“Personal Feelings” In Local Body Matters ?

Northern Advocate, 3 October 1944, Page 4

“Personal Feelings” In Local Body Matters ?

(Spec.) KAITAIA, This Day. A charge that after a majority decision had been reached by the Mangonui County Council in respect to the hospital rating, certain members had allowed their personal feelings to interfere with its execution was made by Cr. W. P. Hales when the council held a special meeting on Friday. Cr. Hales sought an assurance that any decisions reached during consideration of the order of reference for the Parliamentary committee to investigate local government would be adhered to by the council’s delegates when the time came to make submissions to the committee or to Northland local body conferences. After reading "Northern Advocate" reports covering the council’s decision at its last meeting to adhere to its previous resolution not to strike the 1944-45 hospital rate, and the Mangonui Hosptal Board's subsequent invocation of legal measures to divert county subsidies to hospital purposes, Cr- Hales remarked that Cr. J. W Hoskn, as chairman of the hospital board, had used liis casting vote to defeat the council's purpose. This action, and the remarks of other councillors who were also hospital board members, he maintained, had conveyed the impression that there was a “solil" in the council. “These members were elected to the hospital board on their merits," said Cr. I. J. Berghan. “They are entitled to act on their own individual decisions. It was not, in this case, as if they were delegates of the council to the hospital board." Although Cr. Hoskin was not present at the meeting, said Cr. Hales, he had intended to raise the question in any case.

The chairman (Mr. C. J. E. Barriball) gave an assurance that any decisions reached by the council for sub mission to the Parliamentary committee would be carried out to the letter bv its delegates. 'The subject then lapsed.