COUNCIL POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 61, 14 March 1939, Page 7

COUNCIL POLICY

WOR£ OF COMMITTEES

PROPOSAL DEFEATED

It is the practice of the Lower Hutt Borough Council to delegate to each of its committees power to carry out works that might fall under the jurisdiction of any of those particular committees. An endeavour was made last evening to alter the system and bring all works over a fixed sum under the jurisdiction of the works committee. Pursuant to notice Councillor H. V. Horlor moved "that all works of £500 and over be carried out by the works committee." "Surely," said Councillor Horlor, •'that is what the works committee is for." For instance, towers " were being I erected on the Recreation Ground under the reserves committee. This should have been handed over to 'the works committee and the widening of High Street should be under the direct control of the works committee. There were other works coming on which were real engineering jobs, and unless the motion was carried these would not be controlled by the works committee. Councillor C. J. Ashton, in seconding the motion, said that" all major works should be under the works committee. Councillor A. Marshall opposed the motion, which, he said, intentionally or otherwise implied that other committees of the council were not competent to carry out works in their own sphere. All committees had full use of-the engineering staffs which were not attached only to the works committee. Each councillor had the approval of the ratepayers who did not indicate that any group should have sole charge of works. If the motion was passed he would have to consider his position on the council. As a member of the reserves committee he considered that that committee was just as competent as any other to carry out works on the reserves. The Mayor, Mr. J. W. Andrews, stated that the effect of the motion would be that if the council decided to clear gorse off the hillsides the job would be one for the works committee or if a tree-planting job were undertaken it would have to be under the jurisdiction of the works committee, or, again, if a new library block were put in hand it would not be under the library committee but under the works committee. The council was being urged by its townplanning officer to take control of the eastern hills to be laid down as a park. If this were undertaken it would be under the works committee and not under the reserves committee if the resolution was carried. | The borough engineer was available to all committees, and it would be quite wrong to take, say, work on the reserves out of the hands of the reserves, committee. Had the work of erecting the lighting towers on the Re- [ creation Ground been placed in the : hands of the works committee, who did not understand the needs of the reserves, the ground might have been i ruined by the movements of lorries I over it. Councillor W. A. F. Hall favoured the motion. I Councillor W. C. Gregory favoured the co-operation of the committees ■in carrying out works. - — ."'■: "*"f Councillor J. Mitchell opposed the motion, holding that each committee was best able to carry out its own j works. | (Councillor E. P. Hay said that under j the present system, where all the ] council officers were available to all committees, any committee -was as competent as another to carry out works. ■ | In answer to Councillor J. E. F. i Vogel, the Mayor said it would mean th&t" every work, no matter what its nature, if over £500, would have to be placed in the hands of the works committee who, under the proposed resolution, would not be able to delegate the work to another committee, as was the case at present. Speaking of the reserves committee, j the Mayor said that it had never fallen down on any work it had i undertaken. It had never exceeded its estimate nor had it exceeded the time specified. There was also no officer j on the staff who got more willing ser- j vice from his staff than Mr. E. Hutt, the superintendent of reserves. At present each committee had the full cooperation of all experts, and it was not a question of the engineer not being available for the reserves committee but merely a question of taking away from particular committees their- work and giving it to the works committee. At this point Councillor Horlor was granted permission to insert the word "specific" before "works" in his motion. There being some doubt in the minds of some councillors as to the exact-definition of "specific," the Mayor sent fora dictionary and quoted its meaning. The motion was defeated. The voting: was:—For: Councillors Horlor, Morrison, Ashton, and Hall. Against: The Mayor, and Councillors Mitchell, Marshall, Vogel, Hay, and Gregory.