INFORMATION REFUSED

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 34, 12 March 1930, Page 7

INFORMATION REFUSED

COST .OF INNER HARBOUR EMBANKMENT. CHAIRMAN'S ATTITUDE SUPPORTED. The question of information ratepayers are entitled to about the board's affairs was under discussion at the meeting of the Napier Harbour Board to-day, when Mr H. Latham wrote asking for various information relative to ..the inner harbour emhankment as follows (1) Amount spent on inner harbour emhankment ; (2) interest rates on above expenditure ; (3) ' total interest naid te date on nbnvp..

The chairman, Mr A. E. Jull, remai'ked that he had no intention of having all the board's accounts disseeted for the (benefit of some particular person. _ He said that if the gentleman inquiring had followed the accounts and statements issued hy the board from time to timo he would know the cost of the emhankment and from that he could work out the interest "at any old figure he liked." Mr P. Higgins expressed the opinion that, if the preparation of the particulars did not entail much work on the staff, the qnestions shonld be answered. Mr Jull : Unfortunately it will entail i lot of work on tbe staff. So far as the cost of the embankment is concerned the returns issued by the board show that that cost was £84,348. Mr Higgins : Well, that is one question than can be answered easily and it should not he much trouble to give the interest. Mr Jull: The interest is not a matter for dealing with in the way sugeested.

Mr Higgins : Well I think the people, and particnlarlv ratepayers, are entitled^ to information about the board's affairs as long as it does not put too much on the staff preparing it. Ratepayers are natnrally interested and have some right to know what is going on. The ratepayers are entitled to courtesy and I think we mnst give them information within reason. We know the cost of the embankment and the rate of interest would not be hard to work out. The total interest might be harder to ascertain hut I will move that the information be supplied. Mr Jull : I hxxve already moved that Mr Latham he inforined of the cost of the embankment and that he be forwarded a copy of the board's accounts from which he can work out anything else he wants to know. Mr Higgins : I do not want it thought that the board is hiding anything. Mr Jull: It is not a question of hiding anything. There is nothing to hide, but I do not propose to have ptho board's staff digging through all 'the accounts for all ancl sundry. A ratepayer has certain privileges and he can ohtain the information he desires from channels provided. Mr Jull's motion was then carried.