CITY ENGINEERSHIP

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 114, 18 May 1918, Page 5

CITY ENGINEERSHIP

SELECTION NOT YET MADE. CANDIDATES REDUCED TO THREE. Thfe City Council' last; Sight further considered the applications for the position of City Engineer. In committee the previous week the 27 applicants had been balloted down to sis. Last night it was first decided to reduce the six names to three. Cr. Gibbons advocated the claims of one candidate, and Cr. Bout those of another. There was considerable discussion as to the method of taking th 6 ballot. On the matter being tested, it was resolved, -by 6 to 4, that each committe must vote for three candidates. The minority strongly objected to being thus, compelled -to vote for candidates they did not favour, and urged that the usual custom be observed of voting for any number up to that fixed on. The Mayor, in view of the decision, informed, "Councillors that any voting paper containing "less than three names would be; informal. The ballot then proceeded, and the third paper opened contained only two names, in spite of the Mayor's announcement. It was [decided that the paper should not be declared informal, but that another vote should be taken. This was done, and resulted in a tie for third place, »Mr Littlejohn, the present City Engineer* being one of the candidates in the tie. To overcome the difficulty it was decided to take a vote between the two tying candidates, and the result was exactly as was predicted would be the case-—another tie. A deadlock was thus reached, and was eventually overcome by the Council deeding that the Mayor should exercise a casting vote, which he did in favour of Mr Littlejohn. Three remained in the ballot at this stage—Messrs (F. C Bunyard (Cambridge), W. J. Roche (Lower Eutt). and .T. G. Littlejohn (Nelson). -It was then decided to invite Messrs Bunyard and Roche to visit Nelson and interview the Council before a final decision was made, the Council to pay the expenses of the applicants.