THE CITY'S FUND.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2234, 21 August 1914, Page 6

THE CITY'S FUND.

SOME BICKERING AT THE CITY COUNCIL. . .. At last evening's meeting of the City Counoil, Councillor It. Fletcher moved: "That His Worship the Mayor should be asked to take , the necessary steps to establish a fund.to operate in the. city and throughout the Wellington provincial district for. the purpose of raising moneys be used solely in alleviating distress during the present war crisis: (1) To assist the dependents of the men who have volunteered for the front and gone on active service; (2) to relieve suffering. and distress generally; (3) that a committee be set up to expend such moneys from the said fund as it may deem necessary, and in tlie manner as above' indicated." ..•..■' ■ Some rather warm discussion on several side issues ensued on the motion. Councillor. Fletcher expressed the opinion that the Mayor should have started a relief fund some little- time ago. :■ The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that he had moved in the,matter. Council Fletcher then < said • that tho Mayor should have , made that fact known to the council. , • ■ While the Mayor was speaking, Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald rose to a point of order, but the Mayor • refused- to be. interrupted, saying that "a point of order did not apply to the Mayor when 'ie was making a speech." - On the motion of Councillor.T. C. A; Hislop, these words of the Mayor were taken down. Councillor- Hislop said that .the standing order'applied to the council, and not to the Mayor, according to his Worship's view. .Councillor. Fitzgerald: I move that tho Mayor should leave the chair until we 'settle thisquestion. j Tho Mayor: "No; you are not going to got the Mayor out of the chair." - ! Reverting to the motion, the Mayor dcolarod that he would not be told by the council what'he ought to'do. A councillor: You will bo guided by the-council, I presume. The Mayor: No; I represent the citizens,, and I will be dealt with by them, not by the council. Councillor ■ Tregear objected; to ''the Mayor's dictum."- " - Councillor Hislop said that-it would be absurd and contrary to all business arrangements if the Mayor ' were- tobe above the standing orders. He went on to say that at the recent patriotic demonstration in the Town Hall, the councillors (who represented the citizens) had been overlooked,' and the meeting had been overwhelmed by politicians. He regretted that the Mayor had been followed on to the platform by members of the Cabinet and members of Parliament, while the members of the City'.Council had brought, up the roar like the doge that follow a procession. The Parliamentarians should receive every courtesy, but not at- the expense of the citizens. It- was remarked that ex-Mayors of the City', such men as the Hon. T. W. Hislop, Hon. J. G. W. Aitken, and Mr. T. ha'd been treated discourteously in not being invited to the meeting; and it was said that the members of the City Council had not been properly notified of the meeting— that tho Mayor had acted apart from them entirely. . ■. . The Mayor said that' every councillor had been notified of the meeting by circular. Councillor Hindmarsh said that he regretted • that the Mayor so much dissociated himself from the council in matters concerning it. . Hβ alleged that the patriotic demonstration had been made to look as if it was being exploited, and he declared that the Mayor imported party politics into municipal matters. : Finally Councillor Fletcher's motion was put and carried. "CITIZENS'" WAR DISTRESS FUND . £ a. d. Amount previously ■ acknowledged 803 10 0 Employees Macky, Logan, and Caldwell, Ltd 60 0 0 Tβ Aro House Drapery Co. 50 0 0 Arthur D. Riley and Co. 10 0 0 M A. Eglinton 10 0 0 Ticket Staff, Well. Football Assn. Match 1.12 0 "Sympathiser" 10 0 £436 2 0