SUMMER TIME.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19144, 29 October 1927, Page 19

SUMMER TIME.

APPRECIATION OF MR SIDEY. M.P. CHRISTCHIRCH PROPOSAL. A sparsely attended public meeting yesterday afternoon, called to consider the steps to be taken to express the citizens' appreciation of -Mr T. K. Sidey's successful tight tor iho Sinum. . Time Bill, decided: (1) To recommend ;he City Council to offer Mr Sidey the Freedom of the City: (2) that it be suggested thai the fonu the .Dcuiiuioi. appreciation should take of -Mr Sidey> services should be the establishment'of an educational scholarship; and (:s) that the proposed Sidey Drive for subscriptions be referred' to a public meeting to be held a month henee. The meeting was held in the City Council Chamber, and the attendance included two ladies. The Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer), who convened the meeting, presided, and briefly detailed the object o£ the meeting which, he said, had been called at the request of the "Wellington Summer Time Appreciation Committee. A letter from that committee suggested that the appreciation and its expression should be from the whole Dominion, instead of from a number of separate localities. It was not suggested that they should go out to try and raise a very large sum of money, but that a large number of people should contribute r small amount each —the maximum to be one shilling. Captain Owles (Mayor of New Brighton) detailed what the New Brighton Borough Council had done in the way of circularising sports clubs in the borough. Mr W. E. Lead ley suggested that one or two days should be set apart for a Sidey Drive, the whole City to be covered by 200 or 250 helpers. Dr. Thaeker suggested that Mr Sidey should be offered the Freedom of the City, Mr Sidey was a man who did not want either treasure or trophy, but was great on education, and if they established a Sidey Scholarship It would please him more than anything else they eould do. He moved: "That this meeting recommends the City Council to offer Mr Sidev the Freedom of the City." Captain Owles seconded. The Mayor remarked that the Freedom of the City was possessed at present only by the Prince of Wales and ihe Duke of York. The motion was agreed to. Mr A. J. Benzie, speaking on behalf of the Dominion of New Zealand Bowling Association, said that all centres had been circularised, but it would take some weeks before the result would bo known. Perhaps the present meeting had been called a little bit too early to discuss the matter. The Mayor said that they did not want to be too early, and, on the other hand, 1 they did not want to deate the impression that t.hey were doing nothing. Mr E. H. Andrews said that he liked Dr. Thaeker's suggestion as to establishing a scholarship associated with "Mr Sidey's name, or with the Summer TimeAct. He suggested that the meeting be postponed for a fortnight, and that it should be held in the evening. If the proposed drive was decided upon, an organiser would be required. The Mayor suggested that Mr Leadley should take up the duties of organiser. Mr Benzie suggested that the meeting should be adjourned for a month. There were 16,000 bowlers in New Zealand, and if every one contributed a shilling it would mean £BOO. There were far more tennis players and cricketers, so that there would bo a considerable sum of money to found a scholarship if that wore decided upon. It was decided to call another public meeting on tho evening of Wednesday, November 23rd, and Mr Leadley undertook to look after tho publicity work till then. Eepresentativos of various sports bodies are to be invited to attend the meeting. On the motion of Dr. Thaeker, seconded by Mr Andrews, it was decided to put forward the suggestion that n scholarship should be established. It was decided to ask the Town Clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) to act ob treasurer, the Mayor remarking that Mr Neville would receive subscriptions in the meantime.

A vote of thanks to the Mayor closed the meeting.