SOME OPPOSITION

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 16, 14 October 1943, Page 3

SOME OPPOSITION

Toavu Hall For Saturday Night Dances

By eight votes to five the. AVellington City Council decided last night on the recommendation of a special committee under the mayor’s chairmanship, to agree to the proposal of Messrs. Kritsch and Gilmer to hire the Town Hall for popular dances on Saturday nights starting on January 1, 1944, -on the understanding that liquor was not to -be brought iuto the hall and that, if the council required the hall on any special occasion another night was to be substituted for the dance; the council also to have the right to terminate the booking it it was not satisfied with the dances and the management to provide the staff aud orchestra for the dance on one other night a month, the net proceeds t 0 go to patriotic funds. Cr. E. Al. Gilmer opposed the committee’s recommendation. AVhile it was said by the mayor that dances were run satisfactorily in the Dunedin Town Hall that city had not the same situation as AA’ellington or had United States servicemen. The women of AVellington were very concerned about giving two men the opportunity to exploit a situation which had arisen because of the war. It was turning the Town Hall into a night club; what about possible damage to a hall which was being repaired at a cost of thousands of pounds? And all for the sake of £lB a night rental. She moved that the recommendation be referred back. “I’d like to know who is in the syndicate,” Cr. Gilmer said later. Cr. R. L. Alacalister seconded the amendment, but, he explained, for different reasons to those of Cr. Gilmer. AVas it fair that hundreds of girls who gave up their entire Saturday nights to entertain servicemen at clubs should, on the one night in the week when they made a special effort, have to face the competition of this big concern? Cr. R. H. 'Nimnio considered that the use of the term “night club” was unjustified* and extravagant. Cr. R. A. AVright asked what financial guarantee the men who were renting the hall could give against damage to the premises ? , . Cr. Gilmer: There’s any amount ot ’’’’continuing, Cr. AVright said that the Archangel Gabriel could not stop sons taking liquor into . dance halls. Some councillors seeking re-election would not turn down such a popular move, but rather say “wait till after the election.” He supported the amendment, which was lost.