Lavish Party Hangover

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30212, 17 August 1963, Page 12

Lavish Party Hangover

(N2. Press Association) NEW PLYMOUTH, Aug. 16. "This bill is a lot more than I expected and a lot more than I think you gentlemen are prepared to pay.” the chairman, Mr B. Tutchen, told the Stratford County Council today when commenting on the bill for refreshments supplied at the cocktail party during the visit of the Governor-General, Sir Bernard Fergusson, and Lady Fergusson to Stratford. The council agreed that the refreshment supplied was different from that originally agreed to by representatives of the Stratford Borough and County Councils.

It appointed a committee to discuss the cost with borough council representatives. The borough council had given the total cost of the Vice-Regal functions as £4lB in round figures, and had asked the county council to pay its half share of £203. Mr Hutchen said he agreed that the Governor-General should be fittingly entertained, but the cost was twice as much as he expected. It was not the county council’s function to entertain people lavishly. The clerk, Mr T. A Jones, said he understood from discussions with the borough representatives that there would be no liquor other than

wine and cocktails, but he found now that a big item of the cost of the cocktail party was for liquor. “At no stage were we told that the type of function was to be altered,” Mr Jones said. “I mentioned it to Mr G. C. Grace, the Stratford town clerk, and he said that Wellington wanted more than was originally decided on. but I do not think that Wellington should decide such a matter.”

Several councillors said that in future the county council should be represented on any committee arranging similar functions