SUNDAY CONCERT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27166, 23 August 1949, Page 4

SUNDAY CONCERT

SCOTTISH COUNCIL PROPOSAL REFERRED BACK BY CITY COUNCIL Regulations provide that the proceeds from Sunday concerts in Dunedin must be devoted to charitable purposes, and one of the City Council’s halls must be used for the performance. On these grounds, the council decided last night not to approve an application by the Otago Scottish Council for permission to hold a concert on the night of Sunday, September 4. The concert was designed to raise funds to provide premises to be used for rest rooms arid recreation purposes for the Scottish fraternity. Instead of . declining the application outright, the council decided to advise the Scottish Council of the position, so that it could alter its application if it desired to do so. When the town clerk, Mr R. A. Johnston, pointed out that the application could not be granted in the form in which it was submitted, Cr Hayward said that hp did not see why the application should not be granted. The Deputy Mayor, Cr Wright, said that the Scottish Council proposed to build a hall for social purposes. This was a worthy object, but it did not come within the scope of the council’s regulations. Cr N. D. Anderson: It>seems to me to be splitting hairs. Cr Hayward: The city is as “ dead as a dodo ” on Sunday nights. It is difficult for young people to find anything to do. The granting of the hall will not benefit any individual. Cr Hayward moved that the application be granted subject to a silver coin collection and the concert not starting before 8.15 p.m. Cr Wright, pointed out that the Scottish Council had not applied for the use of one of the City Council’s halls, which it was bound to do under the regulations before the application could be granted, and Cr Smith moved an amendment that the application be referred back to the Scottish Council to allow it to submit a further application. . , The amendment was carried after Cr Hayward had withdrawn his motion.