ACCURACY OF MINUTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25503, 5 April 1944, Page 7

ACCURACY OF MINUTES

HARBOUR BOARD CHAIRMAN’S RULING

Before commencing the business oi the monthly meeting of the Oamaru Harbour Board yesterday, tire chairman (Mr G. T. Gillies) made reference to an occurrence at the last meeting, when Mr A. C. McLelland challenged the accuracy of the minutes of the board’s meeting held on September 7 last. His position as chairman, said Mr Gillies, was that at each meeting of the board lie certified that the minutes of the previous meeting were correct, this certification being pursuant to a resolution of the board. If years or months afterwards proceedings recorded in the board’s minutes were challenged chaos and discord must of necessity result, and he was determined that whilst he remained chairman of the board order must prevail. Mr Gillies read extracts from the board’s standing orders, and stated that it was open to any member to challenge the correctness of the minutes of a previous meeting at the meeting at which they were submitted for confirmation, but beyond that, unless the circumstances were most exceptional and an obvious mistake had been made, ho would rule that past minutes couJd not be challenged or questioned. There was no comment on the statement, and the board proceeded with the business of the meeting.