CALLED TO RESIGN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 294, 13 December 1927, Page 9

CALLED TO RESIGN.

GLEN EDEN TOWN BOARD. ONLY TWO MEMBERS WILLING DEPUTATION'S REQUEST. The- board room of the Glen Eden Town Board was crowded last night, when the deputation appointed 'by a public meeting waited on the board to call upon it to resign. The members present were Messrs. W. H. Shepherd (chairman), Ambler, West, Rosier, Martin and Hayes.

Mr. W. B. Cameron, of Waima Road, addressed the board on behalf of the deputation, and conveyed the resolution passed at the meeting of ratepayers and residents. He said it was left to the board to Use its good sense and retire in a graceful manner.

The chairman said the deputation was being received out of courtesy. He strongly criticised the manner in which the meeting was called, "I did not attend the meeting," he added, "and I could not find out anything definite about it. I failed to find out any charge made out against the board or members of the board. Before anything is done, I want to know something definite. As no charges have been made, I do not see any reason why the board should resign/'

Three of the members of the board endorsed the chairman's contention. "When I went to the ratepayers for election," said Mr. Martin, "I offered myself for two years. I am not going to resign, no matter what anybody says. It takes a good deal of courage to stop on the board, especially in view of the dissensions among members. The previous board held that the value of a public meeting is not great, the ballotbox being the best indication of public feeling. That is sufficient for me."

Mr. Rosier said that if the ratepayers* were not satisfied, they could express their opinion at the poll. Mr. Ambler said that if a definite reason could be given why he should resign he would do so at once.

The chairman immediately replied, criticising the manner in which the public meeting had been called, and conducted, and declining to resign. He was followed in turn by Messrs. Martin, Ambler and Rosier, who endorsed his remarks, and refused to resign. Messrs. Hayes and West expressed views in concurrence with the opinion of the public meeting, Mr. Hayes stating that the previous speakers had failed entirely in their duties to the ratepayers, and Mr. West stating that the board was a laughing stock. In reply to Messrs. Hayes and West, the chairman stated that there was a lot of misconception about the resignation of Mr. A. J. Routley from the board.

Mr. Hayes asserted that most of the misconception was due to the misleading and irresponsible versions continually given by the chairman at the board's meetings and by other equally interested parties outside. There was one statement of the chairman's, however, which he would challenge right away in the presence of the large number of persons present, and that was the statement' of the chairman that the appeal in the Supreme Court had been abandoned.

Mr. Cameron was given permission to reply to the members of the board, and told the chairman that, in spite of his opinions, the meeting was a wellattended one of over 100 persons. The opinion that was held in the district that the chairman was a "little Mussolini"—which he himself did not believe— and also that the chairman was quite useless as a chairman.

In answer to the chairman's objections to these comments, Mr. Cameron said that he was not expressing his own opinions, but was merely stating the opinions of the outside public. The proceedings were terminated when a motion by Mr. Hayes, seconded by Mr. West, that the whole board resign, was negatived, the remainder of the board voting against it. The By-election. Later in the meeting the returning officer reported that Messrs. S. A. W, Bourne and A. J. Routley had been nominated to fill the vacancy on the board caused by the resignation of Mr. Routley, and that an election would be held on December 22. The returning officer was authorised to engage a poll clerk, and also a deputy-returning officer for the polling booth which will be opened in the city for the benefit of city ratepayers.