MUNICIPAL MUDDLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10959, 30 April 1907, Page 4

MUNICIPAL MUDDLE.

AMAZING CHAOS AT SUMNER. Judging by a statement recently issued *by Mr C. A. Lee.> Mayor of Sumner, the affairs of ■■that borough have been conducted; or misconducted, m a most remarkable way for some years past. Mr Lees was elected Mayor last year despite the determined opposition . of the then ( councillors, and seven of them asked "him to resign after his election. Mr Lees refused to resign, and at .once commenced to put ' the affairs of the (borough m order. The Chairman of the Finance Committee strenuously objected to the Mayor's presence at Finance Committee meetings, and ■the Mayor therefore had tliat gentleman removed from his position as chairman. In his statement, Mr -Lees -says: "The Cliairman of the Finance Committee was apparently ntterly ignorant of the duties pertaining to; his office. No check was made as to the accuracy of the banking of the received moneys ; no bank? passbook produced, a .slip. of paper purporting to showLthe bank balance seems to- have been accepted by the Finance Committee as a. bank certificate. I found it absolutely impossible to get an accurate statement of th e - borough's financial position." After the Chairman of the Finance Committee had been deposed, the Mayor ni_de an effort to stir the Town Clerk into activity, but that functionary absolutely refused to reform. Finally he was induced to send m his resignation. Before he relinquished his position the Counci] held a meeting but the Town Clerk did not at-' tend. What happened at that meeting is best tod m Mr Lees' own words : "After _ome delay, the keys of the strong-room were obtained, and on examination, words j failed, to describe the state of chaos it was found m. v It was thereupon decided that j the Council remain and ascertain the contents of tlie strong-room that night, and accordingly the Council set to work. The i proceedings lasted till 4 o'clock m the j morning. Money m _ found m every conJ ceivable place, gold on the floor, postal I notes and cheques mixed up with apparj ent waste paper, silver m envelopes scati tered about on various shelves, a kerosene lease filled with papers of more or less value to the borough, largely consisting ■ of accounts sent m by various .creditors, tramped in* until the whole was a solid mass." Since the new clerk has taken office accounts* dated as far back as 1905 have been paid totalling some £1800. It was found tliat m several case's creditors had been making: piteous appeals or threat, ening legal proceedings from early -m 1905. These accounts have been subjected to the most careful inspection before payment, one^ amount for over £700 had been running for over two years. Had tlie loan put before the ratepayers last year not been carried, it is quite possible that some creditor would have had a receiver put m, and the whole work of tlie borough stopped."