EDGECUMBE TO TAKE POLL ON TRUST HOTEL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 20, 12 April 1950, Page 5

EDGECUMBE TO TAKE POLL ON TRUST HOTEL

One of the largest and most enthusiastic meetings yet held at Edgecumbe decided last week to hold a poll of the district to find whether the people supported the establishment of a trust con'roiled hotel in the township or whether they preferred to leave the license to private interests. Just on 58 people voted in favour of the poll and 17 against. The poll is to be confined to residents living within the old Edgecumbe Patriotic district.

In addition to this the president of the Edgecumbe Progress Association, which called the meeting, Mr G. E. King, refuted the statements made by the solicitor to the owners of the present private hotel at Edgecumbe and pointed out that there was a possibility of acquiring suitable land from the Whakatane Board Mills, on the Te Teko-Edge-cumbe main highway. Mr King traced the Progressive Association’s enquiries regarding the possibility of applying for a Trust Hotel at Edgecumbe, from the deputation to Mr Goulding at Whakatane to the correspondence soliciting information from the Ministers of Internalj Affairs and Justice, and from other established Trust Hotels.

Mr D. Radcliffe explained that the reason why the boundaries had been fixed at the old Edgecumbe Patriotic district was because the Whakatane County Council had not shown any enthusiasm to the formation of a Trust Hotel, and if one was formed, the benefits from it should be confined to this area. Councillor W. Hunter stated that the Whakatane County Council had decided to withhold its support until after the result of the meeting was known.

Councillor R. C. Leslie said that the Council’s future attitude would be based on the result of the vote to be taken. Messrs V. Marx and H. S. Mexted said they thought further information should be made available to the public regarding finance and Gther details, and the chairman and Mr I. Gow answered several enquiries, explaining that the vote to be taken was only to test the feeling of the public as to whether a poll should be taken or not. Mr Radcliffe also gave an account of inquiries made by him from the Masterton Trust.

The following committee was elected to go into the question of running a trust controlled hotel: —* President, Mr Gow; secretary, Mr King; treasurer, Mr D. C. Meikle; Messrs J. Colebrook, Radcliffe and Le Lievre.