TE KUITI NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17754, 13 April 1921, Page 7

TE KUITI NOTES.

THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

COUNTY COUNCIL ECONOMICS. [bt telegraph.—own coeeestondext.] TE KUITI, Tuesday. As the result of a requisition .signed by the present Mayor, Mr. G. P Finlay and over 100 leading residents, Mr. H.' Hine has consented to accept nomination for.the mayoralty. Mr. Hine has lived in Te .Kuiti for 15 years, and is a solicitor by profession. It seems highly improbable that he will be opposed. The Waitomo? County Council recently received a letter from the AuditorGeneral threatening statutory ' proceedings if certain instructions in connection with the finance of the council were no?, immediately carried out. The council held a special meeting to go into the matter, and, in order to lessen the cost of administration, reduced the salary of the county clerk by £50 per annum, and that of the county engineer by £100. The salary of the office assistant was also reduced and the services of two assistant engineers were dispensed with. The finance committee drew up a report which was adopted by the council, recommending the appointment hi an expert to report on the office administration, and also of another to report on the engineering administration. The recommendations were qualified with the statement that no reflections on either department were implied. It was merely an endeavour to effect economies commensurate .with efficiency as the result of the present financial stringency. When the report was presented at the monthly meeting of the council, on the following day, it was found that two names had beon, inserted in the blank spaces left by the finance committee for the names of the experts. This drew a very heated protest from Mr. C. R. Wilson, who said he considered it an usurpation of the committee's powers. The chairman said the matter could be dealt with at the meeting. Mr. Smyth also made a protest and then left the meeting. Further discussion was taken in committee.