PHOTO WANTED.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 378, 27 April 1915, Page 2

PHOTO WANTED.

"FRAUDULENT PETITION."

SO SAYS CR McCOMBS.

THE HALF-HOLIDAY REQUISITION

A novel proposal, was made at the City Council last evening by Cr J. McCombs, in connection with the requisition asking for a poll of the ratepayers on the half-holiday question. His request was that he should be allowed to photograph certain .pages of the requisition for future reference. There were whole pages of the petition, he said, written in the- one hand-writing, although at the foot of every page there was a declaration that the signatures were genuine. The petition was obviously not what it purported to be. Objection to this statement was taken by the Mayor and Cr H. J. Otley. Cr McCombs: -It is. the most fraudulent requisition which lias ever come before the council. Cr 11. Hunter seconded the motion. The people who signed the- requisition could not object to its being photo-, graphed, seeing that, anyone had the right to examine it, I Cr Otley said he could-see no good in J the-proposal. It was only stirring up mud. OoiiTicillors were helping them to keep their Saturday half-holiday. What more did they want/? Cr F. Burgoyn'c asked if there had bceu any objection made to the photographing of the document. Cr McCombs: Yes. I wanted to photograph it to-day, but I was referred to the council for permission. Cr J. R. Hay ward said that anyone who wauted to sec the petition could do so. The distribution of such a photograph might incriminate innocent persons. ■

Or McCombs: Oli, no! The proposal was defeated by nine votes to six, being supported only by the five Social-Democratic councillors and Or Q. Scott.