COMMITTEE'S AUTHORITY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 109, 9 May 1924, Page 6

COMMITTEE'S AUTHORITY

The City; Council was responsible for the appointment of the Departmental Investigation Committee and for the authority given to it. That authority clearly covered problems of organisation. This being so, it would be most unfair to the Investigation Committee if the Council were to, consider recommendations from other sources upon those matters which the Investigation Committee was specifically directed to report upon. Undoubtedly the appointment of assistant city engineers is a question under the heading of organisation, and the relationship of one engineering department to another is in the same category. If the Council last night had accepted recommendations from the FinanceCommittee upon these two points, without considering the Investigation Committee's report, it would have, placed itself in a foolish position.' There is no question, such as Councillor Monteith suggested, of allowing the Investigation Committee to take over the whole of Council matters. The Council is free at all times to accept or reject recommendations placed before it; but if it encourages rival investigations it lays itself open to a charge of seeking to hamper an investigation ordered by itself.