DEBATE COLLAPSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 186, 8 August 1930, Page 8

DEBATE COLLAPSES.

MR. LUNDON'S LETTERS.

CITY COUNCIL IRRITATED

END OF "INTERNECINE WAR."

•A.sheaf, of motions, standing to the name of Mr. : J. R. Lundon, caused a fiasco at the last meeting of the Auckland City Council —members simply walked out of the chamber and left the council without a quorum. , Mr. Lundon threatened to write letters to the council and embody his motions, so that they would have to be read, and councillors would have to listen to them whether they liked it or not. True enough, on the order paper at last night's meeting there were seven long letters signed "J. R. Lundon," dealing with the subjects lie wanted to broach at the previous meeting. The first dealt with the resignation of. Mr. <J. A. C. Allum as'chairman of the Transport Board—an/ echo of an old dispute which was - thought to have been well buried months ago. ; "To Take Them-as Read." As soon as the first letter was reached Mr. W. Casey , jumped -up and moved that the whole seven of them be taken as read and adjourned for six months. | The Deputy-Mayor : (Mr., A. J. Entrican), evidently thought it was a bit too 'drastic and ordered the first to be read. When Mr. Lundon. got up he wanted to talk at large on his letters, but the Deputy-Mayor told him he must stick to the motion or-, move an amendment. Mr. Lundon made fun of a motion suggesting they should take a.letter as read and then have-it read. How, he asked, could they un-read it ? He went on to., say it was obvious how the vote would go; the matter had evidently all been arranged. > " Mr. EntricanYou should withdraw that remark. . Mr. Lundoii: No,.sir, I shall-not.with-draw. Mi. Casey: I protest,'there has been no arrangement with me. Mr. Lundon remarked that he did not .say who had' made the arrangement. He urged that the council conduct its business with decorum and on common-sense lines. 1

Appeal for Decorum. Mr. Bloodworth said it was quite time for Mr. Lundon to allow the council to conduct its business on common-sense lines' and with decorum. He pointed out that Mr. Lundon's letter was contrary to the standing orders, as it reflected on a past resolution, and such could only be done by notice of motion to rescind. Mr. Bloodworth said he often wondered whether his friend on his left was really Councillor Lundon or an'.overgrown schoolboy. Mr. Lundon was dragging the council's reputation in •the mire and wasting time.'lt was quite nvrong to hold up the business as lie was doing. Mr. Bloodworth pointed out that Mr. Casey!s motion was out of order, as they could not take seven letters at once, as proposed in the motion. Mr. Entrican asked Mr. Casev to withdraw the motion. ■ Mr. Casey: All right, sir; out of respect to you I -will; - • At this stage Mr. Lundon asked to be allowed to make an explanation ' that would save a lot of time. He would agiee to withdraw not only his seven letters, but also the motions standing in his name, and postpone them- sine clie, to be brought on at, say, seven days notice, if -he should think fit, He quite it was not advisable to have _ this internecine-warfare." If the council • would only treat him with reasonable courtesy, to which he was en'titled, ■: and which he had not received, it woukl find he was just as capable! of assisting as-he was of ; pointing out ; the councillors'' defects. • of Mr. EMrican l •We will accept your : Miss Melville Objects. .Miss E. Melville strongly objected to any such proceeding. It was not right that any councillor should dictate to the council. Mr., Lundon had merely made matters worse. He had 110 sense of responsibility. He had deliberately lowered the tone of the . council. If he desired to withdraw, he should be given permission, but certainly not 'on the terms he wished to dictate. ' „, Mr - Gl '°y Campbell objected to anv bargain .being made.- He .also objected to; Mr. Lundon "getting away" with, the . statement that, lie had not r 8' 0 -" "Personally," said Mr. f i'i'ro-o ' liay - e ahva y« given him a Miv F. IST. Bartram suggested that Mr. Lundon s attribute of "pure cussedness had fallen on Mr. Campbell. And then, suddenly, after onlv a few minutes' talk, the "Lundon incident," . "ch had previously looked like •providing the' material for an all-night sitting, collapsed, -and the council turned Mitli a sigh of-relief to other matters.'.

• Finding a Remedy.. When question time came Mr. Lundon had a long list, but after ten 'minutes of it the deputy-Mayor protested. He said that if all Mr. Lundon's questions were to be answered it would take a larger staff than at present, and anyhow the answers could be of no' value to Mr. Lundon or any of the public. Mr, Lundon was simply wasting the time of.the council and preventing it getting on with really useful business. Eventually the council agreed, on the motion of the deputy-Mayor, "That the question of amending the standing orders so as to facilitate the business of the council be referred to the finance committee for a report." The mover, said, it was only fair that the standing orders should be amended so that, tliey might have some control and prevent the state of things brought about by Mr. Lundons tactics.