ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1923, Page 4

ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN

A Ti.MARC INCIDENT. TIM ABC. June I. An iimiMial position arose at today's meeting of the Timaru Harbour Board, when the matter of the chairman's position was discussed. At the annual meeting of the , hoard last mouth .Mr D. ('. Turnbull and .Mr \Y. I layman were both nominated tor the position of eliairm.'in. On a vote being taken hv a show of hands the secretary of'the hoard Mr CL C. AVighliii:iii declared tlm Mr Turnbull had been elected chairman by o votes to I. This decision was accepted tTilmeeting, hut in one of the papers on the following day il was stated that tin- voting had been even, five for and live against each n.-mince. When the hoard met- ibis morning Mr Turnbull seed that ho had an explanation milk."- before business commenced. Ai the last meeting of tin- board the secretary hml declared on ihc voting the he w.iis elected chairman, hut on reading tec newspapers the following illuming he noticed that the voting was sialvd to fie even, lie wrote to Air (layman and suggested that the matter should fie either cousidi-re-l ai l-he next meeting or at a special meeting. Mr llayman had asked him , to carry oil until the meeting. Mr llayman -uhl Ihal he Wi.-uld not j I'kc lo take the potmen now. j The •cerctarv said that the tiding j

had liren lour for and live against Mr llayman, and lire for anti lour against Mr Turnbull but ill a newspaper ? port it was stated that l lie voting was even. Mr llayman: You made ihc mistake. Tin- Secretary: No. The reporter rang me up in tin- afternoon and ::-k ed who had voted. Air I. Bilchciu-r mi id that he had raised the question at the hist meet ing that someone had not toted. Ii was compulsory for a man to vote u: else leave tin- l a Me. If the secretari Led taken notice of him they should not he in the present position. Mr Isaac said that they should re pul tin- Maine on the secretary. Everyone present was equally ro-pon-siblo. The secretary .-.aid (lint for tin- information of members lie had consulted lawyers on ibo question as to who'l i• ■ r it was compulsory for members i vote. He read the I'oplv to his inquiries, which was to the effect that members wen- not compelled to vote otto leave ihc table if they did not vole AS’ler discussion it was suggested that Air llayman should withdraw his rosolul ion. 'T won’t withdraw.” said A!) Dayman. “Leave the matter where ii is.” Tie eoiiiinited that he was quite willing to leave Ihc matter as ii was. He would have been prepared to take to the toss of a coin for the position had the question arisen at the lasi Hireling, hut lie had given the marror a. good deal of thought and he wished matters to remain as thev were.

A'- R. Guild said the whole discussion was not in order. The only thing to do was to carry on.

Air llayman said flint if Mr Turnhull had not written to him he would bare “got his hack tin" and have “Died his strength againsi Afr Tunibotl. hut Mr Turnbull had acted ven fairly, and lie would like to leave the matter ns if was.

Ii was decided to do this and Air Turnbull took the clpiir.

As well as looking into art conditions. Mr I timid has boon searching for Cork records and portraits. He inspected many private collections, hut found that many of the portraits of Cook were spurious. As the genuine portraits were chiefly among eolle'dots of relies, they were therefore wnpurebasahle. and Mr lluiilil’s only possible course was to endeavour to point out to the owners that Australia was the most suitable rc-t ing-plitee for Australian historical records, in the hope (hat the ettucx would eventually present or bequeath the relics to Australia. lie \ i-ited Franco, where an Australian copyist has been wot king for s-. .ral s among III" wtLlili of material in the French archives. f< r t’’e piiipn-e of assisting in He solectiuri of importt>■ 11 documents from the Australian viewpoint. Tbe.->- latter contain odicial reeerils of the Pacific expeditions. Air Ifouhl regarded Ibis ; as!: as the most notable part of his (our, and be says be achieved nothing of greater importance.