Councillors in Trouble.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1728, 2 September 1885, Page 2

Councillors in Trouble.

Somehow or other, Borough Connoillers in several parts of the colony have lately been getting into trouble, by infringing the provisions of the’law. A recent telegram from Wanganui states" Messrs Carson, Laird, Manson and Bell were yesterday served with writs issued at the instance of Mr E, N. Liffiton, for having performed work for the Borough Council while sitting and voting as members thereof. Some of these gentlemen are charged with as many as ten offences, and it has (been estimated that the fines which may be inflicted if the charges are substantiated ‘will amount to £2400 in the aggregate,” Then we learn that at Palmerston, Manawatu, a summons far £IOO has been taken out by Mr W. H. Graff against Mr W. Park, a Borough' Councillor, for having supplied stationery to the Council on two occasions. The case is to be heard on Thursday next. Mr Graff is a resident of Feilding, and was formerly in the stationery business at Palmerston. We are not surprised that the Wanganui Borough Councillors should have been caught tripping. Wanganui is a very demoralised place and the average burgess or Councillor thereof has always had a longing to get hold of a Borough contract. It is only a little time back that the Mayor of Wanganui was subjected to a heavy penalty for an evasion of the law, such as that the Councillors are now accused of, and would have been compelled to pay up. but that the Government intervened and remitted the fine. That was very wrong of the Government, bnt then Mr Ballance represents Wanganui and was bound to etick by his friends. We don’t think that Mr Ballanoe will intervene to help the unfortunate Councillors who are now being prosecuted, seeing that they are out of his political following. We do earnestly hope that if Mr Careen and his friends are called on to pay £2,400, they will readily find the money. Up here in the Wairaropa our Borough Councillors never infringe the iaw in this way—like their peccant Wanganui brethren. Our Wairarapa Councillors are far above such low and mercenary motives. Their moral tone is high. Perhaps if the backsliding Borough Gonnoiliors of Wanganui were brought to live in the Wairarapa for a time they would rise to a higher standard of morality—through the good influences of the place—and sin no more.