FINAL SCENES

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1928, Page 1

FINAL SCENES

AT SYDNEY TOWN HALL. aldermen surrender, keys. SYDNEY, Dec. 29. There were gloomy scenes at the Town Hull yesterday. During the past few weeks the doomed Labour aldermen, have wandered uneasily through the carpeted corridors of the hall, morose and sullen. But these unhappy scenes were exuberantly gay compared with yesterday’s disconsolate happenings. Birst of all a small party of cleaners captured the Lord Mayor’s room with a vacuum cleaner, whipped the pictures off the wails, and the tapestries from the windows, and deposed the Lord Mayor. They proceeded to “clean up” the room for the new Civic Commissioners. Laetr in the day, as each alderman wandered in, seeking consolation, the Lord Mayor’s officer gently, but quite iirmly, asked for his keys. These were surrendered reluctantly, and the aldermen gathered up their few possessions of hooks and papers and the like, and renewed the search for consolation.

Finding none, they walked out into rain-swept George street, like timid husbandmen hounded off their little holdings by hard-hearted bailiffs.

In a few days, with the expiry of the year, the last cruel blow will be struck at the dispossessed aldermen; they will be requested to return their gold tram passes, token and sign of the citizens’ regard for the civic lathers. In 192 S the cry of “Fares, please.” must not be disregarded. The past few weeks at the Town Hall have been extremely uncertain ; unhappy cue day. hopeful the next, for it was sometimes asserted that the Premier’s plans were doomed to failure.

Before this, however, the scene was vastly different. Each afternoon the Labour aldermen gathered in the Lord Mayor’s parlour, a place of hearty (and free) wassail and cheery gossip. Over a glass of Scotland s famous product. or a cup of excellent tea, they discussed amidst cigar smoke the questions of the shining hour.

When the Government sounded the death knell of the aldermen the scene changed. The days dragged on to Christmas. The Chief Commissioner was apponted. and the Civic Commission was complete. The Yuletide was spoiled. THE LAST GOOD-BYE.

The last sad scone in this unhappy drama will take place on Tuesday. The formalities will lie very brief and. so the Lord Mayor explained yesterday. the ceremony will he “wit.iont military honours.” By Tuesday all the aldermen will have vacated the building, with the exception of the Lord Mayor. What will happen will he something like the following:— The Lord Mayer will arrive and. sit in his office, all cleaned and tidied, with ink-wells filled and immacuate blotting paper stationed at various, parts of his desk. Next the three Commissioners arrive, and, upon being ushered into the Lord Mayor’s room and malting tKeir salutations, they will display their commission from the Governor.,