THE WOOLSTON RESERVE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10235, 18 August 1911, Page 1

THE WOOLSTON RESERVE.

STORMY PUBLIC MEETING

SIX COUNCILLORS ASKED TO RESIGN.

Long before eight o clock last even- j ing, the time announced for tlio public meeting at Woolston, the Oddfellows Hall was packed to the doors with rate- , payers and residents of the borough, a j large number being unable to obtain I admittance. ~ The meeting was called to consider the advisability of handing over a portion of the Woolston Recreation Ground to the Woolston Tennis Club, a proposal which had caused much fee - ing in the borough, and which had. led t ) protracted meetings of the Borough. Council. m • ui The Mayor (Mr M'Gregor Wright) called the Councillors together for a conference before the meetingj when tho matter was again discussed in committee, but no decision was come to. Shortlv after eight. tlie_. Mayor, followed by the Town Clerk (Mr W. V Siddall) and Councillors Graham and Wright, representing the oppositionists, and Councillors Goodiiead and Taylor, representing those in favour of the proposal, took the platform, and they received an ovation. The Mayor read an apology from Councillor Gimblett, who stated that he would not attend the meeting because he considered that it had been called too soon, and because he considered that the councillors should have been first, consulted. The Mayor outlined his reason for having called the meeting, and asked the Town Clerk to read the correspondence which had passed between the proposed Tennis Club and the Borough Council. The correspondence having been read, the Mayor summarised the steps taken by the Council towards dealing with the request of the club, and said that the question oft conditions had been referred to the Reserves Committee, and the Tennis Club had been requested to forward its rules for the consideration of the Council. A public meeting had been held the previous week, and the feeling; had been such that when the matter had come before the Reserves Committee he and Councillor Wright had felt that they should vote against the proposal " holus-bolus." (Cheers.) They had done that, as they considered, in the interests of the residents of the borough. He had put before • the members of the Reserve Committee the fact that they , were acting illegally, but it had been of no avail; they had decided to grant the permission requested.. (A voice: "They won't.") That had led to the stonewall- (Enthusiastic cheers.) He gave every credit to Councillor Graham for having tried to get the business of tlie borough settled first. At the meeting of the Council held on Monday night, during the stonefrall he (the Mayor), had received a note which read as follows:—"I think this rubbish has gone far enough; and, further, we do not in-, tend to go before the public until we have passed in Council our terms on which we are to allow the tennis people to play on our ground." The Mayor, continuing, said that the councillors who had said " We will make our terms," had been afraid to sign their names at first, but had signed afterwards.

A voice: Who were they ? The Mayor said that he wished to be "fair and above board." (Cheers.) He read the names of those who had signed (Councillors Gilmore, Mills, Newton and Goodhead), and said that the leader of the party had" not signed his name to the document. He would not have mentioned that little matter had not a letter appeared in that morning's paper to the effect that the party of six had made certain conditions to him. If the ratepayers decided that night that the Tennis Club's request should be granted, then the Council would have to abide by their decision. He outlined the manner in which the continuation of the stonewall on Tuesday night had broken down, and expressed the hope that the councillors who had shown such a party spirit had done so conscientiously. At the conclusion of his speech the Mayor was accorded an ovation. Councillor Goodhead said that " the party " had an answer to every statement the Mayor had made. They did not propose to give away any portion of the ground to a private club. That idea was quite erroneous. They had certain conditions with regard to the matter which could prove that they had been acting wisely. A Voice: What are the conditions? Let's have them now. Councillor Goodhead said that he could not put the conditions before a public meeting until they had been discussed by the Council.

The Mayor said that the conditions had not been seen by the majority of the Council. They must be in someone's pocket. (Laughter.) There was an uproar when Councillor Goodhead left the platform, hisses, groans and cheers mingling in a deafening uproar. Mr Andrews said that the Council had started at the wrong end of the affair. It should have made the conditions and not allowed any outsiders to make conditions which might be unfavourable.

Councillor Graham was accorded an ovation on rising to speak. He dealt with the matter to the evident approval of his hearers, for he was accorded a better hearing than the majority of the other speakers. He stated his reasons for having stonewalled, and said that he would continue to do so until " the party of six " saw that- public opinion was against it and altered its views. Mr D. G. Sullivan addressed the meeting at some length, eulogising, in the course of his remarks, the action of Councillor Graham in blocking the proposal. He moved that the meeting should call upon the six councillors who had voted that the Council should accede to the request of the tennis club to forward their resignations, and give the electors an opportunity of expressing their opinions at the ballot-box of the councillors' actions in connection with the affair. Mr James Scott moved as an amendment that the whole Council should resign, and that those who wore not reelected should pay the expenses of the election. The amendment lapsed for want of a seconder. The motion was then put, but the Mayor asked that the names of the councillors should be stated. This was done. Mr G. B. Wright moved as a further amendment that the meeting of ratepayers should send a recommendation to the six councillors that the residents considered their action wrong, and asking them to withdraw from the position they had taken up. .Mr John Richardson, ex-Mayor, said that the meeting could not force any

councillor to resign. He would like to give the councillors an opportunity to withdraw in full Council fronvthe position they had taken up. He suggested that the motion should be put before the next Council meeting, and if the councillors did not then withdraw they could be asked to resign. The amendment was put, and lost by a large maioritv. Mr Coup land rose to speak, but there was an uproar which lasted for several minutes. When he finally made himself heard, he moved as a further amendment that Mr Parish, as secretary of the Woolston Tennis Club, should withdraw the Tennis Club's application for right to enclose courts. Mr Parish, in reply, said that he could not answer for the Tenuis Club. He said he would ask his fellow members if the meeting liked. The Mayor said that that was not final, and he could not accept the amendment.

The motion was then put amidst another uproar, and carried by a very large majority, seven only voting against it. There was loud cheering when the result of the motion was made known. Mr Andrews moved a further motion to the effect that the Borough Council should refuse to grant any concession to any person or club to use the Domain, unless conditions had been made by the Council and agreed to by the club using the reserve.

The motion was carried amidst cheering-

A further motion to the effect that the Mayor and Council should resign in a body and let the ratepayers express their feelings at the ballot was lost by an overwhelming majority.

Amidst cheering and shouting the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Mayor.

The Council will meet to-night to further discuss the proposal, and it is expected that the matter will be finally settled to-night.