HOSTILE MEETING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21454, 30 March 1933, Page 11

HOSTILE MEETING

IGLEN EDEN'S TROUBLES I TOWN board attacked APPOINTMENT CRITICISED CHAIRMAN LEAVES HALL The discontent in Glen Eden was ventilated with considerable bluntness at « public meeting in the municipal hall last evening. Although the chairman of th< To\vn Board, Mr. A. J. Routley, declared the meeting closed about 9 o'clock anc walked out of the building, followed by the town clerk, Mr. H. Croucher, th« other 300 people present appointed an other chairman and carried on until 10.40. The proceedings opened circumspectly with a lengthy report on the Town Hoard's financial position given by Messrs. Rout ley and Croucher. The storm broke when Mr. J. Edwards, who recently resigned from the Town Board, asked the chairman to read the Auditor-General's "tags" to the balance-sheet. Mr. Routley said the meeting was called to consider the board's finances and works programme and not the balance-sheet. Mr. Edwards: Ladies and gentlemen, the Auditor-General's report on our bal-ance-sheet is a crying disgrace to Glen Eden. 1 demand that it be read. Departure of Chairman Simultaneously, there was a demand from the audience that the chairman c>f the Finance Committee, Mr. C. P. Dorn, should state whether he accepted responsibility for the "tagged" balance-sheet There ensued a long consultation between Messrs. Routley and Dorn, at the close of which Mr. Routley declared the meeting closed. Uproar immediately broke out, in the midst of which Mr. Routley left the hall. "Let us elect new chairman for this meeting," shouted someone, and the choice fell on Mr. W. B. Cameron. He said the balance-sheet which was returned by the Auditor-General had been signed by Mr. Routley. Six "tags" were attached to it by the Auditor-General. "I 'am going to ask Mr. Dora?" said Mr. Cameron, "if he will vouch for the accuracy of the figures in that balance-sheet." Mr. Dorn said that as far as he knew the figures were not vouched for by the Finance Committee. Appointment of Clerk to the recent action of the board in appointing a new clerk, Mr. Wilkinson, aroused a fresh controversy. "To put it frankly, the board is on trial, and if you are not satisfied with it, you Hve the right to tell them to walk out and make room for someone else," said Mr. Cameron. A motion of no-confidence in Mr. Routley was first submitted and then an amendment that the meeting had no confidence in the entire board. Both motions were lost. A further' motion took the form of an instruction to the Town Board to cancel the appointment of Mr. Wilkinson and appoint another town clerk. The chairman declared the motion carried. There was loud applause and three cheers were given for Mr. Edwards. •