"GRAVEN IMAGES."

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13880, 3 November 1910, Page 8

"GRAVEN IMAGES."

GIBE AT HARBOUR BOARD

At the meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board yesterday.

The Chairman (Mr H. Friedlander) I said he did not know whether the Board wished to take notice of a matter which had occurred in the House during the discussion of the Harbours Act Amendment Bill, which affected trie members of the Board. He referred to the remarks of Mr G. W. Russell, M.P., in which that gentleman had do- j scribed the members of the Board in a manner which, but for tho privilege extended to remarks made in Parliament, he had not daml to do. It was an unwarranted and totally untrue reflection em the members of the Board. According to the telegraphetl account to both the local newspapers, tUe following was what Mr Russell had stated;— •■ 'After what the -Minister lies said 1 will go against my own convictions, a thing I Have .never done beiore, and tote with him.' said Mr G. W. Russell, amid laughter. Mr Russell said that i though lie regretted there wa.s still to be a Go/einmertt member on the Lyti telton Harbour Board iie was prepared I te> swallow that becarse tho rest of the Bill was good. He was a member ol i the Board, and at every meeting ho ! loutitl himself confronted with a row of I graven images. (Laughter.) There i was :\ big proportion e>r these graven I images who voted exactly as the Kaiser jat the head ot the board directed I them. Tbe Bill gave a working chance iof securing a majority for the Sumner I Canal scheme, seven supporters of ] which would have at least an opporI tuiiitv of fair phvv. That was his rcaI son for voting for the Bill." As far as 'he (the chairman) was personally conj corned, lie could only thank Mr Russell ' for having done him tho honour to call j him the l\aisor, and there was just th:.; I to be said, that he (the chairman) was [ always lov.d to his colleagues. (Hear, heai'i But it was a great reflection on any member of the Board who took advantage of his politicr.l privilege to charge a majority of his tellow-mernbers with being merely pieces of wootl or stone People who lived in glass houses should nob throw stones. Mr Russell himself admitted that he had in this case voted against his convictions. No tie.tint be had been w hippe-el up by tho Premier and told what to do, anel he elitl it This being so, he might well be crdlee' a political serf. Members of the Board had voted for the Canal, and had done so comistently, net in. on tneir own convictions, and they had held loyally tei their opinions, which was more than, according to Mr Russell's own admission, he had done. He would not say any more on the subject, but he had felt it his duty, as the majority of the members of the Board had been spoken of in this manner by one of their colleagues to bring the matter before them.

Mr Wolfe saiel before ho was elected tt. the Board he let those who elected him know that he should vote against the Canal. He had not been influenced by the chairman as the Kaiser, but ho had done so because he felt it wa.s the right thing to do.

Mr Miller saiel when he rcael the remarks of Mr Russell ho felt like moving a resolution in th© direction of expressing the strong disapproval of tho Board of Air Russell's statements. But after consideration he did not think it worth while. He admired the chairman in many respects, but did not allow him in any way to influence his vote on any subject that cam© before the Board. Ho thought Mr Russell had gone much too far, and should know- that they, as a Board, disapproved of his action.

Air Horrell said that though the country members coukl not support the Canal proposals, and differed from tho city members in this respect, they wero quite r©ady to believe that they were acting according to their convictions. Although the country members differed with the city ones with regard to the Canal he ditl not agree with the remarks of Mr Russell.

Mr Scott hinted that the discussion should not degenerate into a question of town v. country. There was no need for this at all.

Mr Moor© was very much astonished at Mr Russell's statement, and could only attribute it to the fact that he had been carried away by nts own verbosity. On his own showing, Mr Ruesell had performed a political acrobatic feat. As to its being the first time Mr Russell had voted against his convictions, they on the Board who knew him would be inclined to take that statement with the proverbial grain of salt. Mr Russell, there was no doubt, had gone out of his way to vilify his colleagues on the Board, but he thought they should treat it with oonempt. Mr Lambio said it was a pity to ivas*e any time tliscussing such a trivial matter. They all knew Mr Russell, and must como to the conclusion that it was not worth while wasting their time on the matter.

Mr Richardson could not but express his surprise at the statement made byMr Russell. In discussing the various subjects coming before the Board the members always expressed their opinions freely, and though perhaps they might differ, each side respecteel their opponents, and gave them credit for expressing their convictions.

The Chairman: The Board will now proceed to tho next business.