TOWN BOARD ACCOUNTS

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 16, 26 June 1912, Page 2

TOWN BOARD ACCOUNTS

.+. STATEMENT STILL UNPRESENTEI SOME PLAIN SPEAKING. j A FURTHER WEEK GRANTED, i

'Our yesterday's to-morrow now is gone. And still a new to-morrow does come on." / " Well, gentlemen, we will now have Mv Patterson's statement of accounts," remarked the Mayor at last Wednesday's Borough Council meeting- > Mr Patterson, late Town Clerk, advancing to the table from his seat, said he had to apologise for not having them ready. Mr K. F Webster, chairman of the late ftwn Boar.l, had intended to be present to explain the delay. Mr Webster ha I been at the meeting, but being unable to wait had gone away. He therefore had to explain the delay. He had been unable to get some vouchers from Mr Little in time to get out his statement. Mr Webster also wished to go through the balance sheet before it was presented to _tho Council. The Mayor: "Do you know any-thing-about this ?" (referring to a letter from the Auckland Charitable Aid Board) " threatening that if the Council's contribution was not paid within 7 davs legal proceedings would be taken?" Mr Patterson explained that it was the usual custom for the Charitable Aid Board to take this amount out of Government subsidy. The Mayor : What amount of subsidy have the Town Board coming to them? Mr Patterson: I can't tell you exactly. I think somewhere about £6O. They get a few pounds above what is paid to the Charitable Aid Board. The Mayor: What had we better do? Shall we refer them to the arrangement with the Town Board ? On the motion of Cr. Hamilton, seconded by Cr. Bilkey, it was decided to write to the Charitable Aid Board asking them to adhere to the previous agreement with the Town Board. The Mayor: Now you have Mr Patterson's explanation, what have you got to say, gentlemen ? There was silence for a minute. Then Mr Little, Borough Foreman, explained that he had to take a share of the blame for the delay in the presentation of the statement. He had taken some time sheets away, and to allocate the -various works the money had been spent on, jand he had had to get other time sheets from Mr Webster. The Mayor: Surely, Mr Patterson, before you paid the accounts'you saw that the vouchers were correct and in order. Mr Patterson: Yes. The Mayor: Then there was nothing more to do but ''to enter the accounts iu the books and charge them against their pioper .accounts. He characterised the excuse brought forward as " simply absolutely useless and nonsensical." Cr. Lawrie said it was a very serious matter. He might be a bit dense, but this combination of,- Mr Patterson, the chairman of "rtre Town Board, and the Foreman, seemed a very wrong thing. It surely had not taken Mr Patterson six weeks to find out that tho time shoets wore not in order. A fortnight ago the Council had told Mr Patterson that accounts must be presented that night, and now he came with tho same old tale, " wait a while." The Mayor: Yes, " where the soft Go-easys grow." Cr. Lawrie, continuing, said he did not feel at all poetical, but very serious. Until thoy got this statement they c?uld do nothing, and the whole of their financing was held up. Cr. Johns remarked that when this matter first came before Council Mr Patterson said lie hoped an auditor would be along shortly, as all the accounts were ready. If the accounts were ready, why could not Mr Patterson make up his statomont ? Mr Patterson denied over having made such a statement. He said there had been a great deal of comment by the Councils, the public, and in the paper on this" matter, and ho had been practically branded by some of the Councillors as. a thief. Cr. Lawrie: Not at all. The Mayor (to Mr Patterson): You must stop. Nothing of such a nature has over been said by any Councillor. We have nothing to do with and cau't take notice of what is said outside. Mr Patterson said there was on inference that he had made an ay with the roftfioy. lie had lists of all payments'passed by the Board, and thoy could be checked. The time sheets had been taken away by the Foreman for further details. He understood the Council wanted a full statement of accounts showing every detail. The Mayor : That's so. Mr Patterson: Showing where, when and how money was spent. The Mayor : Exactly, That's what we want. Mr Patterson said ho had asked the Foreman to give him the time sheets. On Monday the Foreman brought him some. He promised to bring him the others in an hour, but did not bring I them along till Wednesday morning, j when it was impossible for him to ' check them and make up the state--1 ment by the evening. The Mayor said he could assure Mr Patterson that there was never any tinge of suspicion that there was anything " crooked." He had never heard anybody insido or outside the Council ever hint at it. But Mr Patterson's excuse could not bo considered satisfactory. A fortnight ago Ml Pattersog wanted another week r m he had boen granted a fortnight. 'lw ho came along and asked for arAther week. He thought tho Chairmin of the Town Board had treated / 4

the -'Council with great discourtesy.! lie had been present and if he hadl wished to get away he could hovel asked hini (the Mayor) to have the! business taken earlier. At last meet-l ing he had said in the event of thel accounts not being forthcoming he I would move a drastic resolution audi he would keep his word. He niovedl " That Mr Patterson bo suspend-1 el and the whole of his books and I papers be handed over to a solicitor | for a report." H Cr. Pollock seconded the resolution. I The Mayor said that he moved the | resolution because he had announced! lie would. However, the Foreman! and the Chairman of the Town Board | had now been brought in and it rested I with the.Council to say whether thel motion should go through. ! Cf. Bilkey moved as an amendment, I " That Mr Patterson be granted! another week's extension of time."! Cr. Lawrie, in seconding the amend-1 ment, said he did not want to be| arbitrary. But the CoUncU must! make it dear that they will have nd| more of this business. I Cr. Comrie: Have fan the accounts! all ready excepting the youchers ? • Mr Patterson : Yes. My own parti of the work is all ready. *■ Cr. Comrie: Did you not have to I give the Town Board an account of I how the money was being spent ? | Mr Patterson : The work was start-1 ed and had to be finished. | Cr. Comrie: Did they never have II statement showing how they stoodj and how much money had been! expended ? ■ Mr Patterson : Approximately. I Cr. Comrie: You never had any! correct statement ? H Mr Patterson : No, only approxun-l At this stage the Mayor, with the! leave of his secander, withdrew resolution. fl The Mayor considered Mr Pattffr-J son's explanation about the time sheets] was extremely unsatisfactory. If they! were wanted throe weeks ago'all hf| had to do was to tell the Council and 1 they would have got them. l| Cr. Johns said all Mr Pattersoill had to do was to check the time sheets! and enter them | The amendment (the motion havinjl been withdrawn) was put and carried,! Mr Patterson took exception to the! Mayor's resolution. The inferenoil would go abroad that it was th*l Clerk's fault. It was not his faultf! and he would not accept the responst-, 1 bility. The public would get the I impression that he sras entirely I responsible. ■ The Mayor wished to made it per- 1 fectly plain that the Council did not! accuse Mr Patterson of anything! "crooked." However the fault '(s| the accounts was entirely Mr- Patterl! son's, and of his late employers, the|l Town Board, in not seeing it done. 11l an employee of his came to him with*! such an excuse he would say his books?! were in a disgraceful state; in fact I that they hal notjbeen kept at all. If! the time sheets had been lost no man j§ on earth could have straightenedl affairs out. The fault was Mr son's combined with his "but that there was anything fraudn- ! lent—no." M Cr. Lawrie pointed out that the! Council offered to give Mr Patterson W assistance. ■ The Mayor said he offered privately'! to help him. .9 Mr Patterson: I don't require Ji assistance, if I can get the material! I have to suffer for other people's! sins. "rl Cr. Comrie : How is it Mr Patter-! son has to get the time shoets no*?! Was it not his fault he did not get them! before ? I Mr Patterson explained that the J time sheets did not show the details J of the work, only the time. He sent I them back to get this. J The Mayor said the time sheets!! never showed where the money w*£'l psent. Mr Patterson might say when!! the Town Board passed them his re- f: sponsibility ended. Mr Patterson : Yes. The Mayor : Well, I say, No! Ydd 1 are trying to shelter vourself behind ?i the Town Board. You should have " ; allocated tho money on the vouchen to their proper accounts. How could an auditor go through the books if he ' had to wait fifteen months to get the 1' particulars? Mr Patterson: Anyway, the auditor £ toes. All he wanted to know whether V the money had been spent out of loan, 1 but did not want to know if it had i been spent out of allocation. The Mayor : Then he does" not da jg his auditing properly. If ß his duty to do so. * '|! F\\?°v™ : The question is not I what Mr I attersou is going to do, but what he should have done The Mayor: The discussion is now I closed.