CITY COUNCIL SURPRISE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 246, 15 September 1936, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL SURPRISE

NEW DEPUTY-MAYOR CR. HODGENS REPLACED CHANGES IN COMMITTEES A special meeting of tlie Palmerston North City Council was held last night, when resolutions rescinding former decisions relating to the appointment of the deputy-Mayor, the personnel of the lighting committee, and of the special committee dealing with the council’s negotiations with the Mana-watu-Oroua Electric Power Board, were carried and new appointments were made. In the course of the discussion it was intimated by Cr. W. B. Tennent that he had instituted legal proceedings against Cr. J. Hodgens, M.P., in connection with part of the contents of a telegram mentioned in the council meeting.

LETTER TO TOWN CLERK

STAFFING INQUIRY.

The Mayor presided and there were also present: —Crs. R. L. C. Aitchison W. B. Cameron, G. Tremaine, J. T. J. Heatley, W. Mouldey, J. J. Stevenson, A. A. Langley and W. B. Tennent.

At the outset the Mayor requested the town clerk to read a letter dated September 12, which had been received from Cr. J. Hodgens, M.P., and which was as follows :

“Air .J. R. Hardie, Town Clerk. — Dear sir, I have your letter of the 11th inst. covering communication signed by several councillors, the contents of which I note, also no•tice of special meetings on the 14tli instant. It is necessary for me to be in Wellington on the evening of Monday, the 14th inst., in my capacity as chairman of tlie Industries and Commerce Committee of the House. You will kindly make my apologies to the Mayor and the councillors for my absence. Should the particular business notified for that meeting be gone on with, the electors of Palmerston North will draw their own conclusions therefrom in view of their knowledge of me. In conclusion, may I say that I regret having used the words ‘a packed jury,’ in my telegram of the Bth inst., when what I actually meant was ‘selected witnesses’ ; otherwise the message is a true expression of my opinion on the evidence that you so kindly forwarded (at my request) last week-end.”

“I will move that leave of absence be granted to Cr. Hodgens,” said the Mayor, when the town clerk had finished reading the letter. “I wish that he would have been here to hear what the council and I have to say, but seeing that he has been unable to get here it will be just as well tor the council to proceed with the business. I move that his apology be accepted.” The motion was carried.

STATEMENT BY MAYOR. The Mayor then made the following statement: “1 have to-night to carry out the most unpleasant duty I have as yet had to perform during my office as Mayor. That is to propose a resolution which amounts to censure of a member of this council, and, further, one whom I have looked upon as a friend for nearly thirty years, and who has acted as my deputy during the whole time that I have occupied the position of Mayor. Members can therefore appreciate the position I feel myself in, and it is not a very enviable one. Possiblv it would lie as well to give some slight explanation as to what has Jed up to the proposals of which I have given notice. ‘‘Shortly put, the position was this: The council was investigating the appointments, dismissals, and disrating of members of the staff at the electrical and gasworks over the past three years; the general costs and management of the gasworks ; and if political or personal influence was used in regard to appointments or dismissals. This inquiry has been going on for some weeks.

“Cr. Hodgens attended the first meeting, and at the next meeting he sent a telegram asking that certain questions should he put to the witnesses who appeared before the council. This I have done on every occasion. The inquiry' was continued last Monday, particularly to allow Cr. Hodgens to be present. However, he did not avail himself of the opportunity, lou can therefore imagine my surprise, and that of the council, on getting the following wire on Tuesday when the inquiry was resumed.” i The'Mayor, at this stage, read the telegram which lie stated had been received from Cr. Hodgens. (Subsequently Cr. Tennent intimated that part of the telegram would be the subject of legal proceedings.) Continuing his statement, the Mayor strongly criticised the contents of the telegram and then proceeded; “Now what actually is the position ? The inquiry is not yet finished. Cr Hodgens never made any request) to have any witnesses called, and he knows that no reasonable request has ever been refused him, or will be, so I fail to see the reason for this outburst, and if, instead of sending such a. ... . telegram, he had sent a communication asking for certain witnesses to he called, he well knows they would have been asked to come before the council, and any questions Cr Hodgens desired would have been asked. . . . It is only' fair to say' that Cr Icnnent did not know from day to dav what witnesses were being called, as the witnesses have all been arranged by myself'. To say that a select few were being called is quite wrong, and I say now—and I wish Cr Hodgens were hero let Cr Hodgens name the witnesses ho wants called, and the council will have them here, and put the questions to them.” i The Mayor referred to the seriousness of the matter and proceeded:— “While it is unpleasant for me to propose the resolution of which I have given notice, knowing the recoid qi public service Cr Hodgens has, still this can be no excuse for the .... telegram. As Mayor I have a duty to perform to the members of the council, and a duty to perform to the citizens. All I want to do is what is right, because if I .do what is right 1 will do what is fair.

“I propose submitting my notice as three motions, so that councillors can vote for any or all. Some of the councillors might think that I am being too severe, and might like to vote just on one part of them.” The Mayor then moved the first motion referring to the DeputyMayoralty as follows; —

(1) “That the resolution carried at the meeting of the council held on May 15,1935. which reads as follows, ‘That Councillor Joseph Hodgens lie appointed deput.y-Mayor,’ be rescinded and the following resolution substituted therefor: ‘That Councillor Geoffrey Tremaine be appointed deputy-Mayor.’ ” .. . .., ....

Cr. Tennent, in seconding the motion, observed that he was “very much in this telegram” and lie desired to make a statement concerning the matter. Some weeks ago he had been approached by certain men in the gasworks who, he alleged, had been disrated. They had made certain drastic statements. On receiving an assurance from them that they would come before the full council and make the same statements, he had decided to bring the matter forward. To avoid undue publicity he had brought tlie matter forward at a works commitee meeting, and Cr. Hodgens had three times challenged him to say the same thing in open council, wlien he would have his solicitor present. He (Cr. Tennent) had accepted the challenge, but at the open council he was not called upon to make the statement and Cr. Hodgens’s solicitor did not appear. At that meeting the council decided to form itself into an inquiry committee and decide what course it should adopt. At subset]uent meetings of the inquiry committee the men referred to appeared before the council and made the same statements that they had made to him (Cr. Ten pent). Their action in coming before the council, Cr. Tennent contended, proved quite definitely that he was justified in bringing the matter forward. He would have been shirking his duty, unpleasant though it was, had he not done so. He did not desire to damage anyone’s character, and if there had been nothing in what the men had said he would have been prepared to have withdrawn the statements and apologise. He did not wish to refer to the matters which concerned him personally in the telegram. They would be answered before a Judge of the Supreme Court as he had commenced legal proceedings against Cr. xlodgens. As a result of Or. Hodgens’s I personal references, the speaker said, lie could not give him the confidence one should be able to give to a deputyMayor, and he had no option but . to support the motion, drastic though it was, in view of Cr. Hodgens’s long service.

“I want to move an amendment,” stated Cr. J. J. Stevenson, “and ask that the motion be held over until Cr. Hodgens can appear in person. Tdo so in order that Cr. Hodgens be given a chance to reply to the allegations made, and the charges made against him.” Cr. Tennent: What charges?

Cr. Stevenson: I will alter that and say that he be given a chance to reply to any questions that may arise.

Cr. Heatley seconded the amendment, commenting: “1 think that Cr. Hodgens should be here to defend himself. He is quite capable of doing it. I am not making excuses for him, but he ought to bo accorded the right to be here to defend himself.” Cr Langley supported the amendment, stating that lie simply desired that Cr Hodgens be present. Or Aitchison asked could they get an indication when Cr Hodgens would be present. Or Heatloy said the letter from Cr Hodgens was a fair explanation of why he could not he present. The Mayor: Cr Hodgens had notice of the meeting called for to-night. Cr Langley : After all, he is attending to important Parliamentary duties. The Mayor: This is a fairly important matter.

Cr Langley: As chairman of the committee in Wellington that is also important. The Mayor: I would like to have seen him, here. I particularly wanted him to lie here.

The amendment was declared lost on the voices and on a show of hands being sought by Cr Stevenson the voting was recorded as follows: For the amendment: Crs Heatley, Stevenson, and Langley. Against the amendment: The Mayor and Crs Aitchisnn, Cameron, Tremaine, Tennent, and Mouldey. The motion was then put and carried. PERSONNEL OE COMMITTEES.

The Mayor then moved his second motion dealing with the personnel of the lighting committee. Jt read:— (2) “That the following resolution, carried at a meeting of the council held on May 15, 1935, and which read as follows, ‘That the lighting committee. comprise Cr Hodgens (chairman), the Mayor, Crs Aitchison, Cameron, and Tremaine’ he rescinded, and the following resolution substituted therefor: ‘That the lighting committee comprise the Mayor (chairman) and Crs Aitehison, Cameron, Tremaine, and Tennent’.”

Cr Heatley again said Cr Hodgens should be present—he contended there was too much haste, which was not in the best interests of the town. He moved an amendment that the matter he Held over till Cr Hodgens could be present and the whole thing could be threshed out. Cr. Tennent commented that Cr. Hodgens was in town last Monday, and was not present at the council meeting. Cr. Stevenson seconded the amendment.

There was no further discussion and the amendment was put and declared lost, a show of hands being sought by Cr. Heatley. Those voting for the amendment were Crs. Heatley and Stevenson.

The motion was then put and carried.

The Mayor then moved the third motion dealing with the personnel of the special committee to confer with the Power Board, and Cr. Tremaine seconded it. It read :

(3) “That the following resolution carried at a meeting of the council held on May 27, 1935, and which reads, ‘That a special committee

consisting of the Mayor, Councillors •Hodgens, Cameron and Tremaine be appointed to confer with the representatives of the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board in reference to the terms and conditions of a new contract, and that the special com-

mittee be authorised to consider any offer made by the hoard and to carry

the negotiations as far as possible,’ be rescinded, and the following reso-

lution substituted therefor: ‘That a special committee consisting of the Mayor, Councillors Cameron, Tremaine, and Tennent, be appointed to confer with the representatives oi the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board in reference to the terms and conditions of a new contract, and that the special committee be authorised to consider any offer made by the board and to carry the negotiations as far as possible.’ ” Cr. Stevenson moved an amendment that the matter be held over till Cr. Hodgens was present. Cr. Heatley seconded the amendment. He said there was too much haste over the whole matter—this part was most serious. Cr. Hodgens, as the council’s representative on the Power Board, had carried on the negotiations, with other members, to a successful point and it was just a question whether it would not be a serious matter for Palmerston North to have the resolution passed. The amendment was lost on the voices and the motion was carried without further discussion. This concluded the open meeting of the council, which then went into com-, mittee on other business.