WHO OWNS THE GUN?

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 681, 4 November 1921, Page 4

WHO OWNS THE GUN?

TOWN OR DOMAIN BOARD. PREMIER SAYS THE LOCAL BODY. / There appears still to be ar. element of jealousy between . Tuakau pi'oper and Tuakau South. Which is the jealous party the writer is not prepared to say. However, .the sooner any petty differences between the parties are discarded once and for all time, the better it will be for the Town District as a whole, Wherever there is one element pulling in an opposite direction to another, progress of the whole is retarded. The old saying, “Unity is f Strength,” divided we fall,” should be put into practice at Tuakau. The latest dispute is over a war trophy, to wit, a machine gun. , s I't will be remembered when the distribution of war trophies was made that Tuakau was allotted a machine gun. This, of course, to the broad-minded indifddtial, meant the towri, No other conclusion- could be* inferred. However, when the Prime' Minister was electioneering at Tuakau in 1919, several deputations waited on him. The chairman of the Board Mr Dynes Fulton, also had several matters to place before the Premier, but as chief citizen he in- . troduced the deputations, and as an act of courtesy allowed the Town. Board business to come on last, ,si* though it was ncit of least impo* ance. The Domain Board got in first,’ as the saying is, and was promised a trophy bv the Premier. The TownQA Board was also promised a • war trophy. Nothing more was said about the matter until the gun 'a consigned to the clerk, Tuakau Town Board, arrived in Tuakau, The clerk accepted delivery and acknowledged receipt of the “deadly” weapon on behalf of fthe Town Board. Here the fun began. The Domain Board claimed it, and correspondence passed between it and the Defence Department, and finally,, we believe, the Defence Department stated the trophy was the one promised to the Domain Board. The latter body approached the Town Board on 4 tne subject, and urged upon it to hand over the gun to the Domain authorities. The Town Board claimed the but elected to hold the matter Jn abeyance until Mr Massey returned from the Imperial Conference, When on a visit to Wellington in connection with Board business recently, Mr Fulton approached the Fremier on the question, and asked him to whom the gun belonged. Mr Massey replied “The local body every time.” He communicated this information to /the meeting of the Board on Tuesday, and added .that if the Domain. Board needed a gun they could obtain one if they approached Mr R. F. Bollard, member for RagMr Lapwood claimed that the gun now in Tuakau belonged to the Domain Board, and’ he could producecorrespondence from the Defence Department to this effect. • On the motion of the chairman, the clerk was instructed to write Mr Massey with a request that he communicates to the Town Board m writing his reply to Mr Fulton.. THE TUAKAU DOMAIN.

This is another matter that hascreated some interest 4 in Tuakau. The facts, from time to time have been chronicled in the Times, While m Wellington, Mr Fulton saw 'the Minister of Lands, who stated thafc thepeople were so evenly divided that? the Department had no recommendations to make. He would visit Tuakau himself and would reportt on Hie matter to the Prime Minister.