MEMBERS LEAVE MEETING

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 14172, 24 September 1946, Page 2

MEMBERS LEAVE MEETING

TAURANGA HARBOUR BOARD Notice Of Motion Ruled Out Of Order Exception Taken To Chairman's Action The action of the chairman of the Tauranga Harbour Board (Mr J. D. Alach) in ruling out of order a notice of motion that the board had lost its confidence in the chairman and called on him to resign, at the monthly meeting of the board yesterday, resulted in five members walking out of the meeting which ended for lack of a quorum.

The notice of motion had been handed in to the temporary secretary (Miss D. Patchell) at a previous meeting of the board by Mr J. Banks and early in the meeting yesterday. Mr Banks made a request to the chair that it be discussed first. In making this request Mr Banks said that he wished to make it clear that there was nothing whatever behind what he did. There was nothingsinister and he and the other four members had no ulterior motives. They were all free and were open to do what they could for the board. There was, he added, provision in the regulations for the notice of motion to be taken straight away. The chairman replied that the request was out of order and the notice of motion would come up in its place on the agenda. (The notice of motion was No. 9 on the agenda.) • After the other business on the agenda had been completed, and the temporary secretary had read Mr Banks' notice of motion, the chairman ruled it out of order for two reasons. Firstly, he pointed out, the notice of motion was not written on the form provided at the board's office and secondly the question of confidence in the chairman had ,been discussed at a 'previous meeting.

It was pointed out by Mr Banks that the notice of motion had been accepted and sent -out to other members of the board and now the chairman ruled it out of order. The chairman: I have given my ruling and it cannot be discussed. Mr Banks replied that the chairman could not ride rough-shod over members who had been on the board for so long. He (the chairman) had received the notice of motion and sent it out to the members of the board. It was pointed out by Mr N. A. Blomquist that the previous resolution of confidence in the chairman had never been decided. The chairman explained that every notice of motion was required to be served on the secretary on the form provided. The view that the notice of motion was quite in order was expressed by Mr P. S. Densem, who emphasised that it had been accepted and circulated. When the chairman ruled the notice of motion out of order, five members, Messrs Banks, A. E. Missen, Blomquist, F. D. Donovan and Densem left the meeting. A correction in the minutes which came up for confirmation was referred to by the chairman at the start of the meeting. In connection with the setting up of a committee of three members, the-chairman said that the resolution should read "to take whatever steps they think necessary to enforce the board's wishes." The resolution as it appeared in the minutes read: "To take steps necessary to enforce the board's wishes." He moved that the correction be made, and when the voting was five for and five against the resolution, the chairman exercised his casting vote in favour of the resolution. Mr Densem: That's the stuff that counts.

The chairman replied that he wanted the minutes correct before he signed them. When the inotion that the amended minutes be'confirmed was put to the meeting, the voting was again five for and five against and on the chairman's casting vote they, were confirmed.

"Another political manoeuvre," remarked the chairman., Mr Banks objected to the chairman's remark and asked him to withdraw it, the chairman complying with the request.

On the suggestion of the chairman, a committee comprising' the chairman and Messrs C. C. McNaughton and F. D. Donovan was appointed to call applications for the position of secretary to the board and in consultation with the board's solicitor draw up terms and conditions of employment. The special committee's action in arranging to accept Mr E. V. Wall's resignation was approved on the casting vote of the chairman.