POSTAL BALLOT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 13 June 1939, Page 6

POSTAL BALLOT

ELECTION OF AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION OFFICERS giving country members a CHANCE HALF OF COMMITTEE TO RETIRE EACH YEAR In future the election of officers of the Automoblie Association (Nelson) will be carried out by postal ballot of members. Also, only half of the committee will retire each year. These decisions were made at the annual meeting last night when, according to notice of motion, several amendments to the rules were made. The motion moved by Mr J. A. Harley was : That the rules of the association be amended to provide that candidates for the offices of patron, president, vice-pre-sident or committeemen, must be nominated in writing not less than 28 days before the annual meeting and that the election o tf such officers be then conducted by postal ballot of members.

Mr Harley said that the present rules might have been satisfactory when the association was smaller, with a majority of city members. Now the membership was nearly 2000, and democratic principles should be further extended. They had heard it said that the automobile association was autocratically governed. People who made that statement did not know what they were talking about. The daiige- under the old rules was that it was possible for any body of members wanting to “dump” the committee to attend the annual meeting and put in their own clique. This amendment would prevent that. He thought members living in the country districts should have as much right to select the officers as those in town.-

Mr R. A. Stedman seconded the motion and agreed that country members should have a chance to vote.

Mr C. M. Rout said that at first he did not, like the idea, thinking it would create a lot of work and doubting whether mem. hers in the country really wanted it. But after talking it over he now favoured it The association had grown to such an extent that it must have its organisation foolproof. He thought the change would L>3 appreciated by outlying members. Dr J. R. Closs said that on thinking it over he was against the scheme. Country members would always vote for city men, whom they knew. If they divided the district into ridings that would get over the difficulty. A number of country people would not vote and it would be in the hands of the city members. Mr Harley said the extra cost would not be great. At present the country members were not interested a bit, but if a ballot paper was put in front of them it would interest them. The motion was passed. CONTINUITY OF POLICY Mr W. R. Grace moved : That the rules be amended to provide that instead of the whole executive being elected annually, one half only of the committee shall retire in each year but shall be eligible for re-election, the names of the eight members to retire on the first occasion to be decided by ballot.. He said that despite Mr Harley’s motion this suggestion was useful. The idea was to stop a complete turning out jf the old committee.

’I In seconding the motion Mr E. A. Bone ; said that it was important to have a certain amount of continuity of policy. Mr Rout supported the motion which was carried. ! Mr Harley then moved that rule 8 be ■ amended by striking out the words “who shall be non-residents of the City of Neil son.” (This rule at present gives the' 1 executive power to add not more than 8 additional members “who shall be non- residents of the City of Nelson”). He added that as a result of the postal ballot tho city or country might have a predominance of members. It was wise for the committee to have power to add from the city or country. Mr Rout seconded the motion. Dr Closs moved as an amendment “that the executive shall appoint four who are non-residents of the City of Nelson.” The amendment was not seconded. Mr Bone moved an amendment that the executive have power to add four instead of eight. Mr R. East seconded the amendment which was carried. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT • Mr Harley moved that the rules he amended to provide that the immediate past piesident automatically take a seat on the executive in addition to the elected members. He said that there was an obvious mistake in the original rules in neglecting to make provision for the immediate past president. The motion was carried.