THE WORKING MEN'S CLUB AND MR COLLINS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9604, 19 December 1896, Page 10

THE WORKING MEN'S CLUB AND MR COLLINS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir,—Of all the amazing statements that I have read lately commend mc to the announcement that the Working Men's Club has voted five guineas to the Collins testimonial, and exhorts all other Clubs to follow iv example. I grant you that Mr Collins took part in the atonewaU against the Liquor BUI, but wft o£ n wfour _-«es, Messrs McLachlan, \L ,^' rt , . McK ««ie and Lawry? Why should Clubs elsewhere.be exhorted to subscribe for the benefit of Mr Collins to the exclusion of the others T But this is a trine. .Mr Collins voted for the third reading of the Bill. His allies did not. Yet he must be recompensed. Curious. And what reason did Mr Collins give for supporting the third reading ? He said that he did so because the Temperance party had agreed not to press for the bare majority if he would swallow the other clauses; in addition they accepted some now clauses in favour of the trade. In other ' , words Mr Collins abandoned resistance to the c_oe_ affecting Clubs for the purpose of assisting the trade. It has long been stated, that the Club clauses were inserted at the suggestion of a prominent member for the purpose of securing the opposition of all Club members to the movement in favour of prohibition, and in I fact that the trade had, in vulgar parlance, got the loan of Club members. It would almost appear tbat Mr Collins has also got the loan of them, but there is no accounting for tastes.—Yours, &c, Astonished. : *0 thr editor op thk press. , „**! I i!* , ""7 An . ex , tr *o*-inary general meeting 11 w the Christohuraa Working Men's Club | (

was held last night, at which a resolution to stive five guineas to the Collins testimonial fund was carried. As the members of the Club number some four or five hundred, of whom not more than from 5 to 10 per cent, attend the general meetings, I think an explanation of how the above resolution was l carried would be of interest to many of the members who were not present, and also open the eyes of the public to the way in which testimonials to political partisans are got up. The business commenced by a meml>er moving that a sum of £10 be given Ito the fund, and his motion was met Iby an amendment that the sum of five guineas be given, after which 1 proposed to move as a further amendment that a vote of thanks only be given to Mr Collins for his determined stand against the Alcoholic Liquor Bill, as I consider it inconsistent and absurd for a Club, whose rules will not even ! allow political subjects to be discussed on the premises,. to vote money to a political partisan. This the Chairman ruled to be o*3 er £ .order, a3 no other amendment could be «_oved until the first had been disposed of, after which a discussion on the motion and amendment followed, from which it appeared that only about a dozen members, most of whom were prominent members of Mr Collins's Election Committee, were in favour of anything being given. On the discussion being ended the Chairman, instead of asking the meeting to divide for or against the amendment, asked those in favour of £10 to go to the right, and those in favour of five guineas to go to the left, upon which the greater part of those in favour of nothing being voted to the fund went to the left and carried the amendment, after which the Chairman declared the amendment carried, and immediately proceeded to the next business without putting the amendment as a motion, and giving mc a chance to move my amendment. It will be seen that from the Way in which the business was done that it was only necessary to have four members in favour of anything being given towards the testimonial to ensure it being carried, two to move and second the larger sum and, two to move and second the smaller, as the members were only given the chance to vote for one or the other sum. On my afterwards asking the Chairman for an explanation of his ruling I was told that I was not sharp enough for them. A testimonial raised by means of a resolution carried by sharp practice may be profitable, but there is not much honour attached to it.—Yours, &c, G. H. Rodmell, 133 Salisbury street, Christchurch. December 18th, 1896.