WESTPORT LABOUR PARTY.

Grey River Argus, 6 March 1937, Page 11

WESTPORT LABOUR PARTY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I read the report of th e annual meeting of the Westport branch of the New Zealand Labour Party in your issue, of Tuesday last. I expected to see headlines to the effect that a Holland Memorial Hall was to be proceeded with at once in Westport. It would be interesting to know why the dsicussion on the Holland Memorial Hall was .so much curtailed. The impression that the discussion related merely to a change of site is incorrect. The crux of the situation was indicated by one of the speakers (Mr Cald. well), who said that, after 20 years’ work, the branch had accumulated about £lOOO and a section. If it sank the cash into another section costing £l2BO, then it could only mean that a Holland Memorial would never be erected in Westport, ’The branch has a freehold section in the main street. It is now in a position to go ahead with a hall to the valued of about £3OOO or £4OOO Mrs Ryan, the retiring secre. tary, moved that the latter course be adopted. This was seconded by Mr W. Allison. Mrs Ryan stated that, the scheme with which the Holland Memorial Committee had endeavoured to saddle the branch was inconsistent with appeals circulated, and would amount to fraud. The president of the Holland Memorial Commit lee had stated that he had taken an option on a section for £l2BO. This was a bomb, shell io bran’eh members. They had received no intimation from the Holland Memorial Committee of any change in the original scheme. There had been an attempt that might be to stifle a discussion, but it was now a matter for the meeting to decide. Other speakers were Messrs T. Shaw, F. O’Gorman, W. P. Jackson and W. Allffson, in favour of the motion. Against it were Messrs H. Stevens and R. Tlighman. The president (Mr AV. O’Neill) made no attempt to justify his action in taking an option on the section. The motion, moved by Mrs Ryan and seconded by Mr AV. Allison, to adhere to the original scheme and proceed with the building immediately, was carried by a large majority. The report of your correspondent (a member of the old Holland Memorial Committee) was in the light of facts disclosed here, a biased one. Mr Holland always stood for full publicity. That policy, I am sure, will be maintained by the majority of those who support Labour —I am, etc., NOT BIASED. Westport.