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Gisborne Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6318, 22 February 1922, Page 5

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* GRANT FOR KINFMA FILM OF

DISTRICT.

BOROUGH COUNCIL DEFUSES TO

DONATE £lO.

At the meeting of the Borough Council last' evening a letter was received from the Chamber of Commerce asking if the Council would share in the cost of taking a cinematograph film of. the road from Gisborne to Rotorua, via Motu, Opotild, Whakatane, and Tauranga. The film, it was stated, would be taken by the Department of Agriculture and would cost approximately £7O, towards which amount the Bay of Plenty local bodies bad contributed £35. The Chamber of Commerce proposed to donate £lO and it was asked' if the Council would donate a similar sum. It was hoped to have the film taken seme time in March.

The Deputy-Mayor (Cr. H. H. DeCosta). said that the project -was a very laudable one, and one that would greatly advertise the district. Both the ' Vvaikohu and Cook County Councils had turneu the matter down, but if the Council could find the money he thought they should comply with the request. Cr. Ball said that the film would be of far more benefit t-o the towm than to the country as it would be more* likely to attract visitors than permanent settlers. The Council quite recently baa found money to pay part of a lecture on the League of Nations which did not benefit the town, and could be read by anyone who was interested. lie was of the opinion that j the Council had not been sufficiently j in assisting the progress of the j »,nvn. Many progressive movements had been left to private enterprise, I and he instanced the work which had been done by the Waikanae Beach Society which 'had even gone so far as to find work for the unemployed. Ho moved that the request be granted. Cr. Todd, in seconding the motion, said that the plan would-undoubtedly be a great medium for advertising the district. They had already seen what i an unsympathetic reception they got from the Government, and the film might be the* means of making the needs of the district more readily appreciated. Cr. Coleman said that he had opposed the grant of the money for Professor Pringle’s visit, and he would oppose this. It was a remarkable thing that money could be found for things which were of no benefit, and yet when an urgent appeal was made there was no money available. They* would have i to face pretty strenuous times' during j the next few months, and money j should n-ot be spent in any direction j that was not absolutely necessary. j The motion was lost. I