RE CHAUTAUQUA LICENSE FEE.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 612, 1 March 1921, Page 4

RE CHAUTAUQUA LICENSE FEE.

(To the Eeditor.) Sir, —In the first place, I would ask Mr Jno. McCready his address, as I do not know of any ratepayer of that name. If the address is forthcoming I will be pleased to give an hour or two enlightening the gentleman, and shall endeavour to broaden his vision. It is not the matter of the money that the local Chautauqua Committee objects to, but it is the principle of the Borough Council extorting money out of thirty odd of their chief ratepayers and citizens. For public information we wish to state that we have made extensive enquiries, and we cannot find that any other towns have charged their local Chautauqua Committee either ground rent or license fees. We also wish to state that the Chautauqua artists and lecturers are received in alt our principal cities by the Mayor of the town, and in most cases a civic welcome has been extended to them. Surely what is good enough for the principal towns should be good enough for Pukekohe. For quite a number of years not more than six men were working to establish a Technical High School at Pukekohe (the first of its kind in New Zealand). When the school movement was mentioned practically everyone in Pukekohe was against it. They said that the School Committee wer on the wrong track, and that the school was not needed, and all kinds of paltry obstacles were raised by them. Jno. McCready states that if thirty members of this community wish to shoulder the responsibility of the so-called Chautauqua education of the rest of the people that is their affair, insinuating that they should pay the Borough Council ground rent, license fees, and goodness knows what. Mr McCready has only to follow his argument a little bit further, and then he would find that the six men who were instrumental in establishing the Technical High School should foot the bill and pay for the same. You will see, Mr Editor, that this would be an absurd proposition. The Chautauqua movement is out for educating the masses. The ladies and gentlemen of the local Chautauqua Committee are prepared to spend far more money for the benefit of the public if they think it worth while. My committee do not ask favours, but expect to be treated as other Chautauqua Committees in towns similar and larger than our own. If the Borough Council think fit to fleece the Chautauqua Committee of £5, I am afraid that they have a very small proportion of the ratepayers in sympathy with them. Trusting again that Mr. J. McCready will be able to identify himself as a ratepayer of this borough.-—I am, etc., FRANK PERKINS. Chairman Pukekohe Chautauqua Committee.

(The name, Mr. J. McCready, was an error on the part of the printers. The writer of the letter referred to by Mr. Perkins was Mr. John Cody, who wishes us to correct the mistake. We understand that Mr. Cody is a ratepayer. —Ed., Times.)