SUNDAY LOCKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 67, 19 March 1910, Page 9

SUNDAY LOCKERS.

-STORMY JMiEbTiNG INi- CHRIST- ■ CHURCH.

{ \ "Telegraph- — Correspondent.) I f"7 CHBISTCHTUiRCH, Friday. . ■'■ There was a stormy and disorderly f meeting in the yard of the Sydenham /fforking Men's Club this evening following upon-a specially convened meeting of the Club members, at .which Mi. A. •■■lisEiyV a anem-ber of the management committee -of the Chub, desired to taring forward a resolution doing away ■with, the f ; "Sunday locker" system, under •which members- are allowed to (buy supplies of liquor for Sunday consumption | and store them in their lockers. The .: special meeting -was a very ehort one; .?4 saint of order was raised by 'Mr. Wiltshire that tie meeting -was convened for a specific punpose, and that no side issues could 'be considered, and Mr. Avery s yas not allowed to move-ibis resolution, :i the' ruling on this point being received i'mafli prolonged hooting directed at Mr. i •Avery. (Mr. Avery .then announced his ' intention of addressing members, of •' mham there jwas a goodly number pre'i'.jsent ■on the footpath outside the club , premises, and went out for that pur- j pose. The members, ihowever, refused to I '. ; t come out and listen to him, and he went I ". I (back to the yard outside the meeting ] tall of the chub and started a speech.! ■': % Mr. Avery said he had been appointed a - * jnerober of the Club committee, and con- 1 vC eidered it his duty to improve the man-1 agement of the Club. He had always ' been fair, square, and aibo-Tteboard ■with ■f the members. He was not a purist or a .', jralpit banger, (but 'he-wanted to do away •' with .the locker system because he- -considered it was not a good thing. sfiAt this stage a '•Xryttelton Times"Tepxesentative, who *wa3 taking notes of Mr. ];? livery's remarks in the elnb yard, was ; approached 'by a member of the commit- ;• tee and asked to withdraw from the •■" duo premises, a request thai; 'was at i-, once complied with. Mr. Avery's re- * marks "were, however, quite-audible from /the footpath outside. Mr. Avery went on to say that he was going to put r. '! stop to the -intemperance -that had been f witnessed in the Clui> on, -Sunday nights, ' when demijohns of beer were stuck on the centre of the table. It was a bad omen if the members persisted in refus- " ing him a hearing and refusing to vote ■*> on -his motion. He would have "to make ■_" bi a report to the registrar of friendly societies arid have matters remedied - through the channel of the law. The '. ' Onib's charter would Ibe -then endangered, :it this locker system- continued. -■ A. voite: "Eats." :;'■.■'■>?' Mr. Aivery continuing, said that it was | V? never intended by the legislature that ;;i the "Sunday locker" system should ex- -. i: ist, and that it was therefore a stolen privilege. It ■would ibe to the lasting .;'? credit of the Sydenham Working Men's dub to first affirm the abolition of the J/i "Sunday locker" system. If it was con.tinued it might happen that the publi- - cans of Sydenham might.ibe blamed by • the public for . incidents which wbre ■'..' . really the fault of the system. The ■ proceedings then took the form of a •.Vμ' iheated and acrimonious discussion, in -:';;". ■which Mr. Avery 'took a leading part. :S!r He "was subjected to a good deal of ■ r coarse abase, though some of the men- > hers conducted the opposition side of the argument in a 'perfectly courteous and friendly manner. Later in the evening Mr. Avery was seen by a reporter, and said that 'he had made every effort in his S? power at the special meeting to have the proceedings conducted in camera. He ted pointed out .to the meEmfbers that if he was not given an opportunity of moving Ms resolution and speaking to it he , •would have to go outside and express Iris views. After the informal outdoor meeting he 'had received notice -that he iras suspended from all privileges of the -' ■ Oobuntil nest committee meeting.