Report From The Capital“Lord Mayoralty” Plan Causes Keen Controversy

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 March 1948, Page 2

Report From The Capital—“Lord Mayoralty” Plan Causes Keen Controversy

(SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT)

WELLINGTON, This Day.

After being quite content with their standing for generations, three of the four main cities in New Zealand have sudden y egun clamouring that their principal citizen should be called “Lord Mayor. 'Wellington set the ball rolling by announcing that an application would be made for Royal Letters Paterit. Not to be outdone, its traditional rival, Auckland followed close on Wellington s heels, and Dunedin is now in the running. Perhaps it is the English conservatism of Christchurch which prevents the Garden City from entenhg into this unedifying scramble.

Exhaustive inquiries made 'n Wellington have revealed that very few people in New Zealand know much about the whole business. But here is a tip for provincial cities and towns —there seems to be nothing to prevent them from making an application also.

.All that has happened so far is for tile applications to be referred to the Department of Internal Affairs, where worried officials are wading knee deep in precedents, legal-look-ing documents and musty files. The Department has to report to tile Government, which then forwads any applications which may be approved to the British Government for transmission to the King. It is a happy coincidence for the instigators of the “Lord Mayoralty” plan that the King and Queen and Princess Margaret will visit New Zealand next year. It seems obvious that one way of recognising the Royal visit will be for the King to accede to some of the requests. The burning question, however, is which city or cities. Keen Controversy The “Lord Mayoralty” plan has created a keen controversy in Wellington. Some residents claim that the principal citizen of the capital of New Zealand should be dignified with the title of “Lord Mayor.” Others openly scoff at the idea and regard it as a .piece of effrontery. It is up to the Government to make its recommendations, and it will not be an easy decision. In the British Isles the mayors of London, York and Dublin have acquired by prescription the prefix of “Lord.” In the case of London it seems to date from 1540. It was also conferred toward the close of the 19th century by Letters Patent on Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds, Cardiff, Bradford, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Belfast and Cork. In 1910 it was granted to Norwich and in 1928 to Nottingham, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent and Portsmouth. The title, “Right .Honourable” is a distinction conferred only on the Lord Mayors of London, York, Belfast, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide and on the Lord Provosts of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Seven cities in Australia have Lord Mayors. The following shows the date on which these honours were conferred and the population at that time: —Sydney, 1902, 12,1,200; Melbourne, 1902, 68,374; Brisbane, 1930, 299,782 (including suburbs); Adelaide, 1919, 39,562; Perth, 1929, 202,888 (including suburbs); Hobart, 1934, 60,406; Newcastle, 1947, 145,000. “Right Honourable” The granting of the appellation, “Lord Mayor”, by Royal Letters Patent, does not automatically carry with it the right to the title, “Right Honourable”. This was made clear in the case of Sydney, where m 1904, two years after the granting of the title “Lord Mayor”, a further application had to be made. This was dulv granted, and the Lord Mayor of Sydney is now entitled to be addressed as “Right Honourable” and as “Our Right Trusty and Wellbeloved”. Melbourne is the only other Australian city to have this privilege. The inquiries made in Wellington elicited the fact that the granting of the title “Lord Mayor”, confers no special rights or privileges. It is merely a change in nomenclature. The Mayor merely becomes “Lord

Mayor”, and the councillors aidermen.

Enterprising Firm Among recent company registrations in the New Zealand mandated territory of Western Samoa was a branch of the large New Zealand building concern, Fletcher Construction Company, Limited, rhe company will carry on building activities in Samoa, as well. as establishing new industrial enterprises, including brick works. The economy of Samoa is particularly buoyant now and the demand for building is keen. The company plans to use Samoan labour. In spite of this, however the enterprise has met with an initial hurdle. A recent general meeting of Samoan representatives petitioned the Administration to prevent the establishment of the new company “as Samoans do not want any new foreign companies in the Territory . The outcome of the petition is not yet known. The Royal Visit

No dates have yet been announced for the visit to New Zealand and Australia of the King and Queen and Princess Margaret, but popular opinion in Wellington seems to think that they will be here in February or March, 1949. . . One question which is exercising lhe minds of Parliamentarians is whether the King will wish to follow the precedent established in Canada and South Africa of attending Parliament. Normally, the session of the New Zealand Parliament does not start until late in June of each year, so the occasion may not arise. As King of New Zealand,. King George is entitled to sign Bills and perform other constitutional acts normally carried out by the Governor-Gener-al. If the House were not sitting during the Royal visit, it is highly likely that the King would preside over a meeting of the Executive Council for the transaction of formal business. Post Office School

A novel training school now occupies nearly one quarter of the Trentham military camp. It is being run by the Post and Telegraph Departinent to train new recruits and to assist old hands to learn new trades. The training school houses 190 single Post Office employees and 40 married couples who are quartered in flats. The trainees have been enrolled from all parts of New Zealand, and one from as far afield as Fiji. The training school is a . selfcontained unit, with fortnightly dances, a swimming pool, billiard room, library and social hall. “The Post Office had to establish this school to keep the service up to strength” the camp manager, Mr A. Hill, said. The idea is a novel one, and judging from the flattering comments of those in the camp, it could well be emulated. Blown Out

Wellington’s winds often are responsible for minor damage around the Capital, but a playful gust recently decided to pick on the private sitting room of the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser. It succeeded in blowing out a large pane of glass. Mr Fraser’s sitting room' is situated on the top floor of Parliament Buildings, next to his office. This addition to the building was erected early in the war from temporary materials.