A COUNTY DISPUTE.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 February 1921, Page 5

A COUNTY DISPUTE.

DISMISSAL OF A CLERK. MOVE TO RESCIND DECISION. PROPOSAL NOT CARRIED. i The disagreement existing between the chairman of the Inglewood Qounty Council (Mr. A. Corkill) and the clerk (Mr. F. A. Lloyd), which, at the meeting of the council on January 11, cuk minated in the council giving the clerk three months’ notice, was further ventilated at yesterday’s meeting of the council. The matter was introduced by a notice of motion by Cr J. B. Simpson, that the resolution relative to the dismissal of the clerk be rescinded, and that his application for an increase of salary be reconsidered. Cr. Simpson’s motion appeared as the third item on the agenda paper, and when the business appearing in front of 'it had been disposed of, the chairman, went on ty deal with the fourth item, which was t’ ? engineer’s report. This prompted Cr. Simpson to ask if his motion was being'ignored, and the'chairman replied that it would be dealt with in due course, after the important business had been disposed of. Cr. Simpson entered a strong protest against this course being adopted. He said that his motion had been put in its proper place on the agenda, and should be dealt with in that order. Chairman: It is for.me to say which is the most important business, and which order it should be taken in. We have other important business to with before your motion can be ’discussed. Cr. Simpson: Thank you. I am glad to know that is your opinion. The council then ■ proceeded with’ the other business before it, and at a later stage in the meeting the chairman called dn Cr. Simpson to move his resolution. PLEA FOR REVIEW. Or. Simpson said ho brought his motion forward in the hope that those councillors who said one thing and did another would review their previous decision. The feeling* in the county is now so strortg tfiat a petition was in circulation asking the chairman to resign his ‘position, and other councillors were also going to be asked to resign. The opinion had been expressed all over the place that the Inglewood County Council was- practically a one-horse show. Cr. Hair: Rot. Cr. Simpson said that was the general opinion as he found it. He asked what were the charges against the clerk that had prompted them to act in the manner that they did. Simply because the clerk could not agree with the chairman, they had given him “the sack”. ’He maintained that the clerk was the servant of the whole council, and th** chairman had no right to treat the clerk as though he was his own employee. The chairman: Absolute rot. Cr. Simpson said that the members had; shown no reasonable cause why they had Feted in such an unjust manner, and brought such reproach on the district. He sincerely hoped they would review their previous decision. Cr. J. Hunter seconded the motion. He was sorry, indeed, that the trouble had cropped up in the council. He was an old member of the Road Board, and knew that Cr. Corkill had done a great amount of work for the board, and particularly in regard to forming the county. At the same time, he could not support the action of the council in dismissing the clerk. CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT.

The chairman said -he rather not make a statement, but he had been blamed for and saddled with the whole load of responsibility. He explained that the trouble between himself and the clerk was not a personal matter at all, and he challenged Cr Simpson to prove that on anv occasion he had tried to dominate or lead the council. As regards treating the clerk as an employee of his, ho hardly knew how to take it. He employed a number qf men, and the council was quire at liberty to ask them how they were treated. ■ The chairman then dealt with the matters in dispute, and stated that as chairman of the Road Board it had been his custom to have a key of the office, and the accounts and correspondence were always left in a basket on the table. When they shifted into their present office there were only two keys, and they were given to the clerk and the engineer. Eventually he got a key himself, and when he called at the office he found everything locked up, and there was a good deal of trouble before the clerk allowed him access to the accounts and correspondence. He believed that if it had not |>een for councillors interfering and getting behind the clerk the trouble would not have occurred. Several matters in dispute were then dealt with in detail by the chairman. The (chairman then alluded to the minutes |of the meetings, remarking that scarcely a meeting passed without some dispute arising over, the minutes. Cr. M. S. Cameron said he was now satisfied that the .fault lay with the clerk. , Cr. J. M. Hair was still of the opinion that the clerk would have to go. Cr. R. Stuart said the majority of the councillors were fair-minded men and they did not wish to do Mr. Lloyd any harm.' That was why they did not abuse the clerk at the last meeting. He also took exception to Cr. Simpson's remark that it was a one-horse show. Cr. H. Jones also said he saw no reason for changing his vote. HINT OF A SEQUEL. Mr. Lloyd was given permission to speak at this stage. Ho asked that an independent committee be set up to go into the whole matter, and see that justice was done. Since the last meeting he had placed the matter of his dismissal in the hands of the best firm of solicitors in Taranaki, and he did not wish to say more abofit it just then. The vote was then taken, and was as follows: For Cr Simpson’s motion, Crs. Simpson and Hunter; against, the chairman and Crs. Cameron, Stuart, Hair and Jones. t ( The matter of appointing another clerk was deferred.