CHRISTCHURCH MAYORALTY

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26187, 10 August 1950, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH MAYORALTY

Mr J. N. Clarke To Stand VIEWS ON CITIZENS’ ASSOCIATION

The Deputy-Mayor (Mr J. N. Clarke) yesterday announced his resolve to contest the mayoralty of Christchurch against the nominees of the Citizens* Association and the Labour Party. An unsuccess! ul nominee in the Citizens’ Association ballot, which resulted in Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon being selected as the official candidate, Mr Clarke expressed dissatisfaction with his past treatment by the association and with its constitution. “The name Citizens’ Association is a misnomer,” said Mr Clarke in an interview with “The Press.” “The association comprises in fact only 50 or 60 members who attend the meetings. It is supposed to have 400 members; but I have had complaints from businessmen that they subscribe to the funds and receive no information about it whatever. Only 50 Or 60 are active; the other members are business firms which provide the money. “I do not think it right that 50 or 60 persons should have the final say in selecting persons to stand for elections. I make no apologies for standing in opposition to the Citizens’ Association after the work I have done for the city in the last 20 years.

“To say the least, the treatment given me by the association has been unfair,” said Mr Clarke. “At the meeting of the general committee to select the mayoral candidates, the nominees were not invited to speak and were not asked any questions and the ballot was immediately taken.” Mr Clarke was asked if it was correct that, before going to the ballot, he had signed an undertaking that he would abide by the decision and loyally support the association. “Yes,” he replied. “I signed it so that I would have the opportunity of attending the meeting and seeing how it was conducted after my rejection from the general committee ballot earlier. 1 distinctly told the Mayor (Sir Ernest Andrews) to tell the Citizens’ Association that I was standing for the mayoralty, no matter what happened. A few persons have no right to ask anyone for such an undertaking. I am going to ask the people of Christchurch to decide. I have been associated with the association for a long time—but the personnel has changed remarkably.” “Unfair Treatment”

Discriminatory and unfair treatment had been given him by the association at the last annual meeting, said Mr Clarke. Every second year, 20 of the committee retired and were eligible for renomination if they signified their agreement in writing. On the Saturday on which nominations closed, he was absent in Wellington on City Council business and arrived back in Christchurch on the Sunday morning. He saw the secretary (Mr J. A. S. Marris), who informed him that his nomination was too late. The question was brought up at the annual meeting, it being submitted that as his absence was on public business he had been dealt with unfairly. “Immediately the Mayor said he had never signed any paper for renomination and Cr. C. D. W. L. Sheppard said the same. Cr. W. J. Cowles asked if a cablegram had been sent to Cr. J. L. Hay in London asking for his consent to renomination. Cr. Hay’s name was allowed to go forward although he had not signed the paper. Crs. Cowles and Sheppard lost their seats on the executive and I was not allowed to stand.

“In our stead, some youths were elected.” said Mr Clarke. “They were in their rompers when I was first elected to a public body. It was wrong that Cr. Sheppard, who had been chairman of the traffic committee for nine years and who is a very good worker for the city, should be thrown out and his seat given to a youth who has never done a thing for the city.” Cause of Feeling Another cause of feeling . was that Mr D. S. Murchison, as chairman of the nominations committee, sat in judgment on those who had been elected by citizens to public office, said Mr Clarke. Mr Murchison had stood for the City Council and had been rejected. At the mayoral selection meeting, Mr Murchison had declared that the mayoralty was not a full-time job, as Sir Ernest Andrews had made it.

“How does he know?” asked Mr Clarke. “He has never been on the council. I want to tell him that I have worked more than 40 hours a week as deputy-mayor. The hours put in by the Mayor have been amazing.” Criticising the organisation of the Citizens’ Association, Cr Clarke said that, on a tour of booths at the last municipal elections he found that cards giving the names of t|ae association’s candidates were not available. Going to the secretary’s office, he found hundreds of the cards lying- on the table, and he had taken them and distributed them. Record i Public Life Deputy-Mayor Jnce 1947, Mr Clarke was deputy-mayor of New Brighton for four .years and a half before the borough amalgamated with Christchurch. Since becoming a member of the City Council in 1939, he has been a member of the finance, reserves and electricity committees, being chairman of the reserves committee for all but six months of that period. He is also a member of the traffic and expansion and development committees and of the civic centre, street collection and rates subcommittees. Mr Clarke’s public activities are numerous. He is a member and former chairman of the milk and consumers’ authorities, and was a director of United Dairies. As a member of the Centennial Executive, he is the only person holding the chairmanship of two committees—sports and amusements. He was a member of the Domains Board for 12 years before it was taken over by the City Council. He is a deputy-chairman of the Rehabilitation Committee, on which he has sat since two months after its inception, the duty entailing 20 hours’ work weekly in the early stages. He is a member of the Canterbury Patriotic Council and of the Welfare Committee since its inception. Mr Clarke also represents the City Council on the Papanui Technical College Board, the Risingholme Community Centre the Canterbury Progress League, the Summit Road Scenic Board, and the executive of the South Island Local Bodies’ Association, and is president of the South Island Publicity Association. He is a provisional director of the proposed 1953 Exhibition, a member of the Metropolitan Licensing Authority and of the Fendalton Licensing Committee, and chairmkn- of the Canterbury executive of the United Nations Children’s Appeal. A trotting trainer and driver before he entered business, from which he has been retired for several years, Mr Clarke has long been a) prominent sportsman. He has been on the Canterbury Rugby Union for 11 years and a steward of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club for eight years He was chairman of the Police and Citizens’ Fair which raised £58.000 for patriotic funds and deouty chairman of the Queen Carnival which raised £38,000. With Mrs Clarke, he organised a barrow day, which collected £ll,OOO in one day for patriotic purposes. , Mrs Clarke does not intend to offer herself as a Citizens’ Association candidate for the North Canterbury Hospital Board. “My husband is retiring from the Citizens’ Association and I support his attitude ” shp ss»id.