and in open board. The practice now is to meet at 3.30 and it is unusual it the hoard does not rise at the end of an hour. The order paper is not nearly as large as that of the Transport Board, but nevertheless contains a generous list of correspondence and reports. The City Council, being the largest local authority in the Dominion and a kind of lesser Parliament, of course has a vast quantity of business to transact. But under the elaborate system of committees the business can he handled quickly and council meetings not uncommonly have been concluded within one and a-half hours, particularly during the regime of Sir James Gunson, in his 10 years at the head of the City. The Deputy-Mayor believes that an early start on an afternoon once in three weeks ought to be sufficient to deal with nearly all order papers and allow councillors to get home in time for dinner. There was one drawback, and only one that he could see, namely, members whose time was not their own might find difficulty in attending a day meeting if they were in the employ of s<jme 8 to 5 concern. It was important that no working man should be excluded from council membership through inability to leave his occupation during the day, said Cr. Entrican. At present each of the Labour members, Crs. E. J. Phelan and T. Bloodworth, who incidentally were members of the Transport Board and the Harbour Board, respectively, suffered no embarrassment of hours be-

cause each was secretary of a union and able to make arrangements for attendance at day meetings. But the time might come when a worker would be elected who could not make convenient time arrangements and who would be excluded, by the manner of his employment, from attending daylight sessions. As far as the Town Hall staff is concerned. there would be no difficulty there if meetings took rlace iu office hours. DEMAND ON TIME Cr. G. R. Hutchinson is of opinion that day meetings would make too great a demand on the time of the ordinary business man who composed the majority of the council today. Councillors already put in several days on committee work, and as far as he personally was concerned he allowed one whole day a week to council business. Most councillors were members of three committees, and in addition to attendance at meetings they were called upon to make visits of inspection and attend to other matters arising out of council policy. Asked if he thought day meetings might induce more dispatch aud curb the eloquence of some members, which has had the result of lengthening meetings unduly, Cr. Hutchinson said that as far as the present council was concerned the members who had most to say -were those who also had most leisure.