GISBORNE ATTITUDE IN BATHING BELLE DISPUTE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 11, 28 January 1937, Page 4

GISBORNE ATTITUDE IN BATHING BELLE DISPUTE

Not Satisfied with Napier Delegates' Explanation

Dissatisfaction with the explanation of the Napier Thirty Thousand Club regarding tbe substitution of a Waipawa candidato wbo ultimately won the Hawke'e Bay and East Coast bathing bello contest was expressed at a meeting held in Gisborne last nigjht. The meeting decided "that some amends should be made to tbe general public by the Napier Thirty Thousand Club and expects that club to make such amends as/will satisfy public opinion and the belle committees." About 20 people attended the meeting, including Mr Jack Harris, president of the Napier Thirty Thousand Club, and Mr S.. P. Spiller, secretary of the club. The Mayor of Gisborne, Mr D. W. Coleman was in tbe ehair. Mr Jas Chrisp, • president of the GisGisborne Thirty Thousand Club stated that he assumed all present were- acquainted with the position. Gisborne had seven belles, with six in the final at Napier. He understood that Napier had four, Hastings four and Waipawa three. The difficulty arose when Gisborne understood that, unless a candidate gained 12,000 votes, she could not take part in the final. What Gisborne could not understand was the substitution of a lady from Waipawa who, it was understood, did not gein 12,000 votes. Mr Coleman etated that no one was more sorry than he that the dispute; had arisen. He would like to congiatulate all concerned on the friendly spirit in which the carnival had oeen conducted, and the Napier Thirty Thousand Club in partieular on tbe successful evening when the queen was crowned. He understood the young lady who eventually secured the judges5 decisidh did not take part in the campaign and did not secure any votes. M.. Harris, on rising to speak, received .a warm .welcome. He said he fe'c confident that, when those present heard the explanations, they would feel satisfied that the best thing haa been done. He felt sorry over Ihe misunderstanding. Mr Spiller's Expianation. a Mr Spiller said that he was the one on whom the whole trouble centred. But for his personal efforts the Gisborne people would have taken no part in the bathing belle contest. He had written to Gisborne suggesting that the Gisborne Thirty Thousand Club should take part in the contest, but bad received an unfavourable reply. 'He had then asked his executive to let him go to Gisborne to talk over the matter. This was done and, as a result of the conference, Gisborne had entered the largest number of candidates. He would like to congratulate Gisborne on that. It was the first conxest of this nature the speaker had been connected with. He had written to Englaud to get rules on the matter. Perhaps the rules were "rafferty," but allowances should be made regarding the 12,000 votes rulo. At 3 o'clock on Christmas Eve he (the speaker) had received a ring from the Waipawa secretary to state that the Waipawa girls were not used to appear in public in bathing costume, as were girls living near beaches, and ' uone of them would parade in the final. Mr Spiiler had pointed out - over the phone that he had advertised that six girls would appear from Waipawa, and had asked that some representative should appear. • On the afternoon of the final parade, Mr Spiller continued, he had been called to the door of the Sound Shell on the Parade at Napier and had been told by Miss A Corskie that "Waipawa will be there to-nig|ht.J5 There was another young lady standing by, but he was not introduced to her. When the judges that evening awaided the prize to No. 8, the speaker had iooked up the list, found that num- * ber to be the number of the Waipawa c:andidate> and had announced "Miss Corskie55. Mr Spiller had no notion that the young lady in the parade (actually Miss L. Sherborne) was the one to whom he had not been introduced. "I Was Solafy To Blame." So far as there might be any suggestion that the Gisborne or Napier Thirty Thousand Clubs were to blame, Mr Spiller would say that "my executive had nothing to do with it. Whatever occurred, I was solely to blame," stated Mr Spiller. The speaker added that, in his view, if a bathing belle committee secured 12,000 votes, it was in order for that committee to be represented in the final by a substitute candidate, if the original one could not appear. Mr A. J. Nichol; Seeing you were several candidates short on the final night, why did you not pick up several pretty girls from the street and build up to the final number? Mr Spiller; It Was Hastings, Gisborne and Waipawa who were short, not the Napier Thirty, Thousand Club. Mr Coleman : Do not the rules pro» vide that only those candidates obtaining 12,000 votes should appear in the final ? ' Mr Spiller ; 1 touk au entirely difterent view of that. Mr Harris: We did uob recoguise the girls as individuals; it was only the uominating body that we recognised. We wanted candidates from each district in the final. Mr Coleman: And that candidate had to get 12,000 votes. Mr Harris : I don't think so — only the nominating body. Mr Coleman : It says so here. Mr Harris : TMt is not the view we took of it. Gisborne Was one randidat© short in the final aild would have been entitled to put up another candidate, and Hastings two more. The Napier body had to do more than gct llioney ifl, they had to make the coronation s hinetion a sueeesa.

Mr Coleman : I am not saying this in any offensive way, but what w® were faced with here is a ring-in. Mr R. E. Gambrill said that the rules of the bathing belle contest were the basis of a contract between the bathing belles and the oi'ganisatioiis conducting the campaign. Each of those candidates had definite rights ot action. Not only the candidates, but tne general public had a vital, though, perhaps, not a monetary interest, in the matter. The public were asking "What sort of an organisation is this that breaks 'the rules " The speaser was honorary solicitor to the Gisborne Thirty Thousand Club and also represented a very large body in thei town, the R.S.A., which had worked very hard in the contest. Members were not going to work like they did and theri. be riragged through ihe mud. j'he local people objected to a ring-in. Mr Harris: I wish you would not use that word. Mr Gambrill, continuing, stated that the Gisborne Thirty Thousand Club could act only as au intermediary in the matter, in the hope that the dis- ; pute might be amicably settled. If the Napier dub representatives had an apology to make, they would be pleased to hear it, but if that was all they had to offer then the belles and their candidates were .left to consider whether they should take legal action. That was not a matter for the Gisborne Thirty Thousand Club. ExtensJon' of Closing Date. Mr Spiller: I am very sorry to hear mention of legal action. I Ead hoped to avoid that. I know nothing about tbe law, but when did you close your nomination? Mr Oakaen (secretary of the Gisborne Thirty Thousand Club): On the 16th. Mr Spiller: And the rules state the 14th. Mr Oakden: Yes, but the date was extended afterwards. Mr Spiller: Yes, by me. Mr W. James" pointed out that if substitution were allowed, a comniittee could go to Wellington aild hire a professional beauty to win the contest. Mr Spiller: Waipawa would no more have done that than would the Gisborne R.S.A. Mr Harris pointed out that Mr Spiller, " on being informed ,tbat Gisborne was one candidate short in the final, had commented that he wished they had let him know, as the comJ mittee, having polled 12,000 votes could have substituted a candidate for the one unable to appear. Mr. Coleman: Might I put it this way. I am nominated for the Mayor» alty, and poll the necessary number of votes. I then decide I do not want the office. Surely I cannot name someone to fill my ofiice? Mr. Spiller: Napie^ has no money to go to law. I am quite preparea to admit that any member can 4 drive a horse and coach through that contract. Mr. R. H. HeifEord stated he unaerstood that Hastings was dissatisfied. Mr. Harris replied that he thought that Hastings was satisfied, as they had no one in the final. When Gisborne decided to proxest, Hastings had decided to support them. There was a wide impression about tbat a Gisborne girl was second, but that was not the case, as the Judges had been asked for a finst award only, an' d not named a second. Napier Club a Trustee. Mr. Gambrill stated that the £100 had been collected for the winmng candidate v and the Napier Thirty Thousand Club was trustee for that money. They had paid it out to a person not entitled to it. The position was that all the candidates, not mcrely those in the final, had a xight of action, as but for the substituted girl in the final, any of the others might have won. No suggestion had come from the Napier Club. Gisborne, he added, wais not out to make money. Perhaps if the Napier Thirty Thousand Club gave a sum of money, not necessarily £100, but a co'nsiderable sum, to some approved charity, that would be taken as an amende honourable. But it would be necessary for the Napier Thirty Thousand Club to obtain undertakings from the belles and their committees, as the club might pay out the money and still be shot at. At the present time, the public of Gisborne was looking suspiciously at the Gisborne Thirty Thousand Club and, unless the position was corrected, he feared that the public might not support the club in future. Mr. Coleman stated that Mr. Spiller had .courageously admitted the blame and given an explanation, but they appeated to be getting nowhere. Mr. Gambrill stated that he knew there was great dissatisfaction with the present position. His own organisation (the R.S.A.) had at first doubted whether the bathing belle contest was a proper matter for it to enter into, but since they had entered, they wanted to make sure that the proper thing was done. Gisborne was not claiming the money, and the speaker suggested that a penance be done to show the public that Napier realised they were wrong. Mr. Gambrill suggested a cllaritable donation to some object not connected with the contest. Mr, Spiller waJS glad to hear that Gisborne was not after the money. No Power To Make Offer, Mr. Harris was of the opinion that, when the public read the explanation the Napier delegates had given, they wonld be satisfied. So far as the suggestion that a donation be made to a "harity was concerned, he (tlio speaker). did not see tliat two wi'oags evei made a right. Ko oue wonld be more

sorry than the Napier Club if any* thing happened to the Gisborne club* The speaker did not think Napier could do anything more. They. had given their explanation but the representatives had no .power to make any offer. Mr Gambrill stated that, if th8 meeting ended there, there would he nothing done. He was of opinion that the public conscience would not be satjsfied unless Napier acknowledged itself to be WTong and did something to clear the matter up. As matters stood, it was a ioregone conelusion that any effort the loeal club made in the next four or fivo years was doomed to failure. A- bigger thing than the £100, that might never have come to Gisborne, was involved. No Ill-Feeling, Tho Mayor stated that he desired to emphasise that Gisborne contended that the lady who won in the final was not eligible to be a candidate. The Napier cemmittee was taking the stand that the young lady was eiigible. There was no ill-feeling. It was necessary to leassure the public that a similar thing would. not oeeur in the future. Tho speaker could quite understand Mr Bpiller's desire to see a full entry of candidates appear befora the judges. If they eotld get an assurance from Napier that Napier had made a mistake, the speaker thought that the difficulty might be got nver, "It seems to me tbat Gisborne '» conscience can be satisfied if they can get my committee to sacrifice me and pay a sum of money," stated Mr Spiller. Mr Coleman 's own opinion wae that the money did not matter. Mr Gambrill pointed out that, ae trustees of a contest, Napier had paid out the inoney to the wrong* persqn. It appeared that Mr Spiller had made an innocent mistake. It was not a question of Napier sayiflg that Mr Spiller was wrong; it was a question «jf Napier saying that the Napier Club was wrong. The following motion, moved by Mr Gambrill, and seconded by Mr Anderson, was carried unanimously: "That this meeting thanks tlie Napier delegates for their attendance, but regrets tbat it is not satisfied with tbe explanation offered; eonsiders that some amends should be -made to tho general public by the Napier- Thirty Thousand Club and expects tliat club to make sucb amends as will satiafy public opinion and the beBe committees. ' ' On the motion of Hr W. J»" kina, the meeting also unanimously j,assed a xesolution expressive of its confidehc# in the integrity of Mr Spiller.