MR. MORTON’S POSITION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 673, 27 May 1929, Page 11

MR. MORTON’S POSITION

DEFERRING TRANSPORT RESIGNATION FORCE ALTERATION TO ACT More is heard of Mr. F. S. Morton's intended resignation from the Auckland Transport Board as one of two representatives of No. 3 area. JN a letter to the Oneliunga Borough Council Mr. Morton explains that he has deferred his resignation until after the end of this month in order to influence the Government to amend the Auckland Transport Board Act in the immediate future, so that the board shall become at once elective. The Act at present provides that the various transport districts shall nominate members of the board until the first Wednesday in May, 1931, when the new board will be chosen by vote of the people. “UNFAIR REPRESENTATION” Mr. Morton writes to the Onehunga town clerk as follows;. —‘‘I would ask you to convey to your council my thanks for the resolution asking to to reconsider my decision to withdraw from the Auckland Transport Board. Let me assure yon that II have given much thought to the position and have consulted members of other local bodies within the No. 3 area, as well as others who were instrumental in bringing about the Transport Board Act. “It has been pointed out to me, and, I believe, quite correctly, that it was the wish of the outside local bodies that the Transport Board Bill should provide for an elective board, and, while this was pressed for by our delegates to Wellington, the representatives of the Auckland City Council opposed that clause and were able to have substituted the present unfair and one-sided arrangement, that of six city representatives and four representatives of the outside areas.

“Taking all these facts into consideration,” adds Mr. Morton, “I have decided to forward my resignation to the secretary of the Transport Board within the next few days, and this will give the local bodies of the No. 3 area the opportunity to comply with the spirit of their previously-expressed intention to elect their representatives by the popular franchise, and it is hoped that this will be the means of influencing the Government to amend the Auckland Transport Board Act and make the board wholly elective at the earliest possible moment.” MEMBER’S ACTION QUERIED “Gravitas” comments:—“lt is difficult to see what bearing Mr. Morton’s plan to force an election has on the question of representation of the city and outer areas. How this local election is going to influence the Government, to amend the Transport Board Act to make it immediately elective instead of tow years hence, is also not readily discernible. Unless general dissatisfaction with the temporary method of selectipn of members by their appointment from the various local authorities throughout the transport district were apparent the Government can hardly concern itself with altering the present expedient.. Now, even allowing that the Government decides the board shall be immidiately elective, how is that to affect the question of the 6-4 representation? This remains constant, no matter whether board members are appointed or directly elected by the people. A little reflection will demonstrate that all Mr. Morton will have succeeded in doing by precipitating an election for one representative of the two representing No. 3 area, is to saddle ratepayers with the unnecessary expense of a poll.” This evening the Mount Roskill Road Board has called a conference of the local bodies in the No. *3 area “for the purpose of discussing Mr. Morton’s position.” There is a prospect, however, that the conference will not be fully attended. The Mayor of Onehunga, Mr. E. Morton, said on Saturday that it would be inconvenient for members of his council to attend, because a council meeting would be held this evening to discuss important financial business. He intended to place the position before the council when it met this evening', and a decision would then be made as to whether Onehunga representatives would attend the conference. ONEHUNGA HOLDS KEY Mr. E. F. Jones, chairman of the Mount Roskill Road Board, said that he did not think the conference would proceed far, whether Onehunga attended or not. A motion might be passed, asking for the recall of the area’s representatives, but there was nothing to compel either of the representatives to tender his resignation. Neither was there any point in seeking to appoint a new member until Mr. Morton had resigned and thus caused a vacancy to fill. The conference was realy for the purpose of a discussion on the general position, which appeared to be most complicated.

It. has already been pointed out that there ’is provision in the Act to enable local authorities to recall a member before May 31, 1929, whether he chooses to resign or not. This is the very reason why the conference has been called for this evening—to make a decision before the expiry of the permitted time. Although the Act in that clause iu fact contemplates the removal of representatives defeated at the municipal elections, it is not expressly stated or implied that a returned councillor may not also be removed.