MAYOR’S REMARKS DESCRIBED AS CONTEMPTIBLE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 404, 10 April 1937, Page 5

MAYOR’S REMARKS DESCRIBED AS CONTEMPTIBLE

BLUNDERS ALLEGED AT SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING

LORRIES TO BE USED ON NEW SPORTS GROUND

"Contemptible" was the term used by Councillor A. H. Trotter at a special meeting of the Stratford Borough Council last night in describing remarks by the Mayor, Mr. J. W. McMillan.

For two hours the council discussed the question of putting on lorries at the new sports ground at King Edward Park, and there was some lively argument during the meeting. It was alleged that the council had blundered not only in regard to the particular work, but also in other directions.

The Mayor, who was not a convenor bf the meeting, and who had given notice to rescind a resolution to put lorries on the Park, availed himself of the opportunity to place his views before the council and dispose of his motion. “Three councillors asked for this meeting tonight; start the ball rolling, Councillor Trotter,’’ said the Mayor, at the commencement of the meeting. “Why pick on me?” Councillor Trotter asked. The Mayor: “Well, your name is first on the list.” “Your notice of motion the other night, to put the lorries off, was out of order,” declared Councillor Trotter. “We are going to discuss tonight something which has already been discussed by the council. A resolution was put on the books that lorries be engaged, yet they were unceremoniously put off. Are we going to go over the whole position again?” The Mayor: You put in the requisition for this meeting. Are you going to discuss the matter? Councillor Gordon, who. as DeputyMayor, presided at the council meeting during the absence of Mr. McMillan, when a resolution was passed to engage lorries, explained that before that meeting the consulting engineer had definitely advised that the work had reached a stage when it was more economical to use lorries, and he wished to make it quite clear that he supported the use of lorries for that reason. Nobody seemed to know who had authorised formation work in Portia Street. There had been a good deal of criticism of the unbusinesslike methide in connection with the work, said Councillor Trotter, who. after a detailed analysis of costs, stated that for nine months the expenditure of the council csme to £721/11/3. He maintained that with lorries a saving of about £375 could be made. That saving, he said, would pay for 47 chains of kerbing and channelling, or alternatively wou'd defray the cost of over one mile of footpath. Although he resided in Ariel Street, he had never asked for any work to be done. The Mayor: Is there any spoil down Ariel Street? Councillor Trotter: I expect so. The Mayor: Well, why did it go flown there when it was supposed to be put in Portia Street? Wet Weather Payments. Referring again to the cost of the work on the park. Councillor Trotter alluded to the fact that over 6000 hours had not been worked through wet weather, but had been paid for. The Mayor: Do you think they should not get that? Councillor Trotter: That is a matter of opinion. The Mayor: Well, I want your opinion. Councillor Trotter: I don’t think it fair that men around the town are getting a certain figure while men on the park are getting paid, wet and dry. Rising to a point of order. Councillor Harkness produced a copy of a newspaper report in which the Mayor had protested against payment for time not worked. “Well, anybody can change their opinions,” retorted the Mayor. Councillor Harkness: Quite a lot So! The Mayor: Only a fool does not thange his mind. “Just while speaking, I see that you are hostile to my remarks, and I don't think that is the way a chairman should act,” Councillor Trotter said. The necessity for the shifting of clay was explained by Mr. McMillan, who stated that owing to the engineer’s levels not being followed the ground had been shirted by a whole :hain. It was planned that there should be any need for such a shifting Of spoil. The cost to the borough was only 2/- in the £ on the total expenditure, and it the ground had cost

the council £lOOO it could not have oeen done by any cheaper method. The question of the using of lorries was a very disturbing one. He asked whether councillors had ever considered advertising the spoil for sale, or whether they had thought of putting their own motor-lorries on the job. Rafferty Rules. There had been a lot of rafferty rules, said Councillor Trotter. Mr. McMillan said that in ths 16 rears that he had been connected with the council as Mayor he had never luthorised major work without the consent of the council, and he was not going to start now. He had never authorised the Portia Street work. He asked whether it had ever occurred to councillors to buy a new lorry and then have something to show for it. He informed them that the Portia and Ariel Street improvements would have to be charged to the streets account find not to the Park. It was absurd to talk about finishing the job in six weeks. The best way would be to fiut the soil on Portia Street and after that on Ariel Street, or dispose of it in any other way the council might think fit. The Mayor then proceeded to refer to the placing of the soil in Ariel Street. Councillor Harkness: I rise to a point of order. The Mayor: What point? Councillor Harkness: You are accusing Councillor Trotter of using his position on the council to get some benefit for himself. Continuing, the Mayor said that the :ost to the Government was over £5OOO, while the work was costing the borough approximately £5OO. He could not see any reason for complaint concerning the use of wheelbarrows, having regard to those figures. It might not be the best method, but it was only done to provide work for the unemployed. He had not liked the idea of paying men for wet weather, but on thinking ft over he had realised that if they were not paid they would starve. The council was paying their own men wet and dry, and there was no difference ii the principle. 7he question that most disturbed him was the spending of £3OO on lorries with nothing to show for it except street work. Anybody could put up figures to support an argument, but on investigation they co rid be disproved. One point about taking the surplus soil was wether the Government would allow it. The paik did not belong to the council; it was a national affair. Councillor Gordon: I hope the Press are not taking that. Tie Mayor: I hope they are. I wan I them to take it! Through this question of the use of lorries we havo had the resignation of a very valuable councillor. Blundered Along. Councillor Speck: I t ied to get you to alter your ideas some time ago, but you said to me that you could not take any notice of lie because of what 1 said about the aerodrome. The Mayor: Well, yossibly I did! Councillor Speck: That was an insult to me! I told you that your levels were all wrong The Mayor: I am satisfied to leave it to out consulting engineer .Who should we take notice of, the engineer or you' Councillor Speck: You have done far more than the engineer told you co do! Thousands of yards were shirted that you were never told to move. The Mayor: Wt at would you do? Councillor Speck: It is no use trying to tell you what to do, because you wouldn’t know what I was talking about. I f the council had taken nonce they would not have got into this trouble. You have blundered along in the dark, and now you don’t know where you are! ou are just digging a hole and filling it up again for the

2/- in thd £. The Mayor: Do you want that in the Press? Councillor Sptck: Yes, I do. The Mayor: AZell, I ask the Press to put thak in just to show the public how silly you. are! Councillor Mel lon said he was ignorant of who hjid authorised the Portia Street work. The Mayor: 'You don’t blame me? He did hot know who had given authority, And he would not attach blame to anyons, Councillor Nelson said. The Maydr: Just to avoid any accusations in future, I think that no work of that nature should be undertaken by tie borough foreman unless authorised in writing by the Town Clerk. I did say the work might be done, but I have never given instructions. The council’:; lorries could not be used for the work, as there was a certain amount of routine work to be attended to, said Councillor Finnerty. He was not now so much in touch with the work, but he agreed that there had been » lot of bungling in the past. The Mayor: That is a good electioneering speech. Councillor Finnerty: Well, I don’t think I will come iMt again. Must Have Lorries. Councillor Gordon: I made a personal explanation before and I want to pour oil on troubled waters, being a man of peaceful parts. The whole point is that lerries have got to be used, and what lorries are we going to use? I do want to disabuse your minds. When this ground is finished it is going to bA a pretty good job for the council, In spite of blunders. Councillor Finnerty: It was never required. 'Councillor Gordon: That is entirely ■1 different matter. When the suggestion of the use of i borough lorry was made, Councillor Nelson protested that maintenance work would get behind. The Mayor: I think you are only splitting straws. At this stage of the year I am satisfied that you can do without a lorry. In fact, you could use the whole three lorries. They would be there for only a short time. He was informed that the lorries were in a shocking state and would not be able to stand up to the work, Councillor Trotted said. In reference io the Mayor’s reference to the clay filling in Ariel Street, Councillor Trotter stated that all the time he had been on the council he had never used his position to benefit himself, and he described the Mayor’s remarks as most contemptible. Questions Not Answered. Councillor Harkness said that at the last special meeting he had asked two questions which had not been answered. He wished to know, firstly, under what authority that meeting had been called. The Mayor: I don’t need authority. The provisions governing the calling of a special meeting were then referred to by Councillor Harkness. “I am worth three councillors, do you know that?” replied the Mayor. Councillor Harkness: Who gave instructions to stop the lorries? The Mayor: The Town Clerk took it from the meeting. It was resolved, on the motion of Councillor Harkness, to hire a lorry and use a borough lorry, and in the event of a borough lorry not being available, to hire another lorry.