THE SUMMIT ROAD

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16959, 7 October 1920, Page 7

THE SUMMIT ROAD

TO TIPB EDITOR Or "TIIE TOIS8."

Sir, —The time seems to have arrived when a clear statement of tho position should be made to tho public, from the point of view of the General Committee of the Association.

lii the first place, let mo say that tin members of the commit-tcw, without ex teption, have all joined the work at ZVIJ Ell's request, and with a desire to hell him and his scheme, and that we all individually and collectively, endors* everything* that is and can be said ir praise of what he has done for tlit public in the Summit road undertakins;, and that now, as ever, we are all willing to support him and his ideas to the fullest extent, so long as wc be consulted beforehand, and be allowed to sanction the extent of the financial obligations to be put upon our shouldeis' and be committed to no schemes or decisions until we have considered them and decided when and how they shall he out into practice. We take the elementary view that it we are necessarv as a committee, we should know all and decide the matters for which we are nominally responsible.

•Vs regards the tram terminus section unci Rest House. Up to March last, | the Association had nothing to do with it. In Anril. Mr Ell suggested to the I treasurer," and later to myself, that j the Association should take it over. He | •rave several reasons. First, that it isj •the key to the- Summit Road Associa-1 tion's work. Second, that the Summit, Road Association ought to embrace all | proiects upon tho Summit road, and have one policy, and make one appeal nWdinff thorn. Thirdly, that he found the burden of financing this project so excessive that wages were m arrears, and debts were accumulating, and it was becoming a great worry to him. The position as stated to us was, that Mr Thos. Stone had generously secured the land bv a deposit of £25, and that ■€223 remained to he paid. That curvent liabilities amounting to about £o0 had accumulated, and that about £1000 was needed to complete the undertak-

iii"\ and that a leading local architect ■ia7l promised to complete tho plans and specifications -in accordance with. Mr Ell's ideas. . . After full discussion, m Mr Ells presence, and bv a resolution for which [10 voted, the Association took over the scheme, and appointed Mr Ell as chairman of n committee to get out a complete report upon the undertaking, "omprising plans, specifications, habilil.ics costs, and some method of vesting Lh-o title of the land in the Association until the work was complete and free of debt, and could be handed over to the nublic. , , Six months have elapsed, bnt that report has not yet been presented by Mr Ell to the General Committee. However, in the meantime, the work has been continued by Mr Ell. and today the position is that the liabilities are as follows: — £ s. d. Balance due on section ... 225 0 0 Borrowed monev, etc. ... W U 4 Tradesmen's accounts outstanding CO6 18 t Monev advanced by 'the Summit ltoad Association 460 0 8 Less receipts for refreshments 172 13 4 , ' £1204 5 3 The work is as yet only half dono, and wo are informed by building experts that tho method up to tho present has been most expensive and wasteful; therefore, the committee has decided to susnend operations until Mi Ell produces the report asked tor six months ago, and we are able to let a contract based upon its information, and thus know to what wo are committed for tho completion of the work, before it is recommenced. emphatically state that it is Mr Ell's own act it withholding this report that is delayinf the work. . . , , Mr Ell's suggestion to us is that w< allow him to go on unfettered, nni accept the bills as they come u or else that we allow him to go aneiu with the scheme on *» ™n re s»nm bilitv, and presumably get another bodj of people to finance it from.now t< completion, leaving us with Jns aocumulated debts enumerated above., liw result would be an appeal to the public from us for money to pay past debts and another appeal to the public fron Mr Ell and others to pay future debts- | both upon the same property—whicl ! means chaos, waste, and misunderstand

We say nothing about Mr Ell having secured a lease to himself of .the propertv while he -was still chairman or the "Association's sub-committee, appointed to look after and report UDon it • or upon his appointment of .a receiver," or his attempt to divert from the Association the revenue from. tno tea-room, and his attempted dismissal of t)ho caretaker, appointed by himselt, who was carrying out the Association s instructions—-oil without consulting tno Association. No public committee could allow such things to be done by one member, and retain a shred of selfrespect. ~ _, As regards the "assets." These are magnificent; but because they are largely unpaid for, it is essential ttoat the Association should have the fullest support of Mr Ell and everybody else, so that instead of wasting energy -in countering one unruly member of the team, we should go forward with a single constructive policy. These assets, however, are not sudb. that we can put them into our balancesheet. They are public property. The debts only are ours. Tno Association possesses no property beyond a little furniture. Under these circumstances, nobody can say the Association is unreasonable in the attitude it has taken up. To patiently endeavour to find out tho extent of one's debts, and adopt a policy of retrenchment until some plan for reducing them is in operation, must surely, in a committee which lives by public support, count for morality: especi-, ally considering that the Association has given Mr Ell an undertaking to eventually carry out every scheme he scheduled in April of this year. Wp deplore this newspaper controversy into which we are forced. There appear to bo only three ways out of the present impasse":— 1. That the committee (which is unanimous) Should resign (but this would be dishonourable to the creditors and the guarantors of the bank over-

draft). 2. That Mr Ell should Tesign (but not onei of us desires this, as the committee's patient refusals to accept his very frequently tendered resignation proves); or 3. That Mr Ell tlhould work with his team, recognising that the greatwork which he is doing, and has done, is impossible without them.—Yours, etc., WM. MACHIN. October 6th. TO THE EDITOR Ot "THI rKXS3. T ' Sir, —I (have perused the letter forwarded to you by Mr Machin (the chairman), and consider that it is a fair and correct statement of the position which it reviews.—Yours, etc., CHARLES R. CLARK, Hon. Treasurer. October 6th. MEETING OP MR ELL'S SOPPOBTEBS. A small meeting of the friends of Mr H. G. Ell, and supporters of the Port Hills' Summit road, was held last night, Mr D. Bates presiding. The object of the meeting was to discuss the present situation in connexion with the tram terminus rest house and* scenic reserve. After considerable _ discussion it was resolved, on tho motion of Mr R. A. Kenneir seconded by Mr G. A. Gilchrist: —"That those present resolve themselves into a committee to support

the mcmorinl to Mr Thomns Stone, tho honorary trustor of the t.nun terminus scenic re: ; '"."ve, and, further, that a deputation be appointed to wait on tho committeo of tho Summit "Road Association, to see if so mo basis of co-opera-tion cannot be arrived at, tho commill tec to have power to net. but in Joint; ! so must observe tho tonus of tho memoI rial to Mr -Stone." _ The statement of liabilities in connexion with the tram terminus rest house and reserve was reI reived from the chairman of the eom--1 mitteo of the Summit Road Association. 1 and it was decided to refer it to Messrs ' Xewburgh Best, and Co., for enquiry and report. It was further resolved 'I that, no liability for any expenditure or i debt, incurred in connexion with the • huilding of the tram terminus rest house ■ shall rest upon this committee, or on I the committeo of tho Summit Road A> ' t sociation.