CONFERENCE DECLINED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 31 August 1945, Page 4

CONFERENCE DECLINED

N.Z. MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATIONINSUFFICIENT ACCOMMODATION IN NELSON The Nelson City Council has de-/ cided to inform the New Zealand Municipal Association that it regrets it cannot accept the offer to hold the annual conference in Nelson in March on account of insufficient accommodation. The council had a long discussion on the subject yesterday and after full consideration it was decided that Nelson could not provide suitable accommodation for the estimated number of about 300 visitors (delegates and their wives) which the conference would bring to the city. The Mayor (Mr E. R. Neale) explained that the conference had been allocated to Nelson in 1942 but it was not held. At last year’s conference there were 210 delegates and about half of them were accompanied by their wives. Councillor J. A. Harley had expressed the opinion that not more than about 40 extra people could be accommodated in Nelson’s hotels at the present time. The normal number of guests kept most of the accommodation occupied. The only other way of overcoming the difficulty would be by arranging for the billeting of the visitors in suitable homes. He had given a lot of thought to it but he was afraid he would have to tell next Wednesday’s meeting of the Association’s executive that Nelson could not take the conference. When the conference was held here in 1928 there were considerably fewer delegates for they were accommodated for meetings in_the city Council Chamber. Councillor S. T. Savage commented that only the larger cities could provide the accommodation for such a large conference. Councillors considered that it would not be possible under present conditions to billet about 200 of the visitors in suitable private homes. It was then decided to decline the conference.