INDIGNATION OF COUNCILLORS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13101, 14 June 1913, Page 6

INDIGNATION OF COUNCILLORS.

A SOUTHLAND STORM,

tain-eta! to Herald.)

.. CHRISTCHUR'UH, this day. A somewhat extraordinary scene marked the close of- the meeting of the Invercargill Town Council on Thursday night. The motion for 'adjournment was already before the meeting, when Or John Stead rose, and caid that he had a motion to put to tt'tm meeting. He said that his motion boro on the visit of H:M.S. New Zealand to the Bluff, and he proceeded to propose a motion, expressing regret that the itinerary of the cruiser had resulted m the people of Southland being insulted. He thought that such a motion should be put on record, and- .that copies of it should be sent to the Governor and the Prime j Minister. Or O'Byrne : And a cojsy for the King. ' ..'•■' Cr Stead went on to say that the majority of the people- had been sorely disappointed at the small courtesy shown to, them by the authorities. They diet not pretend to be navigators,, but. they would like to know what became of the -■hip between the time that she left 0tao;o Heakls and the time of her arrival at the Bluff. •.-;'' Several Councillors: -There was a fcg. Cr Stead went on to ask why the ship was sent out m the middle of 'winter on a cruise which might have been ' taken m the summer. It- was, he declared, because the authorities . did , not want>the vessel to' be, here at the same time as the -man wKo was the a?u trior of it, because they were frightened that the people would make more of the man (Sir Joseph Ward) than .they would of the ship. He expressed -himself..* indignant at what he described as an insult to the people "of -Southland, and referred bitterly to the incident of turning on the hose frpm. one of the Government steamers on the. crowd which broke through the barrier at the wharf. Cr Lennie said that he would support Cr Stead, and while not going to the same length,, he believed that he was justified m everything that had been said. *" Cr Moffett, referring to the hosing incident, said that he was of opinion that they were entitled to claim an npokv?y from the toaster of the vessel from whiclj the hose had been turned. Cr Dunlop expressed the hope that the Council would not. pass the resolution, because if it did so it would make itself very ridiculous. y Cr Stead thought Jhat' something should be done to vindicate the honor of the "town. At this stage one of the Councillors moved an adjournment, and the Mayor arid Crs Haggitt, Lillicrap, and Dunlop left their seats. / y Cr Baird then moved that ' Cr Golbraith take the chair, but the counsel of some of the members who had not left their seats prevailed, and the meeting broke tup „