T. E. TAYLOR MEMORIAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1224, 5 September 1911, Page 6

T. E. TAYLOR MEMORIAL.

4 HEATED DISCUSSION. (By Tolccrasli— Pres3 Association.) Christchurch, September i. The special meeting of live T. E. Taylor Memorial Committee, hold this afternoon, to receive a statement i'rojn the treasurer relative to the exact financial position of Mrs. Taylor and the family, led to come healed discussion concerning the parlies responsible for the circulation of statements, described to bo wilfully and maliciously false, as to Iho value of the lato Jlr. Taylor's estate, and tlic estate of his widow. The Mayor, who presided, ruled that ha would not allow any argument, Liquor v. No-License, to take place. Jlr. U. Bowron, a member of the Executive Committee, persisted in making statements to which the Mayor objected, and finally Mr. Douga.U left tho room. _ expressing regret that lie had been driven to adopt that course. The meeting tlioa broke up. Before-, the climax came, however, a statement detailing the value of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor's estates was made by Mr. Salter, which statement Hie Mayor said furnished a complete answer to the allegations made to the eft'oct that Mrs. Taylor had been left most comfortably oil'. Mr. Palter stated that that morning Mr. Cole, Mr. Isitt, Mr. M'Combs, and himself had gone carefully into the figures relative to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor's estates. They went to the Valuation Office, and obtained (lie Government valuations of tlio properties they had to deal with. The position was as follows:—Tlio total value of the properties in lyhir.h Mrs. Taylor had an interest was ,£ISSG 13s. id. That included the house where the family were living, one-third interest in another property adjoining, a property in Hazeldean fload, and a property at Akaroa. Tlio total income from all sourccs, including tho property left by Mr. Taylor, was .£lB5 15s. Gd., which after deducting rates and insurance .£33, and .£3O for upkeep of the dwellings, left a net income of .£122 15s. Gd. They had already stated, after going into the, figures roughly, that tlio value of Mr. Taylor's property was'.£23lt. The figures, ascertained carefully, snlisequontly showed the total to bo .£2310 17s. (id. There were two items which were interest-producing, namely, a loan on mortgage aud a house property in ITar--man Street. The other properties were not interest-producing, and tlio bulk of the cash would hare to go to pay debts and to discharge.a legacy to Mr. Taylor's mother. The statement, therefore, made by Mr. Bishop at the opening meeting was well within the facts, and the. total income available was not as much by .£f>o as was expected would be the case. The figures lie had presented had been gone into by the four lie. had 'named, the tual figures from tlio Government Valua-, tion Department being taken. Tho Mayor: I am verv pleased to hear that: statement, because 1 think it will be regarded as a complete answer to any insinuations made on the subject. A DENIAL. Mr. E. Nordon, secretary of tho Licensed Victuallers' Association, the gentleman' referred to by name at the meeting us the ouo primarily responsible for the circulation of the rumours through New Zealand of Mrs. Taylor's means, gives an emphatic denial to the statements made. He explains that, while having tea with a friend and another gentleman, whom lie did not know at tho time, but wlio lie had fine? ascertained was a friend of Mr. L. M. Isitt, he was drawn into a NoLicense argument, the conversation being brought round to tho question of the Taylor Memorial Fund. He said in the course of the conversation that he had just been informed that Mrs. Taylor ha'd ,£7dofl in her own right, and that he had further teen ififormed that tho fact would be made public in a few days. ITe did not repeat that statement either be- | fore or after that conversation at the tea rooms, and never imagined that any ]>erson would bo guilty of such a breach of confidence as to repeat a friendly conversation. He gave an emphatic denial to the statementmade at the meeting that cither he or "tho trade" had done anything to injure tho Taylor Memorial Fund.