CITY COUNCIL CONTRACT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19333, 20 November 1924, Page 9

CITY COUNCIL CONTRACT

LET TO ALLEGED- - DEFAULTER. , ' I RETURNED SOLDIERS* PROTEST. THE TENDER WITHDRAWN, Tho quest-ion of lotting - a contract to an alleged military defaulter ■was again before the City Council at its meeting last night. The matter was raised by the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association, and in that connection a 1 deputation consisting of members of the executive of the association i , waited on, the councii. Prior to the hearting of the deputation a letter was read from Messrs Smith and Dolamore, solicitors at Gore, stating that Air Patrick Cody, of Riversdale, had consulted them with reference to the proposed contract with, th© ■ council for erecting poles for transmission lines in the Taioi'i district. The writers _ referred to the provisions of section 13 of ‘The Expeditionary Forces Amendment Act, 1918,” providing that military defaulters are incapable of being appointed, or of holding any office or employment ini', 1 : the service of any* local or other pabliov'authority. It was also provided by-this Act that if any person deprived of civil rights accepted or attempted to obtain any employment for which he was disqualified, he was liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding 12 months. In view of the .wide terms of section 13 (2a) relating to employment in the service of any local authority, and of fche grave doubt whether Mr oontract came within this provision, they would be glad if the council would, under tha circumstances, release Air Cody from any obligation to carry out the contract. They also asked the council to refund Air Cody v tlie deposit of £5 paid on the contract. _ v; Cr Shaddock said it might save tima if, , he were to move that the request embodied,: ~ in tho letter be granted. . . .

Cr Hancock seconded the motion. Ci' Clark moved as an amendment that the deputation be heard. ■ A Councillor: The motion says nothin® about the deputation. _ ; The motion was carried. . , Mr Eric Anderson, the spokesman of tbs . deputation, said that when dt had been heard last week that the Corporation had Jet a tender for an electrical reticulation scheme to a man who was believed to be a military deserter, and of whose position the council had definite knowledge_ from, Wei-, lington, it filled them with disgust. The . councdlldr.s had just heard the terms of the Expeditionary Forces Act, section 13, add that Act wsa the opinion of the public. The' punishment for military defaulters ‘ was ' a>’.‘ term of imprisonment and the deprivation of civil rights for a period of 10 years. The names of such men, unfortunately, rim ‘ into large numbers, and had been published in the Gazette of December 10, 1918. They had therefore been deprived of civil rights until 1923. Under those circumstances a contract had been let by a local body to a man who was known to be a military■ de 1 * sorter. They were not concerned «i an : association with what a private individual" did, hut they did say as an association of ■ returned soldiers, and on behalf oftfaa--next of kin and relatives of the men,' that' ■ it was improper to pay out publio money to men who had not discharged their obligations. If this country were not good enough for those men to render it service'' in war, then rhey did not deserve consideration in (lie mailer of pounds, shillings, * and pence in these days of peace for "which they'did nothing They were very pleased - to hear of the action just takon by the council, and wished to congratulate it It was the principle of the thing which odunted, . and (hey did hope, as men who had done rhoir bit, that the spirit of the legislation would at least be carried out until 1928.’ They hoped that never again would they have to ask the Dunedin City Council to' : consider or review this important principle. The association was surprised at the number of men who, in 1918, were gazetted ad people who did not consider the country worthy cf their services, and it was going to ’ recommend the New Zealand Headquarters ‘ to have all the names placarded and placed in every Returned Soldiers’ office and club room, so that it could be seen who they were. The association was also going to' recommend to New Zealand Headquarters that the legislation be amended to be _so comprehensive that such men could receive no remuneration from local bodies, or Government Departments. The speaker ooh--eluded bv Expressing the hope that cordial relationships that had hitherto existed between the council and the association! would continue. The deputation - then retired, after which, it was decided on the motion of Cr Shack* lock to refund Mr Cody’s deposit money.