The Hawera Star MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1928. LABOUR IN OFFICE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 8 October 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star

MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1928. LABOUR IN OFFICE.

Deliverer! every evening by & o'olook to ti&wera. Manair,. Normanby, Okaiawa Eltham. Mangatoki. Kaponga. Alton, ~7iirley ville Patea. Waverlev. Mo_oia. Whakamara. Ohangai, Meremere. Fraeei Road, and Ararata.

e Christchurch, ithe principal city of the South Island, has a reputation in otherparts of New Zealand for toeing something of a breeding-ground for "cranks” of various types, and-thus' it was that many persons outside its boundaries took little heed of the result of the last municipal elections in that metropolitan centre. Other persons there wore, however, who found much to interest them in the announcement that the ratepayers there had returned a city council on which Labour had an overwhelming majority, foT they perceived t-hat thereby Labour had been given an opportunity to show how it would conduct itself in a public office second in importance, in many respects, only to Parliament itself. The results have not been happy for Labour or for Christchurch, but they have been highly interesting to- other people. For some months a fierce public controversy has raged in and around the city on the proposal of the city council to erect additional conveniences in Cathedral Square, many citizens objecting on the ground's that the square was reserved by the pioneers for some better purpose and that the erection of an imposing edifice on the lines proposed would detract from the appearance of the city. Largely attended public meetings of protest, newspaper correspondence, editorials and deputations have not succeeded in weakening the determination of the Labour Council to go on with its scheme, and now the objectors have given notice of their intention to seek lan injunction of the court to restrain the council from proceeding further. This action has roused the indignation of the Mayor and his fellow Labour members, and it has been very forcefully stated that, the council will brook no manner of interference by "those snobs,’’ as the Mayor has designated the anti-Labour objectors. Before the Mayor had well delivered himself of this judgment of the mental condition of those who differ from him he was embroiled in a further trouble, and one which the newspapers and his other opponents are .turning to good use against his council. The resignation of one of the Labour members was announced recently, the reason given being that, it had been discovered that he had been involved in a purely technical breach of the law prohibiting members having any business dealings -with the council. The Mayor announced that,, an inquiry would be made into the circumstances, a statement which would have satisfied everyone if be had not added that the inquiry would be a private one. The 'good citizens of Christchurch are asking why the inquiry should not be public and why the council believes that so long as the Labour group is satisfied with the report thereon the general body of ratepayers need not bo considered. It has also, been suggested wry definitely by some critics that the council would have been better pleased if ■this embarrassing subject had not arisen until after the General Election. It would certainly appear that Labour has profited nothing by the publicity it has received through the city council at Christchurch.