RULED OUT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19897, 27 March 1939, Page 13

RULED OUT

NOTICES OF MOTION PROTEST AT ACTION WAIROA ELECTRICITY QUESTION OF CHARLES (Special to the Herald.) WAIROA, this day. The question of whether the Mayor had the right to rule Out a notice of motion was asked at the monthly meeting of the Wairoa Borough Council, when two notices of motion for the reduction of electricity charges in the -borough were ruled out of order by the Mayor, Mr. 11. L. I-larker. Cr. F. Berry, the mover of- the notices of motion, strongly protested against the ruling and contended that- it was -unfair t.o him and to the consumers. The question of electricity charges was discussed under the heading of general -business, and it was decided that a committee consisting of the full council be set up -to obtain a schedule of rates from outside districts and go fully into the question of tariffs. The motions standing in Cr. Berry’s name were: (1) That the resolution passed on April 28, 1938, increasing the charges for electricity be rescinded; (2) -that the electricity tariff in force prior to April 28, 1938, bo reinstated. Reasons for Rulings

The first notice of motion the Mayor ruled out of order on the grounds that it dealt with a matter that had been acted on, while in moving the second motion out of order, he gave as his reason that it did not give any date of the commencement of the new tariff, and the tariff could .not be altered without giving public notice. The Mayor suggested that a committee be set up to obtain all the information possible about the rates in other towns, and submit -it to the council.

A request that he would like a little enlightenment on the basis of his ruling and on what grounds did he rule the motions out of order, was asked the Mayor by Cr. Berry. The Mayor: I gave them. Cr. Berry: This is a very important matter The Mayor: I have moved them out of order. I don’t want to enter into any argument. Cr. Berry replied that he thought he was justly entitled to know. He was sorry the Mayor had taken the attitude he had. The Mayor: It is no good going ahead and discussing it when it is entirely but o.f order. Question Raised Again The Mayor moved, under the heading -of general business, that the council set up a committee to make the fullest investigation into the electricity charges, and get all the information available and put forward a schedule to -be considered at a subsequent meeting of the council. Surprise at hearing what had happened to Cr. Berry was expressed by Cr. J. O. Scott, who stated that he intended bringing the matter up at the last meeting of the council, but he was then informed that Cr. Berry had a notice of motion to bring forward. The Mayor pointed out that his reason for moving as he had clone was to save unnecessary delay. They could not get any schedule of rates at the present meeting. Cr. Scott stated that he was not concerned so much with the charges in other places. He was. concerned with the prices in Wairoa. Cr. Scott, at this stage, seconded tlie Mayor’s, motion. • ‘‘Paying Too Much” Cr. Scott stated that they must pay for what -they were getting, but lie contended that they were paying too much. It appeared to him that the increase had been brought about in order not to raise the rates, and he wished to enter a strong protest. Replying, the Mayor stated that he thought he mentioned that by putting up the charges it was going to save a big expense in collecting a water rate from the same consumers. Cr. Berry said that what the committee should do was to investigate the council’s own undertaking, and if that was done it would find that it was not necessary to charge this rate. “I think we should endeavour to reduce .the price of current, rather than increase it,” added Cr. Berry. The Mayor contended that they should foe guided by outside places. If the council had disregarded that when the undertaking was started, it would not have .lasted six months. In expressing sympathy with what Cr. Berry had -said, Cr. J. B. Cook said there should be no need to refer to outside charges. “The whole thing should stand on its own feet, and we should be able to get all the information wo want from the balance sheet,” lie concluded. This ended the discussion and the Mayor’s motion, that a committee of the full council be set up, was carried.