THE JUBILEE COMMITTEE MEETING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 8122, 19 March 1887, Page 6

THE JUBILEE COMMITTEE MEETING.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, — I cannot allow jour leader of this morning to pass without endeavouring to justify myself against the very unfair imputation of motives contained therein. I can safely say that when I entered that chamber I was actuated only by the sincerest feeling of loyalty to the Gracious Lady that we were going to pay homage to, and an intense desire to do all in my power to assist in the work. The question of a Chairman had never entered my mind, but when His Honor Mr Justice Johnston raised the point as to his Worship’s right to occupy the chair, the correctness of his remarks at once struck the majority of the meeting. We had come there as a large Provincial Committee appointed by the public, no Chairman had been elected, the meeting was at a standstill, and, after a long pause, with a view to expedite business, I rose and proposed as chairman a gentleman whose name I believe would have been accepted with acclamation by the whole of the Province, and I feel certain that had Mr Ollivier consented to take the position, he would have been unanimously elected, and the business would have proceeded. And now. Sir, I again hazard the opinion that the Mayor of Christchurch is not the proper person to be the head of this movement. If we are to make it the great success we desire, we must have a head who represents the Province and not the City. I consider the time wasted at the meeting was primarily due to the want of tact shown by his Worship in taking possession of the chair as if he had a vested right to it. If he had said, “ Gentlemen, your first duty is to elect a chairman,” if no one else had moved, I myself would at once have proposed that his Worship take the chair pro tern , and all would have gone as merry as the proverbial marriage bell. But his Worship having assumed that he had a right to the chair, had the point not being raised by His Honor at the outset, I do not see how it could have been decently discussed at any future time, and the Mayor would have had a perfect right to consider himself permanent Chairman. One word more. Sir. You are pleased to speak of the Mayor as “ our enemy.” What has suggested to your mind such a term, I am at a loss to know. Surely two persons can be political opponents without being enemies. Since his Worship was re-elected I have been on the most intimate and friendly terms with him. He has asked and received my advice on many important Municipal matters, and I leave it to his Worship himself to say if he has a single Councillor who has assisted him imore loyally than myself in carrying on 'the business of the City and supporting the dignity of the chair. In conclusion. Sir, if I may make so bold as to criticise so important and powerful an organ as the Lyttelton Times, I think it would have been. much better for the success of the movement we all have at heart, if you had left out of your valuable article that portion referring to myself and Mr Hulbert, as it may tend to engender a feeling in quarters where, I am quite sure, none exists at present. I feel confident that the gentlemen appointed at the last [meeting will bring up such a well-oon-pdered programme that on Wednesday

next the foundation will be laid of a great success.—l am, &c.. . CHAS. LOUISSON. March 18.

TO THE EDITOE. Sib, —I know it is useless, as a rule, to attempt to answer statements made in leading articles of a newspaper against the actions of anyone taking part in public affairs, but when you accuse Mr Louisson and myself of being responsible for the time wasted and the undignified conduct of the meeting ■ on Wednesday night, X hope you will grant* me an opportunity, so far as I am personally concerned, of giving such statements a most emphatic denial. My action in the matter has been most grossly misrepresented by yon. So far from not wishing the Mayor to be Chairman on that occasion, you can prove to your satisfaction by a private letter; written a few days ago to a gentleman ini your office, and by many citizens who have spoken to me about this matter, that I was prepared-to support the Mayor not only as Chairman of that meeting but as permanent Chairman of the Committee, although many asserted that if the Mayor was elected either Chairman or Treasurer, i the whole thing would end in failure, and j result in a fiasco like everything else he ‘ has undertaken.

But, Sir, when I heard the for-, cible and pertinent remarks of Hia Honor the Judge on the question, and; the general approval with which they; were received by the meeting, it appearedto me quite plain that if we intended to* make the movement a provincial, and not' a municipal one, it was necessary at the. start to convince the people outside Christ-, church, whose co-operation we desired, that such was our intention, and that could! best be done as His Honor pointed out, by| electing a Chairman outside the local body, but still I had no intention to act int ; the matter, and no knowledge that Mr* Louisson intended to move his resolution," that Mr John ' Olhvier should be the, permanent Chairman. That gentleman’! refusal to accept the, position ought to be* sufficient proof that the resolution was entf tirely impromptu. Even then I hesitated* to second it, although the meeting appeared! to be almost unanimous in favour of the* proposal. Anyone present can inform yoij that, after waiting some time, I expressedmy regret at taking any part in the meefe ing at that stage, because our action was . almostcertainto be misconstrued; buttherA appeared to be a probability of a deadi| lock at the time. The Mayor had no authority to take the chair£ and if, instead of arguing the point with; hia Honor, he had at once admitted hi|| (error when so forcibly pointed out to hicqjp and requested the Committee to elect theirs own Chairman, as they had a right to dof* there would have been no further trouble!'; There was no person at that meeting re*| gretted its failure more than I did, and foi| good reason. I had devoted a considerable; I amount of time and trouble in organising' the general as well as the Committee meeting. The City Council, as yon know, appointed the Mayor, Councillor Louisson* and myself to make the necessary arrangements, and I believe it can be truly said that all His Worship knew about the matter was what he. read in the advertisement calling the meeting, except to S insert one summoning the Committee, and adding to it a general invitation to the public. This had the . result, which was pointed out to him at the time, of introducing some undesirable persons among the Committee, who assisted in spoiling the meeting, although the addition only appeared in the first issue of your evening /contemporary. I again deny moat emphatically, in spite of yourunfair and untrue imputations of personal animus, that I was influenced by any other motive than the sincere desire of assisting in making the Jubilee a success, and creditable to the Province, and if public charges of being actuated by unworthy motives is to be the penalty of those desiring to help in doing honour to I Her Majesty, I think it will be found* that many will hesitate before offering their assistance in the matter. In conclusion, I again take the liberty of saying that as far as I am concerned, your remarks are undeserved and do not apply, land although I am prepared if I take part in public work of accepting criticism on my actions, whether favourably or otherwise, b consider I have a right to object to Inotives being imputed to me such as those Ci your article to-day, and which have no foundation.—l am, Ac., I C. P. HULSERT. J March 18.