NEW DEPUTY-MAYOR

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20625, 28 May 1935, Page 12

NEW DEPUTY-MAYOR

Mr J. W. Beanland Elected to Position. MAYOR PROTESTS. Rejecting an eloquent appeal from the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) that his nominee (Councillor J. K. Archer) should be appointed the Deputy-Mayor of Christchurch, the Cit}' Council, at its meeting last night, elected Councillor J. W. Beanland to that position. No vote was taken on the issue, the decision being reached on the voices. When the Mayor announced that the time had come to elect the DeputyMayor, he said that he wished to move that Councillor J. K. Archer be appointed. Councillor J. S. Barnett seconded the nomination. Councillor E. 11. Andrews moved and Councillor M. E. Lyons seconded that Councillor Beanland be elected to that position. In expressing his regret that another nomination had been put forward, the Mayor said that he hoped that the council would not put the Mayor of Christchurch in the position of being the only Mayor in New Zealand whose wishes had not been acceded to in that respect. Everywhere else the wishes of the Mayor had been respected and he would be very disappointed if Christchurch proved itself the exception to the rule. During the last two councils, when the Labour Party had a majority, there had been a fairly generous distribution of chairmanships. That had been the cause of some controversy in the Labour Party, but he had hoped that that spirit which was shown by the Labour Party when it was in office might have 'actuated the new council. It would be rather an extraordinarv thing to put the Mayor in the position of having a deputy who might not be able to represent him, continued Mr Sullivan. Past History. Councillor Lyons said that while it was true that it was reasonable to consider the wishes of the Mavor. he wished to recall that in 1927.' when there were eleven Labour councillors and five from the Citizens’ Association, the position of the Deputy-Mayor was not offered to the minority. Neither were any chairmanships of committees, except that of the Baths Committee, which was offered to Councillor E. 11. Andrews, a position he did not accept. Councillor Lyons said that in 1929 the very opinions which had been expressed at that meeting had been jettisoned to political expediency and Dr H. T. J. Thacker was appointed Deputy-Mayor to the Rev J. K. Archer, who was then Mayor. “While we appreciate the tone of the Mayor’s speech, past experience, examined in the light of history, washes it out,” declared Councillor Lyons. Councillor E. 11. Andrews said that Auckland had a Labour majority and elected a Labour Deputy-Mayor to work with a Citizens’ Association Mayor. Councillor Archer could not expect to monopolise the position of Mayor and Deputy-Mayor and all the other high positions in the city for all time. Councillor Archer said that Councillor Thacker was never made DeputyMayor at his suggestion. The speaker was very interested to find out that the Citizens’ Association had held a caucus meeting, a thing he had ahva)-s known, although it was strenuously denied. As a member of a group, he was always willing to accept the decision of that group, and that was why Councillor Thacker was once DeputyMayor. Councillor Beanland was elected on the voices.