THE CHIEF CITIZEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 195, 13 May 1919, Page 6

THE CHIEF CITIZEN

REFUSES TO PLAY "SECOND . FIDDLE" TROUBLE OVER GENERAL RUSSELL'S RECEPTION "If Wellington happens to be the seat of Government I.do not' see that that warrants the Government in usurping the right city to welcome Sir A. H. Russell on his arrival," said the Mayor (Mr. ,T. P. Luke) yesterday. Mr. Luke explained that he had proposed to extond to the returning Major-General a civic welcome such as he had tendered on former occasions' to other men of note. Before he had announced his intention, however, he had received an invitation to be present at a Government reception, to be held in the Town Hall. The invitation, issued by the ActingPrime Minister (Sir James Allen) had been couched in the following terms:— "Dear Mr. Luke—ln connection with the expected arrival of Major-General Sir ■ A. H. Russell in Wellington from the south about the 15th instant, I desiro to inform you that it is the intention of the Government to give the General a reception, on behalf of tjhe Government and the people, in the Town Hall at noon on the day of his arrival here. 1 hope that you and Mis. Luke, together with' the City Councillors, and officers of the corporation, will attend at the Town Hall, and that you will take part in the proceedings. "In connection with the function, I shall be glad if you can arrange foi the services of the City Organist, Mr. Page, to be placed at our disposal." "To the above," said Mr. Luke, "I replied as follows":— "Dear Sir James Allen —I am in receipt of your letter of the Bth instant, relative to "the proposed reception of General Sir A. 11. Russell. "You place mo in a -very awkward position in asking me, as Mayor of this city, to take a subordinate position in an official function to be held in the Town Hull, at which the citizens are to ba.Dsked to attend. "It seems to me that such a proceeding is contrary to all precedent. The Mayor of the city is by custom the Chief Citizen, and must preside over any assemblage of citizens, and to ask him to play second fiddle in his own Town Hall seems 'to be a reflection upon the office. "I feel great pain in writing to you in this strain, but I trust that you will recognise that if I were to do anything which savoured of belittling the honour which has been conferred upon • me by my fellow-citizens, I would be quite unworthy of that honour." Sir James Allen wrote back immediately:— • i "Dear Mr; Luke',—l am in receipt of your letter, and am sorry indeed at the tone adopted by you. The arrangement I in connection with the proposed recep-1 tion to General Sir A. H. Russell wns not.intended in any way as a slight on you as Mayor of Wellington, or on the citizens of Wellington; but the Government desire to give a reception to General Russell, and tho only suitable place for the function is the Town Hall. 1 had already arranged toihire the Town Hall, and liavo booked it'for that purr pose. I trust you will recognise tnat it is a proper thing for the Government themselves, as representing the whole of the people of New Zealand, to publicly welcome the officer ivho has commanded the New Zealand Division with such success. It is proposed that the function in the Town Hall shall be held at iiuon on the day of General.Russell's arrival in Wellington, and the Government are proposing that the public servants shall be allowed an opportunity to take part in the welcome by granting them leave for an- hour from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. I should be glad if you, as Mayor of the city, would invito citizens to close their premises, or .to allow their staffs to witness the procession, and to tako part in the function at the Town Hall. I shall, also be pleased if yon can accede to my 'request .for the services of the City Organist to be placed at our disposal." The Mayor refused to comment upon the correspondence, which he handed over for publication, with the remark that it would explain itself. He. merely said that in view of the Acting-Prime Minister's attitude, he had decided to call an informal meeting of Mie City Council to discuss what should ,bo done. The meeting will be held to-day.