MATTER OF RENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1742, 6 May 1913, Page 5

MATTER OF RENT.

ELECTORS' ASSOCIATION AND CHAMBER 01' COMMERCE.

At yesterday's meeting of the Council of tho Chamber of Commerce, tho president (Mr. A. E. Mnbin) announced that one matter left over to tho consideration of the new council was an application made by Mr. A. Leigh Hunt for the use of the Chamber's room free of charge for the Greater Wellington Municipal Electors' Association. Mr. Thos. Ballinger moved that the request be granted. Mr. E. G. Pilcher'directed tho attention of members of tho council to the fact that tho Article of Association under which the Chamber was constituted forbade them taking any part in party politics. Yet, during tho recent municipal.election campaign they had heard tlic name of the Chamber bandied about at tho foot of the wharf and elsewhere as the originator of various leagues that had cropped up. The Greater Wellington Municipal Electors' Association was one of these, but the fact that some members of tho Chamber woro on its "ticket" 1 did not associate it with the Chamber. At the samo timo lit. hoped that it would exist and continue to do "good work. He would impress on members that the Chamber did not exist for political purposes, but for the protection of mercantile interests and it did not pretend to do anything else, and in his opinion it should stick to tho role.

The president said that what Mr. Pilcher had stated was true. There was 110 reason why the Municipal Electors' Association or any other association, should not fold meetings in the Chamber at a rental, but it should not be let to any body free of charge. , -Air. Thompson said that ho did not think that the Municipal Electors' Association had asked fot tho uss of the Chamber free of charge. It was'only Mr. Leigh Hunt who had asked for it.' 1 , The president said that Jfr. Hunt was vice-president of the association. . ' Mr. Pilcher moved as an aniendment that the request be not granted. This was carried without a dissentient voice.