MUNICIPAL COMMITTEES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1744, 8 May 1913, Page 6

MUNICIPAL COMMITTEES.

METHOD OF APPOINTMENT. A slight breeze ruffled the pleasant harmony of the Mayoral installation ceremony at tho Town Hall yesterday when the business of appointing the standing committees of the new council canio up. "With the idea of expediting tho business, the new committees were constituted by the simple expedient of appointing tli'o new committees—those who had not been members,of tho old council—to tho vacancies created in tho standing committees of the previous council by the defeat' or retirement of certain ex-couiicillors. Tho method was this: The town clork (jlr. J. 11. Palmer), reading frs:n prepared lists, called out tho name of the particular committee to be dealt with, and announced the number of vacancies, thus (with the first committee dealt with): "Power Stations and Tramways—hvo vacancies." Then the Mayor put it to the council: "The question is that Councillors Buddie and Thompson be added to the names of the old committee." The council formally affirmed the question in each case, but not before Councillor B. Tregear voiced a protest: "Do •I understand, sir," he said, apropos of the Abattoirs Committee, "that these gentlemen (referring to (lie councillors who wero 011 the old committee) have a vested interest in this committee, and keep 011 year after year?" "Ha! Ha! Vested interests!" interjected Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald. "I object, and will continue to object to this method of appointing the committees,'.' said Councillor Tregear, heatedly. "Hear, hear," observed Councillor L. M'Keir/.ie. "I protest—this is government by committee," insisted Councillor Tregear. Councillor Fuller then suggested an adjournment unlil after the Mayoral luncheon, when, the whole question could be properly threshed out. Councillor Fletcher, however, objected, and moved to tho effect that the count?', go on with tho business. The motion was carried, and the remainder of the committees were dealt with in a very few minutes.