WANGANUI EXCITED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 68

WANGANUI EXCITED.

CURIOUS CIVIC DEVELOPMENT. „. . WANGANUI, July 27. V.anganui was greatly excited ‘ to-day °£ er the development of City Council aiians. Too members of the new council first of all failed to fulfil their election pledges in the matter of a reduction of rates and they then set out on a scheme ot retrenchment, which included the discharge of the city engineer, Mr C. N otavely, after 15 years’ service to Wanga' mu This proposal provoked an outcry, and an indignation meeting was held. On© of the leaders of the new -ouncil which includes a majority of what is k' lo '''” as the “progressive partv,” is Mr J. biddells, formerly a detective in the Police Force. Mr Siddells lias taken a very warm interest in local lunicipal affairs, and when the council met last night, lie, as the leader of the “progressives, 5 was expected to support the motion brought forward by his party to dispense with the services of the engineer. To the astonishment of'all concerned when he rose to speak it was to say that he intended to give Mr Staveley a chance to prove himself under the new regime and he would support the amendment s that the dismissal of the engineer should be deferred until after the close of the Cnanci al year. The word “traitor” was used bv one councillor, who was compelled to withdraw the objectionable term.

The Mayor, Mr W. Rogers, spoke forceo ojj ii ® fl u^ st ion. He commended Ur biddells s action, and he argued that the person who set out to do an injury to lus fellow-man was always overtaken bv Nemesis. He mentioned a plot that bad been hatched before the election to get rid of the engineer, and said that the scheme had been to appoint an ex-councillor as manager of the city at £lOOO a year. That plot had been overthrown.

The motion to dispense with the engineer s services was defeated, and the amendment was carried. To-day the city g rea tly excited over the peculiar turn which events have token.