“A LIVE PRESIDENT”

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 100, 22 January 1926, Page 4

“A LIVE PRESIDENT”

PRESENTATION TO .MR. P. COYLE.

Licensed victuallers from all parts of. New Zealand gathered in Wellington 'yesterday to do honour to their president, Mr. Percy Coyle, in recognition of the work he has done, for. them m the last two .years. Mr. Coyle was presented with a cheque as some small recognition of his voluntary services. Mr.. James McDonald, Wellington, in making the presentation said that the largeness of the gathering.- was : a remarkable tribute .to the popularity of Mr. Coyle and to the value that was placed on his services. Licensees in every part of the country had expressed a djesiro to recognise those services, which had >been nothing short of wonderful. (Applause.) Ho .would not bo offending any past president when he said there was no doubt that Mr. Coyle was the best president the organisation had had. Mr. Coyle had sacrificed his own interests to devote his time and his energies to the cause he had at heart, and the phenomenal success ho had attained proved the exceptional ability which he possessed for the undertaking, an undertaking beset with difficulties which Mr. Coyle had faced with courage and overcome with rare skill. What was most remarkable was that among those who held Mr. Coyle in the highest regard were those to whom h'a was most strongly opposed. Such was his standing and integrity' that his opponents held him in high esteem while fighting him on a question of vital importance. (Apnlnuse and cheers.) Mr. Coyle’s health was drunk, and the gathering rose and sang, “Por He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” Mr. J. McFarland, Wellington, spoke as one who had been closely connected with Mr. Coyle. He said that the gathering gave him the greatest pleasure, as he was well aware of the great work which Mr. Coyle had done, and of tho time he had spent away from homo and business in order to do it. He had been' a wonderful success' in everything ho had undertaken for the association. Not in tho whole history of the association had there been a more live president, and that was said with the full knowledge that there had been, good presidents in the past. Mr. W. Devine, Palmerston North, said the present was the first time in the history of the association that they had ever had a country representative as president. They were all proud of Mr. Coylo, and the only thing he regretted was that there were not four Coyles to cover the country even better than it had been covered by their energetic president. Mr. Beban, Greymouth, said that the West Coast was proud of Mr. Coyle, and desired to wish him “Good Luck.” Mr. F. C. Faber, New Plymouth, endorsed tho declaration that Mr. ..Coyle Was the best president tho association had had; and Mr. A. Rose, Christchurch, said that the work of the organisation could not have been done better than it had been done by Mr. Coyle, who had had to leave his own business for this purpose. Glowing tributes to Mr. Coyle were paid by Messrs. H. McManaway, Bulls'; L. 0. Hooker, representing Strafford; T. Nixon, Wanganui; A. Paape, Dun. edin; W. Quirk, Dunedin; I l '. McFarland, Wellington; M. O’Brien, Otautau; P. Griffin, Wellington; G. A. Vincent, Featherston, P. Brodie, Auckland; 11. C. Waugh, Auckland; J. Bebbington, Levin; F. Oakes, Wellington; and tho secretary read a number of communications from people who were unable to bo present. Mr. Coylo rose amidst applause to reply. He remarked that he was more than moved by what had been said, and that ho had not anticipated that anything of tho kind would occur. 110 declared that ho was not deserving of the tribute which had been paid to him. He was not a Napoleon in the business and could not have done much without the co-operation of his fellow workers. He was indebted to them for their unbounded hospitality and their general help. Ho had 'been able to cover a lot of ground in tho period following his election to the presidency of the association, but it would have been almost a physical impossibility to have gone everywhere. However, he hoped to visit the remaining places in the course of a little while. He could not find words with which to. thank tho members of the orga.nisation for the present they had given' ''him, and he hoped that, in the futr-5, he would be able to merit their eon" . “My services arc at tho <lisnosa r or any place in New Zealand,” he added. “T thank you from the bottom cf my heart.”

The gatherin’: concluded with further cheering for Mr. Coyle.