COUNCILLORS RESIGN

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 114, 22 August 1910, Page 5

COUNCILLORS RESIGN

BUSINESS CONTRACT (REFUSED By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last A T ight. Mr. Thomas Ballinger yesterday hand- < 1 in his resignation as City Councillor to the Town Clerk. This step has been taken because the tender of Thos. Ballinger and Co., Ltd., for a Council contract, was refused, in view of the fact that the Council 'had passed a resolution deciding to decline to accept any tender from any company in which a councillor is a shareholder, and which does not come within the following exception: Other than a shareholder in an incorporated company which contains more than twenty members, and is not a private company, and of which such person is not a director or the general manager or the secretary, or in any association or partnership consisting of more than twenty members," which, in its | opinion, should 1 be made to that section of the Municipal Corporations Act, | 1908, relating to disqualification of coun cillom."

Councillor J. P. Luke is also affected by the resolution of the Council, for it debars his firm also from tendering for Council work. Mr. Luke will continue to sit as Councillor until his term of office has expired, but will not seek re-elec-tion. If to firm incurred any loss on any Council contract between now and next April, he would feel it 'his duty to make an adjustment between his private affairs and his position as director of the company. He held strong views about continuing in his position, saying he ihad been elected to it toy citizens until the end of his term, bu<t he felt that, under tihe present conditions, he would be called upon to face some disabilities during that time...As to the resolution passed by t'he Council, he did not think it was right to enforce it until a proposed amendment' was adopted toy Parliament. It should not apply to the present Council, but should come into force at the next election of councillors. There were certain disabilities in -holding the office of Councillor, and he did not feel it incumbent on him to continue making the sacrifice.