“WE DON’T TAKE MUCH NOTICE OF DR THACKER.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17995, 4 November 1926, Page 11

“WE DON’T TAKE MUCH NOTICE OF DR THACKER.”

PROGRESS LEAGUE RESENTS CHARGE OF CONSERVATISM. Early* opportunity was taken at last night's meeting of the executive of the Canterbury* Progress League to reply to a remark made by Dr Thacker at yesterday r ’s meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board that the league was a Tory and Conservative body. Mr W. K. M'Alpine, who brought the matter up, said that he was a member of the Lyttelton Harbour Board. He arrived at yesterday's meeting a little late and was just in time to hear Dr Thacker say that the Canterbury Progress League was the most democratic bodyMr P. R. Climie: Oh, no! “ Undemocratic,” not “ democratic.” After some confusion Mr M’Alpine explained that hg meant to say “ undemocratic.” Unfortunately he arrived at the meeting of the Harbour Board too late to answer Dr Thacker’s remark, and he wished to take the opportunity of refuting absolutely and definitely any* suggestion that the league had taken up that attitude. The league had never taken sides politically*, whether democratic, autocratic or anything else. “ I don’t care whether the reporters take down what I’m going to say or not,” Mr M’Alpine added, “ but the fact is that we don’t take very much notice of Dr Thacker.” y A voice; The league got the grant, anyway*. Mr M’Alpine went on to say* that Dr Thacker had no right to say what he did. Mr W. T. Lester, another member of the Harbour Board, said that one factor in the way of the development of Canterbury* was that it was lacking unanimity. In Christchurch there was an upsetter of all things. He complained of the manner in which one of the newspapers published the remark made by Dr Thacker and stated that the Progress League was particularly* careful not to bring anything forward unless it was satisfied that it was for the benefit of Canterbury*. “ The charge made by Dr Thacker is so utterly ridiculous that it is not worth taking notice of,” said Mr J. H. Blackwell. The best reply to it, he added, was the action of the Lyttelton Harbour Board which, with only Dr Thacker dissenting, carried the motion that the grant to the Progress League be renewed. The matter was then dropped.