"CHASED THE SHADOW."

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 266, 9 November 1928, Page 10

"CHASED THE SHADOW."

THE MURRAY CHARGES.

DISPROVED BT CO!

REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL.

"HO EVIDENCE OP EXTRAVAGANCE."

"We found no evidence- of ertravar gance, incompetence or waste on the part of our officials or workmen beyond •mall matters incidental" to the carrying out of large works or running a large business, either public or private, against which it is humanly impossible to provide."

The above statement was made in a I report presented to the City Council last < evening as the outcome of thorough 1 investigations made into charges of < waste and extravagance in connection < with council affairs made by Mr. W. H. < Murray, a member of the council. i Proceeding, the report said: — \ The committee considers, from careful | scrutiny of the evidence given to establish charges, that most of it was gathered from unreliable sources, euch as loose talk among individuals who were badly informed on the subject discussed. A great deal of the evidence was Tiearsajn—what they had been told, but concerning which they had no personal knowledge. We certainly found nothing to warrant the large expenditure of public money, and waste of time of our officials and others incurred by the holding of the inquiry, besides the thorough disorganisation of routine office work, and serious weakening of discipline among our workmen through the very undesirable methods adopted by inquirers of. gathering evidence and infonnation from our workmen on the dftfMWit jobs. All the matters touched upaa couid have been adjusted departmentally had attention been drawn to them. . I

"An Attempt to Diaparage." "The committee it forced to loofeteapj the whole business as an attempt to disparage the administratioif of the council and its officials for propaganda purposes, rather than an hojieat endeavour to assist the council in clean, honourable and businesslike methods of carrying on'the businesa of the council.

"We desire to sincerely thank the officials of the council for the assistance given in furnishing returns and collecting information, as well as attending the sittings of the committee, which greatly assisted and shortened the proceedings of the. committee."

Attack on Council Officer. The report traversed at considerable length the various matters which had been investigated, and commented upon them. In connection with the Stone Jug quarry it was recommended that the plant should be disposed of. The committee considered that one of the most important matters dealt with was in connection with an employee named Matheson having an interest in a quarry, and considered that he had committed a grave error of judgment in being actively concerned in the production and sale of a commodity of which the council was the largest user in the district. "Upright and Honourable." Special reference was made to a suggestion that council material had been delivered to an officer of the council, the report stating:—"The committee regrets to state that this was a despicable attempt by insinuation, without making direct charges, to attack an official of the council, Mr J. Tyler, assistant city engineer. The insinuations had no foundation of fact on which any. honest inquirer would attempt to build a charge. committee examined witnesses and documents, proving that the official in question, in all the transactions referred to, had been upright and honourable in every particular, and that most of the transactions were of an entirely private character and of no ' concern to the council whatsoever. We ' desire to record our entire confidence in the honour and integrity of this • official."

file report- dealt with a large numbei of allegations which had been made since the inquiry began, and found that in no case were they substantiated. "Star Chamber Methods.** Mr. Murray complained that the voluminous report having been brought down so late in the meeting was typical of the Star Chamber methods of the council, and gave him no opportunity to peruse it. The council expected him to assimilate the contents .of the report and answer it in ten minutes, but he was not going to do anything of the kind. He .would peruse the report at his leisure aM would reply to it in the method he thought best. Probably the council would extend to him the privilege 01 giving him an opportunity to reply at a future meeting. He might occupy two hours.

Mr: W. L. Casey: Take the Town! Hall.

Mr. Murray: That is probably what I might do. And I would invite Mr. Casey to come along when I do.

Mr. Casey: lam a bit particular about my company.

Mr. Murray proceeded to criticise the| Mayor's methods of dealing with interjections, and piovoked the remark from Mr. Baildon of: "I treat you as fairly as any other councillor. Get on with the question before the meeting, please. That is where you get into trouble." The Mayor added that Mr. Murray had an opportunity to ascertain everything he desired in connection with the charges, as he was placed on the investigating committee. He resigned of his own volition. He proposed to dispose of the report immediately.

Mr. J. A. C. Allum thought the committee had done right in bringing down the report at the last minute, on the ground that on a previous occasion, when a committee report was released earlier, it had found its way into the Press. He was surprised at the attitude adopted by Councillor Murray, for if' anything he Was the accuser and not the accused.

The chairman of the investigating committee (Mr. J. Dempsey) said that while the city officials had no opportunity to defend themselves, they were now completely exonerated. The eharges as they were levelled were'a menace to good administration.

The report was adopted, Mr. Murray being the only dissentient. Votes oi thanks were passed to the committee and its chairman for his patience over the inquiry.

The curtain was lowered on the 'matter by Mr. M. J. Bennett remarking: "Mr. Murray has been chasing the shadow and losing the substance."