EXPENSIVE INACTIVITY

NZ Truth, Issue 1271, 10 April 1930, Page 1

EXPENSIVE INACTIVITY

Resolution Over A Year Old Which Was Ignored "TRUTH" STIRS UP COUNCIL (From "N.Z.. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) | In its issue of January 30, "Truth" exposed the | 1 scandalous waste of ratepayers' property m the neglect | | to deal with material and machinery left oyer from the | | dam works at Big Muddy Creek. 1 | The city councillors, m the main falling back on their | 1 civic dignity and self-complacency, chose to treat the j 1 allegation with contempt. One or two went so far as f 1 to make discourteous remarks about the paper which § I had taken them to task. Evidently it touched them on | | a sore spot. " ■ " | piiniii iiiiimiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiimiiiiiniiiiiiiMiiiuiminimniiiiiimnm

FOR all that the councillors knew or apparently cared, that material could have rotted where it waa, and if -there were any officials whose duty' it was to have dealt with the matter they certainly did not display any remarkable initiative. ■ _ However, Councillor G. W. Hutchison knew a certain thing, and he asked the Mayor whether it was not a fact that a resolution ; had been passed as far back as -November 8, 1928, which related to this residue material. To ignore the matter — to pooh-pooh it any longer— was impossible. That resolution had to be brought to light. NOTHING DONE In particular the locomotive, which is more or less uselessnow, was made mention of by a special committee on that date. The committee reported then: "This plant is bound to deteriorate rapidly and the , committee recommend that it be offered for sale." That was over a year ago. Nothing was done with, the locomotive, which the Mayor informed Councillor Murray had not been bought but "taken over at book value" (what that value was he did not say), neither was, anything done about the balance of the material or machinery. '■' .- Surely the ratepayers will remember the interest displayed by their trustees

this area at least twice before. Still, another "inspection" seems to be necessary, and why deny the councillors their little motor /trips? The ratepayers meet the petrol bill, anyhow. They would be doing something more, useful if THE councillors made an occasional visit of inspection to the scenes of former activities, and discovered for themselves what had. been done to deal with residue. Someone is deserving of censure over the Big Muddy Creek waste, which has not yet been given all the publicity it warrants; The story of. waste has not been told m its entirety. "Truth" may have more to tell at some future time. •■•■■: . . .. ; . ...•..•■>-,*•. One interesting outcome of .the affair is that the . Town Clerk has thought it expedient to open a file, to place on record the articles published by this paper. This may be regarded as a delicate compliment, for "Truth" ls about the only paper which informs the public of those matters which are not creditable to the \management of the city's affairs, and criticism, as is well known, has a salutary effect m stimulating those, who are not too alive to their public duty, and who yet are Insistent on beingr m the public eye. > • -

The engine which was neglected partly exposed to the ravages of the weather for a long period, deteriorating while the Council remained somnolent.

when the time comes and they realise the full purport of the following explanation. The Waterworks Engineer, referring on March 22 last, to. the committee's recommendation, which had been adopted by the council, stated that, as far as he could ascertain, from enquiries m the Waterworks, Engineers and Stores Departments, no definite action had been taken to give effect to the recommendation, and the reason for the lack of action appeared to be: — "No instruction was sent to any officer to carry out \the recom - . mendation of the report, and m the absence of definite instructions, an uncertainty would exist under the then existing organisation as to which of the three abovementioned departments should initiate proceedings m the particular instance referred to." , So between the Waterworks, Engineers and Stores Department no one had enough courage or acumen to deal with the question! TOUR OF INSPECTION What is to be done now "Truth" will relate at some future date, but, as one councillor has stated, the locomotive will not now fetch three hundred pence. Another estimate is that it might realise three shillings! What was its "book value" a year or two ago? Periodically Auckland city councillors make a tour of inspection of dam and other sites. It might be wrong to call them picnics, or outings. The councillors intend shortly . to "inspect" the area of land they are determined to own on the West Coast. "Truth" believes they have inspected