TITLE OF LORD MAYOR

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27753, 2 September 1955, Page 6

TITLE OF LORD MAYOR

DISCUSSIONS AMONG MUNICIPALITIES NO DECISION EXPECTED FOR SEVEN MONTHS (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, September 1. NO decision can be made for seven .months on the proposal to give the Mayors of the four main New Zealand cities the title of Lord Mayor, according to the chairman of the Municipal Association (Mr N. H. Moss). He said in a telephone interview today from Stratford that the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) had asked him to put the suggestion before all members of the association. This would not be done until its annual conference at Invercargill next March. Mr Moss, who is Mayor of Stratford, said Mr Holland had told him that no decision would be made until the opinions of the' association and of the four city councils concerned had all been given. The Prime Minister had said he was willing to grant the request if no objections were raised. Mr Moss said the proposal had a long history. It had first come before the association more than 40 years ago, when Wellington urged the change. The latest suggestion had come first from the Mayor of Auckland (Mr J. H. Luxford). When discussed at the last meeting of the association’s executive, the idea had been supported by Wellington. Christchurch and Dunedin had not objected, and the attitude of the other executive members was that if the four main cities were in favour, the others would do nothin* to block the scheme, said Mr Moss No voting had been taken on the proposal at this meeting. Mr Moss said he had since been advised that both the Wellington and Auckland City Councils approved. He had had no official word from Christchurch or Dunedin. The Mayor of Christchurch (Mi H. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) said today that when the idea came before Iht executive, it had seemed that nc legislation would be needed. At that time, too, he had no ideo of his council’s feeling on the matter He had therefore, raised no objec tion at that time, said Mr Macfarlane But last Monday the council had de cided unanimously to oppose the scheme.

Mr Macfarlane said that so far the Dunedin City Council had not announced its attitude.