COMMITTEE FOR PAPANUI HALL FINALLY ELECTED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18182, 15 June 1927, Page 14

COMMITTEE FOR PAPANUI HALL FINALLY ELECTED.

MAYOR PRESIDES OVER AN ANGRY MEETING. Finality was reached last evening in l regard to the selection of representatives to serve on the committee of the Papanui Town Hall, when the Mayor (the Rev J. K. Archer) presided over a public meeting convened for the purpose of making the nominations. There were present, besides the Mayor, Councillors M. E. L3'ons, D. G. Sullivan M.P., G. R. Hunter and R. M. Macfar lane. The attendance, small at the beginning, increased as the meeting pro gressed. In opening the meeting, the Ma3*oi said a muddle seemed to have ariser as to the appointment of a commit tee. Two meetings had been held dui ing the life of the old City Counci and various suggestions were made a: to the appointment of a committee The names of ten gentlemen were sut mitted to the City Council and then somehow, changes were made in re gard to the nominations. He wa; there, with members of the council representing the new council, and theii only desire was that a committev should be elected which would be satis factory to the residents of the district The City Council did not in any way wish to dominate the position, and they did not wish the district to have members on the committee it did not desire to have. There were to be ten members on the committee. The City Council had to appoint two members of the committee and had appointee two—Councillors Bcanland and Huntei —and the Waixnairi Counts' Counci. had to appoint two, and they had ap pointed Councillors Walter and Hawke There were six others, therefore, tc be appointed. Four of these six had to be approved by the City Counci, and two had to be approved by the Waimairi County Council. So far a. the city was concerned, he would give a guarantee that if the meeting woulo select four as the city’s quota the council would confirm the appointment So far as the Waimairi Council wa;. concerned, he would undertake that the other two names would be submitted to it for confirmation. “AN INSULT.” Mr W. Chapman said he thought, after two prior meetings had been held that they were entitled that night tc a little more explanation. “I think,’ he declared vehemently, “that thi. meeting is a slur and an insult to the residents of Papanui. The men whe were nominated were turned down, am men who would not accept nomination at the meeting were appointed. It seems to me there is more behind it than appears on the surface. Our rep resentative3 were selected here in thi. room.” He moved that the six nominees should be the six nominated at the meeting on April 6 last. • The Mayor: There were ten nominated. You have not to deal now with the old council. If there has been any shuffling or any breach of faith, I have nothing to do with it. Mr Archer added that he did not take any responsibility in the matter. It was the concern of the last council He was there to try to get the tangle straightened out. Mr R. Rickerby said the Mayor should have known what was going or. in the council to some extent. “I do not think,” he said, “you will get any reputable ratepayer in the district to act on this committee if the city persists in electing a new committee.” The Mayor: We do not want to. Mr Rickerby': These men were got together by the district and nominated by the district. He said it was only a small area round the hall that had paid for it, and not the city generally. They were entitled to elect their own committee. The Mayor pointed out that the city and the Waimairi Council were responsible for the debt on the hall and other expenses in connection with it. They did not want any feeling between the city, the county and the residents. The ten nominations made at the last meeting were: Messrs J. Sturrock, R. Rickerby, A. Symes, W. Chapman, P. Pattrick, R. W. Hawke, G. Skipley, G. G. Derrett, G. Kruze and W. Pool. Those recommended by the By-Laws Committee of the City Council were: Messrs J. Sturrock, A. Symes, G. G. Derrett, W. Baird, L. B. Hart and W. J. Mulholland. It was found that there was some trouble and the appointments were held up. “If you will give me an indication who the men are you want on,” he said, “we will see you get them.” FEELING IN THE DISTRICT. At this stage, Mr J. Cleland, chairman of the Waimairi County Council, entered the room. He gave a guarantee that his council would approve of the nominees of the meet--1:1 Mr W. Boyce: Somebody without any authority from the meeting The Mayor: Or from us. Mr Boyce: Went outside; the recommendations of the ratepa3 r ers at the meeting, and four men were appointed who had refused nomination here. Voices: Quite right. Mr Boyce: It seems to the people of the district who have to foot the bill funny that four gentlemen who refused nomination after two meetings should be appointed, and it has caused a great deal of feeling in the district. Another thing that had annoyed the ratepayers, he said, was that Mr Rickerby, one of the biggest ratepayers in the district, had been nominated and yet he had not been appointed. The Mayor said that he had himself been very indignant when he had found out what had occurred, and so were others on the council, and that was the reason why the matter had been held up. If that had not occurred, then the six gentlemen named would have been, appointed. They wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. They totally disapproved of anything that had not been straightforward. Mr Morgan said that the whole I trouble seemed to have originated through party feeling in the district. That was the whole trouble in a nutshell. “I do not think,” he said, “they ever have a meeting unless there is a riot or very near it. Is that not true?” he asked of others in the room. Voices: No, no. Mr Morgan: Then report is wrong. The Mayor: If there is likely to be a riot, I will come out myself. (Laughter.) After some further discussion, it was decided that the following five gentlemen, who had been nominated previously, be elected for recommendation to the 1 octal bodies: Messrs J. Sturrock, A. Symes, R. Rickerby, R. A. Pattrick and W. Chapman. A ballot was then held for the election of the sixth representative and resulted in the elec- ; tion of Mr W. Poole, j it was decided that the nevr committee should be called together on June 23.