CENTENNIAL PLAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23221, 15 December 1938, Page 17

CENTENNIAL PLAN

COMBINED MEMORIAL COMMENT BY THE MAYOR REPLY TO MR. C. R. PETRIE A SUGGESTION REPUDIATED Strong exception to the remarks reported to have been made by the Mayor of Otahuhu. Mr. C. It. Petrie, M.P., at a meeting of the Otaliuhu Borough Council on Tuesday night, when the question of a combined metropolitan centennial memorial was under review, was taken by the chairman of the Auckland Provincial Centennial Council, Sir Ernest Davis, yesterday. Sir Ernest said he was puzzled by tho statement of Mr. Pctrie that all that Auckland apparently wanted was that the outside local bodies should forego their subsidies. There was no warranty whatever for such a suggestion. "As Mr. Petrie was present at the recent conference," Sir Ernest added, "and as his local body was supplied with two copies of tho full minutes of the proceedings, I am astonished that he should place such a construction on the outcome of them. Moreover, he had no justification for suggesting that there is a suspicion, a most unworthy one, that the City Council will seek to dominate the situation. "Substantiation for my repudiation of the charge is to be found in my recommendation, unanimously adopted by the conference, that, in the event of the proposal for metropolitan unity being adopted, steps should be taken to appoint from tho local body representatives an executive committee with an independent chairman to consider the form tho memorial should take, and to report its recommendations to a plenary conference of local body representatives in February. "According to the newspaper report," Sir Ernest concluded, "Mr. Petrie said he felt it necessary to weigh his words in discussing* tho matter. If my friend, Mr. Petrie. lias been correctly reported, as I assume he has been, all I can add is that he weighed his words with spring-balances which were definitely out of order."

TE AWAMUTU PROPOSAL SPORTS CENTRE FOR DISTRICT [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN correspondent] TE AWAMUTU, Wednesday The Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce last evening decided to ask the Mayor, Mr. G. Spinley, to convene a meeting of representatives of all local bodies and sports organisations in the town and district to discuss the best steps to take to mark the Centennial, and to consider plans for advancing the project to secure the establishment of a sports centre in Te Awamutu to serve the whole district. This, it was felt, would be preferable to each local body forming a sports centre.