CHAUTAUQUA CONTROVERSY.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 615, 11 March 1921, Page 4

CHAUTAUQUA CONTROVERSY.

(To the Editor.) Sir. —Discussion of matters con- 1 cerning the welfare of our town through the columns of the press or otherwise is always in the public in- - terest, and often does a lot of 'good. Therefore, those who have the interest of the town at heart, should welcome the controversy going on at piesent re Chautauqua. Being one of the guarantors of that movement makes it especially interesting to myself. The discussion opened with a letter from a correspondent critifing the action of the Borough Council in charging ground rent to the Chautauqua Society on their recent visit to Pukekohe. Although prepared to admit the Borough Council .were within their rights to do so, many, myself among the number, think it would have been an act of grace op their part to have waived that right. By doing so they would have shown their sympathy with a movement that many of us believe to be for the good of the people, and, incidentally, the town in which we live. The only regret the Society have is that through lack of funds their efforts are limited. What they do in fact is only made possible by their being part of an Association that has a membership of many The Pukelcoho branch, being a link in the chain, stretches right through New Zealand, and is another example of what can be done by co-operation. Doubt has been expressed by some of your correspondents as to the sincerity of the promoters. This opinion is the result of ignorance of their motives, and displays a sad lack of knowledge of the constitution of the Society. For instance, some critics have been heard to say the Society is run bv a set of Yankee adventurers wlro are in it for no better reason thaq to rook our town. May I suggest to those people that some of the keenest business men in the community have been putting good money into the business for the, last two or three years and are quite capable of seeing money spent to the best As a matter of fact the Society is New Zealand, owned and controlled by capable men whose duty it is to select and engage high-ciass musical artists, social reformers, and platform Many of these are men and women of world-wide reputation who are influencing and mould:;'- public opinion in the great social and moral problems of the day in the centres of population in America and the Homeland, these are engaged and brought * to New Zealand at considerable expense, so that the people of this Do-' minion may be brought into touch with the foremost intellectual and moral leaders of the day in the hope that the young at least may be influenced for good and their fharacters moulded by the high ideals these men and women are able, to place before them. Some critics profess to scoff at these ideas, but the enthusiasm shown by the public at the lectures ; . ar.d musical entertainments and also the fact of the guarantee list for next year being quickly oversubscribed leads those interested to think the society is growing in favour. This is very gratifying to the promoters, as it will have the effect of easing the financial strain which, though borne willingly, has been rather severe and also encourages them in the belief that the majority of people in our town sympathise with the moral, social and musical ideals Chautauqua stands for. In closing, Mr Editor, I wish to say that although I hold no brief for Mr Perkins (he is well able to take care of himself), it is only just tot state that to the majority of those who read his letter, Mr Perkins’ reference to the school was not taken a«T a vain glorious boast, but r.s one simply stressing the fact that very few do work in the public interest and those that do should get morehelp and sympathy in carrying it on. —T etc.. JAMES ROULSTON. Pukekohe. March 12, 1921.