CITY COUNCIL AFFAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 198, 23 August 1928, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL AFFAIRS.

The letter of Air. W. McMillan in defence of the Auckland City Council is amazing if only for the display of either gross ignorance or extreme bias. Had he followed the Murray Complaints, attended any of the public meetings giving definite information of the council'* shortcomings, the drastic comments for the past three months in the Press, which were acknowledged by many councillors at its last meeting as the true reflection of public opinion, also correspondence that has appeared in the Press, more particularly my reply to Mr. Bloodworth's special pleading for leniency, possibly he might not have written so complaisantly. The council is to a certain extent suffering from the policy of a former Mayor, but councillors have had three and a half years to justify the confidence ratepayers reposed by electing them; according to Press comments they have lamentably failed. In this respect I could furnish substantial evidence in support of this contention, but so much has appeared in the Press that it would be a work of supererogation to recapitulate the civic sins of the Auckland City CounciL Regarding outside bodies indulging in a vendetta, this is sheer nonsense. Surely his memory is not so faulty but that he can remember the high pedestal from which the present council in an extremely autocratic manner treated these bodies. Naturally the latter decline to meet the council except upon an equal footing at a conference. (I note that Mr. McMillan agrees that a conference should be held between the parties.) As to pushing on with urgent city works or undertakings, I would remind him many councillors have been reported as having admitted in council meetings that the council had lost the confidence of the ratepayers, especially in view of the resolutions passed unanimously at three public meetings at least: "Advising ratepayer* to refuse to sanction any further loans during the regime of the present council." It is very evident to me that this accurately gauges the feelings of the ratepayers. Before undertaking further works, let us have a cleaning up and put our house in order. H. P. TAYLOR.