MAYOR CLOSES MEETING

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1933, Page 7

MAYOR CLOSES MEETING

RULED OUT OF ORDER. —“ .■ ' - - OPOTIKI BOROUGH COUNCIL. - Opotiki, July 18. Another attempt to. have the, services of the town clerk, Mr. C. H. Fleming, dispensed with, and also to reduce the wages of other members of the staff, was made at a special meeting of the’ Opotoki Borough Council this, evening. The Maybr, Mr. G. S. Moody, ruled the proceedings out of order, and refused to put a notice of motion, concluding by declaring the meeting closed. Great interest was shown by the public, the council chambers being packed to the doors. The clerk opened the .proceedings by reading the notice calling the meeting. The notice stated that the meeting had been convened to dismiss the.town clerk, and to request Mr. W. H. Briggs to act temporarily in that capacity, and advertise the position as vacant at £3 a week, applications for the position to he considered at a special me-ting on August 3. . After the notice had been read, the Mayor said he wished to explain the position of the council; “At the special meeting on July 4,” he stated, I was of the opinion that the proceedings at the meeting were out of order, but as I was uncertain of my ground I decided to allow the meeting to continue. j Since then I have sought legal advice and have obtained an opinion which. I wix. ask the clerk to read.” • < „ Mr. Fleming then read a lengihy legal opinion, after which the Mayor, continued: “It is clear, from the opinion that the resolutions carried on July 4 are out of order, and for the same cause the convening of the special meeting for this evening is also out of order. l am therefore. obliged to rule that the whole of the proceedings at, and subsequent to, the meeting of July 4 are irregular and void. This being the case, the meeting called for this evening cannot beheld, nor can any action be taken at it. Mr. S. Shalfoon said he would like to know whose' legal opinion had been read, but the Mayor refused the m_ormation. . Referring to the refusal of the Mayor to put the motion, Mr. A. J. Andersen said that he would apply to the Ccurt for a writ of mandamus. Mr. F. J. Short sai’d that according to the Standing Orders the ruling of the Mayor bn a point of order .was final. He then read a notice of motion that at the next regular meeting of the council he would move that the positions, salaries and wages of the staff and employees of the borough be reviewed in relation to the financial position, and thereafter, if considered advisable, the following adjustments be made:—ln the case cf. the lorry and grader driver and the relief works ganger, whose wages are governed by award, that their time be reduced by one and a-half days in each four weeks, and that the wages of all other employees, with the exception of the typlste, be reduced by 5 per cent. The Mayor then declared the meeting closed. , , j The council at its meeting on July 4 passed resolutions to dispense with the services of the staff, with the exception of the office girl, and to call applications for-the-positions ■at drastically reduced salaries.and wages.