The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1921 CALM AFTER STORM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16470, 5 July 1921, Page 6

The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1921 CALM AFTER STORM.

The Mayor was at sofne pains last night to justify the ruling which gave rise to the scene at the previous meeting of the Council. His Worship gave his version of the affair, which was accurate enough for practical purposes, and then cited a number of rather abstruse points of order. We do not propose to follow him through the maze, but will content ourselves with the remark that Dr Thacker is not always such a stickler for the roles of debate. If every motion made by members of local bodies were tested by points of order and the strict rules of debate there would be small progress with public business. The Mayor, however, has emerged from a trying ordeal with some degree of credit. He strenuously opposed a proposal which would have reflected on the dignity of the city as well as on the Mayor, and he may be pardoned if the method he adopted to defeat it was fortiter in re rather than suaviter in modo. Councillor Manhire has given notice of motion for next meeting that the Council should disagree with the Mayor's ruling. It is time, we think, that the incident was decently buried, and Councilor Manhire would probably be consulting tho wishes of the majority of councillors, as well as the public, if he withdrew hi 3 notice- Nothing is to be gained by giving a longer lease of life to the incident which will have exhausted its interest long before the next meeting. The lesson of the episode, it is reasonable to assume, has not been lost on either the Mayor or the Council.