PEESENTATION SWORD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15717, 18 September 1914, Page 7

PEESENTATION SWORD.

GENERAL GODLEY'S SERVICES

AUCKLAND CONTRIBUTES £25.

A movement is on foot to present a sword of honour to General Sir Alexander Godley and his troops. At the meeting of the City Council last evening Mr. P. M. Mackay asked to have his vote recorded against a vote of £25 for this purpose being made out of unauthorised expenditure.

The Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr, explained that the vote had been passed unanimously at a special meeting of the council, from which Mr. Mackay was absent, although he had received a notice to attend. Proceeding, the Mayor said that Mr. A. M. Myers, M.P., had intimated that three other centres—Wellington, Christ-church, and Dunedin each contributed £25 towards the purchase of the sword of honour to be presented to General Sir Alexander Godley and his officers, and had asked that the City Council should follow the example of the Southern cities. The sword was intended as some recognition of the great services which had been rendered by General Godley to the Dominion in the establishing and fostering of the territorial movement during the past five years. As the other cities had agreed to this course, the council felt it would be invidious to stand out, and it had therefore unanimously passed the vote. The money would be taken out of unauthorised expenditure, which the council would keep well within the limit, so that there would be no possibility of any surcharge.