REFUSED PERMIT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 177, 29 July 1941, Page 8

REFUSED PERMIT

TOWN HALL MEETING DEPUTATIONS TO PROTEST Several deputations propose to wait on the City Council on Thursday to protest against the action of the Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum. and the town clerk. Mr. J. Melling. in declining to let the Town Hall for a meeting in support of Russia's cause against Germany, without the explicit authority of the council. Application for the use- of the Town Hall on June 25 was made by Mr. R. Armstrong, a former City Councillor, and the attitude adopted by the Mayor and Mr. Melling was approved by the council at its last meeting on July 10. in view of the i apparently political character of the i subject matter of the proposed meeting. The council then also declined to receive a deputation on the subject because insufficient notice had been given. Refusal of a permit for the use of the hall will be the subject of protests on Thursday by spokesmen for the Auckland Trades Council of the Federation of Labour and by the Aid to Russia Committee. while a further deputation from the Rationalist Association will criticise the action of the council in adopting the recommendation of its .public safety committee that further applications by the association for the use of the Strand Theatre on Sunday J evenings be declined. In reporting this morning that the council had agreed to receive a deputation from the Trades Council, an official of that organisation said the matter was in no way a political ] issue, seeing that Russia was now the ally of Britain. The Trades Council contended that the Town Hall should be available to all sections of the community so long as the conduct of the functions and meetings was orderly. The WaiEmergency Regulations clearlycovered any breach of the law with respect to subversive utterances, and the Trades Council would be the first to take a stand against anything of a subversive nature. In a circular convening the Aid to Russia Committee's deputation, Mr. Armstrong stated that the action of the council in refusing the use of the hall to the committee had aroused widespread indignation, and the refusal to receive the deputation on a small technical breach nad not I helped matters. Mr. Armstrong further pointed out that the invitation to join the deputation was made on the general principle of freedom of speech and assembly, and that the committee was properly constituted with the personnel representing all shades of political and religious views.

At its last meeting the council discussed the matter in committee, but it is understood that on this occasion spokesmen for the deputations will request that the discussion on their representation be taken in open council.