A PAYMENT OPPOSED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21196, 29 November 1930, Page 20

A PAYMENT OPPOSED.

DISCUSSION BY HARBOUR BOARD PROTESTS BY FOUR MEMBERS. . . The Harbour Board spent soma time m committee last night, when various matters were discussed. ' When a motion was proposed by Mr Larnach that the board resume in open meeting and that the business done in committee be confirmed, Mr J. Loudon said that he wished to have his protest l recorded against the decision of the board to pay Messrs W. Gregg and Co. the sum of £4OO on the following grounds:— (1) That several members voted in committee for the resolution on the grounds that the late chairman (Mr Walter Gow) had committed the board to pay the sum stated to Messrs Gregg and Co. or some other sum; (2) he submitted that the late chairman had not teen authorised by the board, in any wiy to commit the board to Messrs 'Gregg and Co., and.so far as he could find.-me late chairman had not committed the board to any payment or special consideration to Messrs Gregg and Co.; (3) that there were several others m almost exactly the same position as Messrs Gregg and Co. who had petitioned tbs' board, and who had been refused consideration; (4) that ' notwithstanding what had been said by the secretary, and the solicitor of the board at the meeting of the Standing Committee, he felt that a special subcommittee of-the hoard should'be appointed to go into the whole question and report; (5) he moved that the matter be referred back to the Standing Committee for further investigation and report. . Mr Scollay said he .thought this was a very good protest. The late chairman of the board had no authority what-, -ever—- , •, The chairman: Ho discussion. Mr Scollay: My protest is m good as his, ' ’ ‘ . ■; ■ The chairman; I will have no discussion on it. ’ [ Mr Scollay: Well, I protest. The chairman: You can'put your, protest in writing. , - ? Mr Scollay; The late chairman;of the board had no authority—— ' ~ Mr Larnach: I rise to a point of order. • The chairman : I am not going to have any discussion on the point. There is . no motion on the matter before the board. I'll take Mr Loudon’t protest or any other member’s. Mr Dickson: I want to point out this —that there was. a motion before the board when it was asked that the business done in committee be confirmed.' The chairman: You are quite right there, bpt yon are not to speak s on Mr London's protest , • Mr Dickson said be was going to vo^a against the business done in committee being confirmed for muds the same reason as .had been put forward by Mr Loudon. The matter had been fully discussed at the meeting of the Standing Committee, and he did not think that the board in paying this amount without being compelledto do so was altogether playing fair with others who had equal claims ae the board. These people had not the opportunity of putting in claims. The matter bad beenhnngup,but feasts Gregg and Co. had kept themselves on safe ground. p Mr Begg said he must emphatically protest against the procedure which was being carried through. He would like to ask,this simple qnestion: “la this matter brought before the board by Mr Loudon and being broadcast a fair or correct .statement of the position?” Mr Louden and Mr Difcksop had spoken, and probably Mr Scollay would do so, and get other members of the .board were not to have, the opportunity of refuting them, Mr Dickson: Yon have toe speak. Mr Begg (emphatically); I have not the right. ; ; . v- . The chairman said that the board had carried' a’ resolution, and the matter of the protest was all that concerned Mr Loudon. The. matter was finished. * Mr Sharpe said the matter was not finished so far os he was concerned. He .was not prepared ,to say at. .the moment whether or not he was in favour of the business done in committee, but he was prepared to vote for a certain portion of it. His main point at the present. Juncture was that three engineers had been appointed to report on the question of prevention of flood damage at the Leith. That report was nearly ready, ahdvoow here they were going right over the head of any recommendation that - might come along and making a payment to Messrs Gregg and Co. He remembered that they had asked Captain M'Donald hoV far their late chairman had committed the board, and he thought he was right in saying that the records showed that Mr Gow.*had had an interview with the firm. The record showed that Mr Qow had made a recommendation to t)& board* but there the matter had ended, t The chairman said that he acted oi the advice-of their solicitors, and it had gone through. , / The question whether the business done * in committee shdiild be- confirmed was then put and carried, Messrs Loudon, Dickson, Sharpe, and Scollay voting against the motion. ■ ,