Disputes Bay Criticism Of Fertiliser Meeting

Northern Advocate, 12 March 1948, Page 5

Disputes Bay Criticism Of Fertiliser Meeting

Every opportunity was given delegates to the fertiliser works conference in Whangarei to express their views and to vote as they saw fit. So said Mr S. J. Snow today when commenting on the discussion at the meeting of the Bay of Islands County Council on Wednesday when Cr C. F. Jones said he considered the conference had been largely a “put-up job.” Mr Snow, who is president of the Whangarei A. and P. Society which convened the meeting, was voted to the chair at the conference.

Mr Snow took particular exception to Cr Jones’ statement that “it seemed to me a cunning move to gag all discussion on the question of site, and it was obvious that many delegates who were there kicked over the traces at the chairman’s repeated rulings.” UNANIMOUS DECISION

Delegates had decided unanimously that the question of the site of the proposed works should be left out of the discussion and, for that reason, discussion* had been confined to the establishment of the works, said Mr Snow. His rulings against some of the delegates introducing the question of site had only been in conformity with the conference's decision.

No cunning move to gag discussion had been made by him or by anybody else, and there had been no obvious dissatisfaction with his rulings. In fact the decision taken by the conference had been unanimous and this was borne out by the letter which the society, as the convening body, had sent forward to the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) with the conference’s decision.