THE BATTLE OF THE CONTRACTS

Dunstan Times, Issue 2087, 30 July 1901, Page 5

THE BATTLE OF THE CONTRACTS

A BREBZfB IN THE COUNCIL.

Oa the reading of t>e mb u* s at (ho ow.cil meeting on Wodne d»y qu'te hj hatted debate arose. Cp Kane raised » qoertiou as t ■ whotbci the amount of an accepted terrier sou .1 orihouldnotbe read in open co noi>. - CM'Whirtor eaid they sh-uIJ be. «h>n to t>M Press, and the chairman sail that the .rwussti were read out at the following m»« ii»g, and not at the time the o..nuaots wors considered.— Toe clerk sad that the jj ( ,j could set the amounts wnen the con>'»cts were signed if theyappli d for them. —<J M'Whirter said he was sure that the v.notilora were not ashamed of what they ■tere dolnsr, and he thought that the whole f « tenders should be published, both - or- 53'ul aud unsuccessful. —Tbe chairmon .4 thai' he amount of tenders were not bia.v'9 pn'bo until the contracts wer« ■:'gv:d.—»Or M'Whirter warmly advocate i ■•'<■" ou bushing of the tenders before the 'jnt.MCta were signed.—The chairman said be w • lid give tue couucil an opportunity ;f the matter afterwards, and tna minutes of the ordinary meeting were then adopted.—The chairman then brought np the matter again, and said that the tenders should not be disclosed until the contracts were signed. He thought that it should be an instruction to the c!< rk 11 hand a list of all tenders to the Press, after tiieo ontract were signed.—Cr M«Wh : rter said what was wanted was nn up-to-date co-incil, and what the surroundicg councl* CMald do sorely the Vincent could, and in* leeord could be published in the report 01 the proceedings ot the meeting at which the contracts were considered. Me wouli not rest until he obtained such publication. —Cv Partridge said hat the matter bar eioppei up before CrM'Whirter had entered ths council, and he agreed with the Chairman that ti.e 'endeis should not be

puLlished uctil the contracts were 3igned «_ r But er agreed with <.r M'W'birter. Let the:r proceedings be open to the public ■ml the public Pres*.—Ci L<idiaw moved tht aft< r the tucces fu! tenderer had signed bis contract the iiorinatiou be available to the Pre«». —Ci butler moved an amendment that the amounts and names of tenders be atailible at occe after being considered.— Or il'Wh'rter seconded, an 1 asked tha' ■ l hla rcmaikß be noted. The public should obtain information of the proceedings of the mea they .-em to represeut them.—Cr Kane contended that the amounts should be Withheld for two months.ami the council would stand to get double the deposit. He had been twitted time after time as to why the tenders were not published—(Serve you right from Cr M'Whirter) —but he thought that- it would not entail any hardship on ratepayers to wait two months. If the Fres* wore open to inspect the books they ahoulcHfeo so, but Cr M'Whirter said the information was not available. He (Cr

Kane) said no contractor should know the amount of tenders until the contract was &i*ned. —Cr Laidlaw was told that only once waa any application made by the Press tor lha information, and it was then supp.'iad after the contractfl were eigned.— Cr M'Wcirter asked to be heard again, and saiu ilrai, nothing could be gained by keepffcg.tDe tenden I'ack for two months when it ms eld history. Waitaki was a model coencil, and fouad the tyatem worked well. ■ — O'. Nayior said that tenders a certain

percentage over and above the engineer's be rejected. Some people through ignorance, and often a fender vraa accepted which the council inew would not pay the contractor. —The cu4u»uaa asked what tne neighbouring ecvotua aoktsd for deposit. Vincent asked i, pi-, ceist, enu ihe other 5 per cent was not Mfced for until the contract was accepted apj ~i; neu. Some reason must be present - £'i»l iiie tenueta were heard in committee, r* - 'hajrß the contracts were signed right of! tilts re«i in the other counties ; that could avi be done in Vincent.—Cr M'Whirter replied to the ohairroaa that he would confide* that the ether counties were similarly pUaed as themselves. He could not say vr.ist peieentage of deposit was asked, but he kn w that tenders were published ab B--.cn a* ace pted.—Cr Kane said that the jouocil had been very lenient with the . a<.vpuy« rs and the contractors, and only half ihe deposit was asked for. When the lull uepoait was pnid the items should be published ond not before.—On the amendment being put the.e voted for CrsNaylor iM'Whirier, RatLerford, and Butler ; •gainst—The Chairman, Grs Kane, LaidPartridge, aud the Chairman gave his • -c*»Ucg vote sgaii'st,—'ihe motion wae then pu* ami declared carried.-—Ur M'Whirter said that the information was not always ayailab:e, iudeed it was ancient history. He did hot refleet on the officials, it was the system that was rotten.—Cr Kane objected to the tetm rotten. He thought the system was fairly good, jdthough the tenner sjstem was wring somewhere.—Cr M'Whirter wouid not withdraw the term as applied to the teuder system—The hiddentaea closed.