MOVE TO DEPOSE CYCLING HEAD

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31412, 4 July 1967, Page 17

MOVE TO DEPOSE CYCLING HEAD

"The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON.

A Canterbury delegate to 1 the New Zealand Cycling Association’s council is endeavouring to have the national president removed from office.

The delegate, Mr C. G. Clark, has lodged a notice of motion to the effect that Mr T. D’E. Cuff’s recent re-election for another term should be declared void.

At the annual meeting of the association in Wellington last month, Mr Cuff won a close election for the office over Canterbury’s nominee, Mr 0. J. Henderson (Southland).

The basis of Mr Clark’s move is something of a technicality in that he claims Mr Cuff did not vacate the chair of president during the elec-

tion for the office and announced the result of the election himself.

Stayed There

Mr Cuff admitted at the week-end that he had not left the chair during the election, saying that he had overlooked doing so as the meeting had been progressing with other business while the scrutineers were absent counting the votes.

“When the scrutineers returned with the results, they

handed them to the council chairman, Mr Carruthers, who then passed them to me," Mr Cuff said. “I then declared the result of the election to the meeting.”

Beat Challenge This is the latest of many controversies surrounding Mr Cuff. During his first twoyear term he had the rare experience of being challenged for office at the end of the first year, but won through.

Although there is an unwritten law that Cycling Association presidents should serve for only two years, Mr Cuff stood again this year for his third year in spite of efforts to talk him out of standing again. His victory over Mr Henderson was unexpected. Just before the election took place, Mr Clark suggested to Mr Cuff that he should vacate the chair, but Mr Cuff took no action in this direction. The association’s rules make no reference to this point of meeting procedure, ncr does the Incorporated Societies Act, 1908, which has been mentioned in the debates in cycling circles. While it is generally accepted meeting practice for any candidate to vacate the chair should he be a candidate for re-election, legal opinion is that in the absence of any protest being made after the announcement of the result, the election should stand. Mr Clark’s motion comes up for decision at the council meeting later this month. But in the meantime, the association is seeking an official legal opinion on the situation.