MAYORS AND BILLS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 12285, 24 February 1938, Page 4

MAYORS AND BILLS

AWKWARD PROBLEM Sydney, ,Peb. 14. The Lord Mayor (Aid N. Nock) has found himself involved by the Local Government Act in an awkward problem affecting the tenure of his civic office. When examining the accommodation arrangements for the visiting Lord Mayors and Lady Mayoresses for the Celebrations, he found that they had been allotted rooms at the Wentworth Hotel, of which he is a director. As the cost of the visitors’ accommodation was included in the City Council’s special grant of £ISOO for entertainment, he realised that the arrangements, made last year before he assumed office, rendered him liable to disqualification under the rigid local government rule which prohibits an alderman from benefiting from a council contract, or of having financial dealings with the council. The Lord Mayor pointed out to the Town Hall authorities that the rooms at the Wentworth Hotel would have to be cancelled, and the Lord Mayors and Lady Mayoresses provided with accommodation in a hotel in which he was not financially interested. It was too late, however, and the bookings could not be cancelled or rooms found elsewhere. Solution Found

The difficulty was overcome by the Lord Mayor paying from his own pocket the £350 bill, and the City Council on Monday will approve of that sum being allowed to his Lord Mayoral allowance. A similar happening occurred over the hire of a ferry boat for the night Harbour carnival at a cost of £IOO. A Manley ferry only was available, and the chairman of the company is Alderman Sir Archibald Howie. The boat could not legally be used because a company in which an alderman is interested would benefit. But there was no other vessel available.

And so the council on Monday will also approve of £IOO for the hire of the ferry being added to the Lord Mayoral allowance.