Harbour men to appeal

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33383, 15 November 1973, Page 2

Harbour men to appeal

(New Zealand Preu Alternation) WHANGAREI, November 14. A former Audit Department official has been asked to represent the general manager of the Northland Harbour Board (Mr D. B. Cunneen) and its internal auditor (Mr A. G. McHugh) on an independent board to hear an appeal against their suspension from office.

They were suspended by the board on Monday, pending the result of prosecutions against the board, its chairman (Mr R. K. Trimmer), director of planning (Mr J. A. Lyall), and engineer (Mr J. ; S. Mason). The suspension was passed on the casting vote of the chairman at a special meeting of the board in committee. Earlier the board had voted to exclude Messrs Cunneen, McHugh, Lyall, and the secretary (Mr J. R. Crispin), again on the casting vote of the chairman. Both Mr Cunneen and Mr McHugh said today that they had still not received any reason for the suspension. They had been told when they asked for the reason for their suspension that they would get it, in writing, yesterday. Mr Cunneen was required to surrender the use of a car, and his keys to the board’s offices and his desk. Both men said they had decided to appeal against the terms of the suspension, under section 45 of the Harbour Boards Act. The section provides for an appeal to be heard by an independent board of three members — a magistrate as chairman, one nominee from the appellants, and one nominee from the board. It will be the third such appeal involving the Northland Harbour Board in recent years. A former general manager appealed against his dis-1 missal in 1968, and last year I an appeal was lodged against the appointment of a control operator at Marsden Point. Mr McHugh said he and i Mr Cunneen had asked for I the appeal to be treated as I urgent, and had nominated I Mr C. R. Furlong, of Auck-1 land, a retired district super-1 visor from the Audit Depart-1

ment, as their nominee on tht appeal board. Mr Cunneen said he understood that the dure was for the harbour board to notify the Justice Department, which would arrange for a magistrate tc preside at the hearing, anc decide when it would be heard. Harbour board officials today declined to comment or the case,