GAS v. ELECTRICITY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 86, 12 April 1911, Page 10

GAS v. ELECTRICITY.

THE CONTROVERSY REVIVED. AGAIN ADJOURNED. Another phase of the vexed question, "Gas v. Electricity," in connection with the Wellington Hospital, camo beforo the -Hospital and Charitable Aid Board at a meeting held yesterday afternoon. There were present the Rev. W. A. Evans (chairman), Miss Ricl£ mond, Rev. if. Van Staveren, and Messrs. J. Smith, J. E. Fitzgerald, D. Robertson, W. Galloway, G. Nash, R. C. Kirk, J. . Trevor, W. Tcmpsitt, A. H. Hindmarsh, F. T. Moore, G. T. London, D. M'Laren, M.P., M. Baldwin, and R. Fletcher. As soon as the meeting commenced tho chairman said ho understood that this was a special meeting, held in pursuance of a resolution passed at the Jast meeting of the board, to adopt the apportionment/ of levies on> confer i butane; bodies and to accept a tander for the supply of drapery and clothing for the hospital. Being a special meeting they could .only deal with the work specified in the resolution. . , A long debate ensued op tl>Q point thus raised. The order paper sent out to members set out, under the term "general," a iecommendaticn by the Lighting Committee "that all the institutions of the board be lighted by _etectr_icity"— which, of course, would have brought up again the question of whether the hospital should be lit by gas or electric light. .The. question first debated was whether, seeing that the meeting was called for a special and specified purpose, any "general"' business could be transacted. The chairman ruled to start with that any general , business could only be transacted by the unanimous consent of the members. Mr. Hindmarsh, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. J. Smith, and Mr. M'Laren urged that, by force of a, previous ruling, general business could be transacted, seeing that the order paper had been circulated among members some days previously, and that they were fully awaie^f what was coming up for discussion. It was aJso urged that the Etioner this question of lighting was settled the better it would be for all parties and the general public. During the discussion the chairman read a letter from Mr. R. B. Gardiner, who was unable to be present, protesting against any such new business being transacted unless proper notice had been given. Mt. D. Robertson entered a strong protest against the wrangling that took place so frequently at- the board meet; ings. At thisr stage the Rev. H. Van Staveren moved that the meeting b© adjourned. Dining the discussion that ensued Mr. Fitzgerald said he would lay on the table a, report showing that they were losing £7 a w«£k at the hospital by using gas .instead cf electricity. The motion to adjourn the meeting was carried on a. division by ten votes to ssven, and the meeting adjourned accordingly.