PETONE'S CORONATION. MEMORIAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 131, 30 November 1903, Page 5

PETONE'S CORONATION. MEMORIAL.

A QUESTION OF CONTROL. ! In the eaily pait of lust year, Mr. It. Mothes (then* Mayor of l'etone) called a, public meeting of residents to consider >\ hat Meps should lie taken to commemorate the coionntion of King Kdwaid VIT. It was decided to erect a band rotunda by public subscription. The work was put in hand and the rotunda, partly completed, was duly opened in August, 1902. Since then but little has been done by the committee towards completion of \ht> work, and its unfinished condition hud been a subject of adverse comment. Apparent^, the committee had exhausted its funds and abandoned the \tark. Under th6se circumstances tho late Borough Council, at its last meeting, passed a resolution to take over the rotunda and complete the woTk. This resolution \fsut not brought under the notice of tho present Council until fecentlv, when the condition of the rotunda was referred to, and the opinion wns expYesbod that the Council should give effect to the decision of its predecessor. This the Counoil agreed to do, but before so acting conaideied <hat a full d% tailed statement of expenditme and liability should be* supplied. -A request for this wax foT warded Ut Mr. lUothe*. who acted as chairman and treasurer to the commit te<\ In leply, Mr. Mothes forwarded n statement shoeing in a lump snm the amount collected and expended (£9O 6s sd), with an unpaid uccount of £2 11s lOd. As tho Council was aware of debts other than that mentioned, exception was taken to the meagtehess of tho information supplied, but it was deqjded to complete the work. Tho chairman of the Memorial Committee called it meeting of the committee for last Saturday evening. At the meeting, which was* of a somewhat storrrit nature, Mr. Motlies piesided, and took strong exception to the action of the present Council, who, ho said, htid no right fo ask for information or to interfere in any way with the rotunda, which was entirely a private affair, and had not been handed over to tho Council. He resented the remarks parsed by tho Mayor at the Counrfl table as" to his (Mr. Mothes's) action in this matter. The question for the committee to decide was whether his action was wrong in not supplying the information asked for, or in supplying what ho had. Mr. O. Loridon (Mayor) said that bofore that question was put, he woxild like to remind Mr. Mothes of the rosolutlon of the Council, when ho (Mr. Mothes] was Mayor— viz., that the Council should fnktf over the rotunda and complete it. A* fof hi.") own remarks at the ConhCi. table, fro did not withdraw one word, iieithtfr did ho regret any action the present Council had taken. Ho still contended that hte Council wa» entitled to be supplied with foil details. Mr. MdfJws fidd tlrat the Resolution had been agreed Id against his wish. The fiorttioti wad thij* : Lertve was given by the Council to the Committee tb erect a rolnnda ; that committee had not completed ita work, rtifd until it had handed over the rotunda the Council had no tight f.6 interfere in nny wAy. Alter" a fengthy disctt'«Sion, in Which the opinion wn» expressed that the committee was to blame for the delay, Mr. A. Eraser moved "That the committee contribute the balance of money required and complete the construction forthwith"." Mr. T. Price objected, contending fhuU the Cohnoll hud taken tho thing over, and ehotffd coinplet* it. » i Mr. M'Lean seconded the mbdon, which tt'o* agreed fo. M«tasrs. Mothes, Frascr, and Webb wero nppomtcd a committfe to arraftgo for the completion of the work, aftd wero instructed to call for tender* fot painting, etc. / ' ' ..