CITY COUNCIL PICNIC.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19162, 19 November 1927, Page 5

CITY COUNCIL PICNIC.

TOWN CLERK'S STATEMENT. With reference to the news item in yesterday's issue of The Press, headed "A Dry Picnic. City Council Fiat," the Town Clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) made the following statement to a reporter yesterday:— "Prior to last year the Council's clerical staff did not hold an annual picnic, except during the term of one of the Mayors who entertained the staff at two picnics as the guests of the Mayoress and himself. "Last year an attempt was made to have a combined picnic to outside staff, the Electricity Department's staff and the Municipal Office staff, but owing to the negotiations being commenced after the outside staff had made all its arrangements for its picnic the matter dropped, and each Department held a separate picnic on the same day, but in different localities. '/' At the request of the Mayor and several councillors a meeting of representatives of the different sections of the Council's employees was held recently with a view to endeavouring to arrange for a combined picnic. The chairman and secretary of the Outside Employees' Picnic Committee were present at the meeting when the matter was fully discussed, and it was unanimously agreed to submit to each of the Departments the three places mentioned—Ashburton, Motukarara, and Kowai Bush—as being suitable for the purpose. The representatives were practically unanimous in the selection of Kowai Bush, bnt in deference to the employees, it was decided to take a ballot. This has been taken as far as the Electricity Department's staff and the Municipal Office staff are concerned, and Kowai Bush was selected by large majorities. The outside staff has now been asked to indicate its choice. "The selection of localities was no' made at the instigatior of the Mayor, or councillors, the suggestion coming from the delegates. Neither the Mayor, nor the councillors, made it a stipulation that no liquor should be taken to the picnic. , "The remark made by one of the employees that the 'first shot had been fired in a no-more-beer campaign' evidently refers to one of the conditions the delegates laid down, namely: 'That intoxicating liquor is not to be provided for by the committee, nor taken to the grounds.' My letter to the employees did not contain the words: 'No beer may be taken,' as stated by an employee. "It is understood that at previous picnics a quantity of intoxicating liquor baa been provided by the committee."]