A Flagrant Scandal.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 452, 10 May 1890, Page 2

A Flagrant Scandal.

HOW THE NAPIER HARBOR BOARD MONEY WENT. [from our own correspondent.] Napier, last night. A speqfal meeting of the Harbor Board was held yesterday afternoon to consider the report from Mr Garr that the contractors were being paid for more rubble laying than they were entitled to, Having had his suspicions, he had secretly taken a tally, and Ijad found that nearly every day upon which the barge with rubble was worked Mr Grainger, Overseer of Works, had returned one more trip than was actually made by the barge, and that more truck loads were calculated to each trip of the barge than were placed in it, and too largo a quantity of stone was allowed to each truck, and by these means the Board were losing large amounts. Mr Carr entered into particulars in his papor 1 , Bh-W ng th© discrepancies between Mr Grainger’s returns and hte (Mr Carr’s) tallies. A latter was r?ad from Mr Grainger, the gist of which was that the discrepancies in his returns ware due to hte having too much to attend to, arid therefore he had relied upon the contractor’s men for information as to the number of trucks and of the trips made by the barges. He. denied he had. wilfully falsified accounts. In another latter Mr Grainger tendered his resignation.

After a long discussion a motion by Mr Tanner, accepting Grainger’s resignation, was negatived, and an amendment carried by six to five, dismissing h(m from the Board’s service.

Mr Cirr was authorised to employ Mr Bicheno, late in the employ of the Gisborne Harbor Board, to act as clerk of works. It was stated during the discussion that the loss to the Boat'd by such overpayments would be about £2O or £3O per day, and probably thousands of ptmete havoWa thus overpaid,