COUNCIL BESIEGED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27346, 23 March 1950, Page 6

COUNCIL BESIEGED

Dismissal Of Clerk Resented CHAOS AT MEETING PA WELLINGTON, Mar. 12. Chaos which included the plunging of the council chambers into darkness reigned in Upper Hutt tonight. About 500 people gathered in the main street to protest to the Mayor, Mr E. W. Nicolaus, against the contemplated dismissal of the town clerk, Mr B. M. Wilmshurst. The demonstration began at a public meeting in the Upper Hutt RSA rooms at 7 p.m., where a resolution unanimously opposing and strongly protesting against the proposed dismissal was carried. At this meeting the president of the Upper Hutt RSA, Mr T. Stroud, urged the crowded hall whole-heartedly to demonstrate outside the council chambers, where a special meeting of the council was to be held at 7.30.

A crowd later surged down the main street to the council chambers. About 30 people crammed their way into the chambers, while several hundred stood outside. At 7.30 the Mayor and councillors took their seats. A spectator in the rooms asked the Mayor to “ come outside, as there are hundreds there.” Mr Stroud then took up a position alongside the council table. He told the Mayor that he would “ respectfully like to tender a resolution just carried at a public meeting.” Cr J. E. McCann said the matter which he supposed the resolution concerned was the last on his order paper. “We are an elected council, and I move that the resolution be not received," he said. After the Mayor had been interrupted several times, he warned: “Any more noise, and I will have the room cleared.” . . The council then discussed its procedure for some minutes, and the Mayor interrupted several times with “We must abide by standing orders.” Cr A L. Sears then moved that the council’s standing orders be suspended and the resolution received. The resolution was carried, and Mr Stroud read his resolution. The Mayor said the matter would be considered when it came before the council at the end of the order paper. At 8.10 p.m., when the lights suddenly went out, councillors lit matches while the f Crowd laughed outside. Two minutes later the lights came on again. The Mayor then declared: “We cannot carry on the council meeting under these conditions. The room will have to be cleared.” As the spectators left the room, the Mayor thanked them. Everyone was invited to return when the matter of policy had been discussed, he said. The meeting was continually interrupted by frequent shouting and singing. At 10.15 p.m. the lights in the council chambers were again switched off for a few minutes. At 10.30 p.m. Mr Stroud went inside the chambers again, returning a quarter of an hour later to say the final decision of the council was that the council's decision would definitely not be announced tonight.