"THE LITTLE TIN GODS OF CHRISTCHURCH."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12849, 6 July 1907, Page 11

"THE LITTLE TIN GODS OF CHRISTCHURCH."

,HR A W. JinilKUl'OltD ON THE EXHIBITION. ; (SPECIAI- TO "THE PUKSS. , ") WELLINGTON, JuJy .5. ti r -Rutherford, tho member for „' „«! niav generally bo relied upBUr t :;ou,o the risible faculties of tho Souse. «n«l ho rerti.ii.Jy did so this J S-iS-nrply debate. Tobpsuitnth, i surprised hon. members b.v stnting 'i, ho held a brief on behalf of the Mr OS. Munro lugbfr.) Thnt pentleman went ilntoChristchiirch to start an Inhibition Ho was sent d«wii by the lato Mr Scn-lon to «lo this, but a liiimUer If commiMoP" were «t up. composed of JL looel "tin sods" (laughter,, who Ire used to runniiiK lutlo wulustnn «h?bitians. Th«e i>Ule -'tm gods/ L mcd not to understand the.r pos.----f \ which «as to niaUe tv.:uHiW<::i::iiSwell and Pkkl; if ho «lul iiot ap;"p, that endod tl.o matter. liia«K»i- - --r, Naturally tlier« w« ? <luj«itwJac- ,„ amongst thorn, and Mr Allnn, one ' h* Ck.minMsioi.er3, canio up to \NelUSn to interview .Minister*. Mr C il. Gray also canio up to &co them. ThonSir'joßPpli Ward went down to ChrUtchurch and \M into the whole mattor, but ho <1A not .-aick Mr " ' .\fr Hull-Jones also went Join, and ho too, inveetigatod, but Ipilid not "sack :\ir Munro. Mr Gray: Mr Munro stays at your 1,0 Mr Rutherford: So does Sir Joseph "Ward (laughter), so docs Mr HallJones, so do all dhtingiu.shed visitors iov at my hotel. lLoud la.ightor). liowovcr th«e Ministers investigatod 11,0 mattor, tart they did not 'sack' Mr Munro because these httlo "tin gods * /loiitrhter)—were in tho wrong, ana ~?Mr ihi.ro. Thon they had a V* corotion Committoo, which ordered a laron quantity of «wt muslin for fcawninil tho interior of tho building. The repwscntMtivce of tho iienraiw* iomptnice objected .to this, and would not allow tho couimitteo to use it. Iho rovult vm thnt they wcro left with fifteen mika of muslin on their hands. (Uuglit* , !). Then tho Christfhiirch Coroniittec wnnted an enormous orcho»- ---♦ •■n but Mr Mnnro, who was an astuto man of hiisiiKfe, wid it would not pay. Ho •rfantod an owhestra oP twenty per- . formore. An hon. membor: Two fiddles and a hnrp. (Laughter). Jfr Rutherford: In a moment of weakness e?ir Joseph Ward gave way. nwl a lot of money wo« lost through tlwso wretchctl musicinns. The Gk>Tornmont pnid them £G a woek, whoroaa Messrs Willininson and Mnegrove • rmild get their eerviceo for £2 or £3 a wook. "Now," added the member for Hnruniii, "-whatever would lwivo happened if tho 'tin gods' had had the running of iho wholo show?' , (Laughter.) Mr Mnnro, ho ™id, lind earned tho credit of the crlony in reducing tho lows on tho Exhibition to £50,000 or i:GO,000.