A CASE OF GRAFT

Evening Star, Issue 14638, 7 August 1911, Page 4

A CASE OF GRAFT

IN LOCAL AFFAIRS. Li its issue of the 2nd inst. our morning contemporary published the following: A strange -story, which unfortunately seems to be verifiable, has gained currency concerning the alleged practice in 1-Jun-edin of what ia described in the United States, as "graft." Some little time ago, incidental to changes in the system of administration, an official of a'n important local body retired from the position ho had been occupying. The local body, desirous of recognising in a tangible form the services he had rendered, decided to vote him, on his retirement, a bonus of an amount equal to six months' salary. The official was deeply sensible of this mark of the good-will of the local body, and appreciated highly the sentiment that had prompted the members to treat him so handsomely. Nor did he at the time regard as other than jocular the remark of one of tho members to him that the vote was worth a new suit to the speaker. This seemed to him to be one of the pleasantries that might be viewed as appropriate to such an occasion. He had no expectation that the member in question really contemplated the acquisition of a suit of clothes at his expense. It came, therefore, as a surprise and rude shock to him shortly afterwards when he received an account for £B, being the tost of a suit that had been supplied to this member. lie concluded that the only course open to him uas to settle with the tailor and look as pleasant as ho could—though he may perhaps hav<? considered that the suit was a more costly one than he was himself in the habit of purchasing —and to say nothing about it. "Eventually, however, the circumstances have leaked out, and the members of the local body which, the official served have in the last day or two been expressing their feelings very strongly about the sordid transaction. To their regret, they have no jurisdiction in the matter, as the person who is alleged to have improved the opportunity that was presented to him in the manner we have described is no longer associated with them on this particular body. He is, however, connected with the administration of other local institutions, and, moreover, possesses ambitions that have not yet been fully realised. On Saturday afternoon Cr Keast' forwarded the following letter to the chairman of the Hospital Hoard (Mr J. H. Walker) :

Dunedin, August 5. Dear sir,—l beg to tender to you my resignation as a co-operative member of the Sanatorium Committee. My reason for resigning if! that I admit that, as a member of the board, in May, 1910, I did an act, in doing which I had no intention of doing wrong, but which on reflection I feel bound to admit waf. impioper. 1 make the best reparation I can—namely, 1 express my deep regret v for what T did, and I am resigning every office which I hold in Dunedin. —Yours truly, C. E. Kkast. Inquiries made thus morning elicited the fact that steps were being taken in the matter by the Hospital Board and the City Council "before the resignation was received. The Chairman of the former body said that if the resignation had not come in they as a board intended facing the position. As a matter of fact, he was getting information from the ex-official of the board as to the facts and as to who was the member of the board referred to. That, he considered, was necessary in justice to the -whole of the members of the board. The resignation had now come in, and that, he supposed, was as far as they could go. Tho Mayor said that, as Chief Magistrate of the City, ho considered it his duty to clear things up so far as the council were concerned, so he sent for the councillor in question on Saturday, and after consultation with him advised him to resign. There was a strong feeling among councillors that the matter would have to be brought up at next Wednesday night's meeting of the council, but the resignation now paved that unpleasant duty being undertaken. The resignation will now come befoi-e fhe council on "Wednesday evening, when the Mavor will move that it bi received. Cr Oreen forwarde-d f-ho following notice of motion to tho Town Clerk on Saturday : —" That a special committee, consisting of the Mayor. Crs Stewart, Fiddis, Clark, Wilson,"and the mover, be appointed to make inquiries and to report to the Council re rho case designated graft, an alleged Dunedin case."