MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION.

Southland Times, Issue 20228, 13 July 1927, Page 3

MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION.

To the Editor. Sir, —Permit me to thank Mr Glass for his comments on the points raised by me in connection with the Mayor’s rulings at last council meeting. I wonder if I may presume so far as to mention a few points arising out of the present unfortunate position. If a satisfactory solution is to be arrived at it is imperative that the Mayor and councillors eliminate both persons and schemes from their minds. The present question is not one of Mr Gumbley versus Mr McCarthy or pumping versus gravitation, but the policy of control of the Invercargill water supply. Is it in the best interest of Invercargill to have dual control? Business men, trained in the organising of large businesses, agree that in the interest of both efficiency and economy, multiplicity of control is undesirable. Accepting this as a true statement, let us examine the recommendation of the Works Committee. The pumping and the distribution of the town water are inseparably connected with one another, and therefore the division of control of what is one unit can only be made at the expense of efficiency and economy. We will assume we have a competent and fully qualified civil engineer, capable of taking charge of every department of the water supply, and a capable mechanical engineer, competent to take charge of the pumps at the waterworks. Trouble arises between these two officers. If they cannot or will not be reconciled then one or the other must be got rid of without delay. The action of offering a sop to one man or the other is a weak one. The interest of the town first because neither of these gentlemen will consider Invercargill when a better position offers. My opinion is that Mr Gumbley should be left in charge and that Mr McCarthy should be advised that he is to take his orders from the town engineer. He should, however, be allowed to send in regular fortnightly reports to the committee, but they must go through the town engineer, and he will be required to give his comments. In the interests of economy, efficiency and discipline the town engineer must be in supreme charge. If Mr McCarthy cannot work satisfactorily under these conditions he should be asked for his resignation.—l am, etc., JEQUO AMMO.