City Council Not To Send Christmas Cards

Press, Volume C, Issue 29625, 22 September 1961, Page 14

City Council Not To Send Christmas Cards

The City Council has followed the lead of the Government and decided not to send Christmas cards this year. By a bare majority, it agreed to make a donation “to a deserving charity” at Christmas.

“Members of the committee feel that the sending out of cards by public bodies is a practice that could well be discontinued,” the finance committee said in a report. “Such cards do not come within the same category as personal ones and the practice has grown to such an extent that it has rather lost its real signifiance.” In recent years the council had sent out between 500 and 700 cards at a cost which had varied between £l6 and £4B, plus postage. “I am not in favour of looking for a deserving charity,” said Cr. A. Schumacher. “We are dealing with the ratepayers’ money, and if we stop sending cards it should be for the purpose of conserving our funds.”

Cr. P. J. Skellerup said he was old-fashioned and liked Christmas cards, but if the council’s decision was in the interests of economy, then it should make the economy. “The most deserving charity in Christchurch at

present is our ratepayers,” said Cr. H. G. Hay. The council already gave a lot of money to charity. The recommendation was not primarily to save money, said Cr. H. P. Smith, chairman of the committee. "The

committee’s suggestion was that this meaningless custom should be abandoned. There are hundreds of avenues for a Christmas donation —perhaps comforts for the old people.” If the saving was spread over the ratepayers, it would not amount to .OOOOOId, he added. The Mayor (Mr G. Manning) first ruled that the amendment deleting the donation had been carried; but a division showed it to be lost by nine votes to eight