CORRESPONDENCE RUNANGA BOROUGH COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1942, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

RUNANGA BOROUGH COUNCIL

[TO THE EDITOR.] Sir,—When we hear so much about our democratic principles and the freedom to live our own lives, and the right to appoint our representatives to lead us, we are at a loss to understand the Borough Councillors in Runanga in their decision to disfranchise a majority of votes by the decision to appoint Mr. Luff to the vacancy on the Council, through the resignation of Mr. W. Duggan. We all agree that Mr. Luff has done some good work in the district since he came to reside here, but when we take into consideration the good work and social service for over twenty years in the Labour Party, Women’s Guild, Mothers’ Union and sports bodies, etc., and the fact that the vote of the people has been ignored, we are at a loss to understand why Mrs. Wright was not appointed to the vacancy on the Council. It is said they do not want a woman but they have a woman as Town Clerk and I am sure she would have been as progressive as any we have on the Council who voted against her. From another angle we have another unsuccessful candidate who has about 18 years’ social service in Runanga and deserved consideration before Mr. Luff. That is Mr. Bob Armstrong, who has been caretaker and chairman, also a trainer at the swimming baths, since they were built, also chairman of the school committee a great portion of the time already mentioned.. He is an ex-Councillor and would have been an asset seeing all bar the Mayor are new to the job. This is not trying to belittle their work but in this instance a big majority feel they have not acted in the best interests of the people and can see no reason why the decision should not be challenged.— Yours, etc., DANIEL BARNES. Mill Street, Runanga.