Transport Board To Keep Changed Procedure

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 18

Transport Board To Keep Changed Procedure

A motion that the Christchurch Transport Board rescind its resolution passed on November 6 to discontinue having the full board on its finance and works and traffic committees and allowing the press to attend its works and traffic committee meetings was lost when put to the board meeting yesterday. The motion was put by Mr R. H. Stillwell and seconded by Mr H. E. Denton, who said he understood that in a bill at present before the House of Representatives, a clause gave the right to the public to attend a committee meeting if that committee consisted of the whole council, or board or directorate. “If this board wishes to enter into the spirit of the law when this bill becomes legislation, then it will make the works and traffic committee the full board.” Mr Denton said. “There was really no need, advantage or gain to support the reduction of the works and traffic committee from nine to five. This is a small board and its members should be on its important committees.” Mr Stillwell said there was no reason for “dividing the board and turning the works and traffic committee into a small sub-committee unless it was to exclude the reporters from the meetings.” He said the committee was now doing its important work in secret and the public was not able to know what was ~oing on. Chairman’s Views “Every member is entitled to his own opinion on this board, but Mr Stillwell’s persistence ip saying that the reason the works and traffic committee was reduced in numbers was to ensure secrecy amounts to a false statement,” said the chairman (Mr E. J. Bradshaw). “Mr Stillwell knows full well the reasons why these moves were made. The reasons were fully and adequately given in public. One of the main reasons was that the finance and works committees were making decisions binding on the board. "I am not saying these decisions were made wrongly or improperly, but on more than one occasion the decisions were not reported back to the board and so were never made public. “The committees took on themselves executive authority which rested purely in the board. One of the main reasons for the change from the full board tsing the finance and works committees

was to bring all the board’s business to the meetings of the board in public. “During my term as chairman, all the board’s business will be done at board level in open meeting. I have promised that, but Mr Stillwell does not have to accept that. But his persistent statements that the reason for change was secrecy amount to false statements because he knows otherwise. “I have been nine years on transport boards, but never before was the business more thoroughly or more openly discussed than it has been at this meeting today.” Mr Bradshaw said. Mr R. G. Brown said he had never heard the board’s business discussed in such a sane and reasonable manner, nor more fully or freely, than it had been at the present meeting.