Reporters Barred From Meeting

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31069, 26 May 1966, Page 14

Reporters Barred From Meeting

To allow “free and frank” discussion on an amalgamation proposal, reporters were yesterday barred from a joint meeting of the Heathcote, Halswell, and Mount Herbert County Councils with the Local Government Commission.

The chairman of the commission (Mr J. B. Yaldwyn) asked reporters to leave the Halswell council chamber after representatives of the three councils failed to agree on whether they should be present

Delegates of the Mount Herbert council urged that the press be allowed to remain “to keep ratepayers informed on matters affecting them.”

Halswell representatives said they were “easy” about having the press present but thought that there should be complete unanimity on the question. Heathcote representatives preferred not to have the press present. Mr Yaldwyn said the commission would leave it to the discretion of the councils whether the press should stay. “I must admit it could be harmful to have reports of an informal meeting of this nature,” he said. “But we prefer the press not to be present.” The three councils met to resume talks on the protracted amalgamation issue. They had previously met the commission last November but since then, negotiations with the National Roads Board for a greater allocation of funds for the merged group had fallen through. An alternative proposal of merging the Heathcote and Mount Herbert counties is thought also to have been discussed yesterday.