SUPPER-ROOM CHARGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1086, 15 April 1913, Page 3

SUPPER-ROOM CHARGES.

At last night’s Council meeting, Cr Richmond moved, and Cr Whibley seconded, that the following items be added to the schedule of the Town Hall supper-room ; Church services, valedictory socials, meetings of ratepayers, and meetings of citizens of any description where the attendance does not exceed too persons, that the prices for same be 5s by day and 7s 6d by night.

The mover said his reason for moving the motion was because there was no provision in the present schedule for letting the supper-room other than for committees and club meetings, and if this motion were passed the Town Clerk would have some guidance in letting the supper-room. Cr Whibley considered this matter had been sufficiently discussed at the previous meetingSince then two more instances of the necessity of a motion of the sort were given, as the candidates for the Mayoralty had held meetings in the Masonic Hall apparently for the reason that there was no price fixed for the supper-room for such purposes. Bv delaying the motion further they were losing business. Cr Speirs said the motion proposed the same charge for churches as other bodies, and he certainly would not agree to that. It would mean that the church would have to pay xcs 6d for their two services on Sundays, and this was altogether too much. lu auy case, he thought the matter could very well be left for the new Council to deal with.

Cr Coley considered the prices were alright. It was no good haggling about the matter, and they might as well pass the motion and get it finished.

Cr Richmond said it was not bis intention to ask the churches to pay 12s 6d, but he considered 7s 6d would be a fair charge. Cr Coley said the charges for churches should be left as at present until the completion of the church now in course of erection.

Cr Whibley said that ia seconding the motion he did not intend that the present arrangement with the Methodist Church should be interfered with. There seemed to be some-doubt as to how the present arrangement was made with the Methodist Church, and he would like to ask if the price was fixed by motion of the Council. The Town Clerk said the matter did not come before the Council, but after the fire the late Mayor had made the arrangements. Cr Richmond said the proper procedure was for the Mayor to have called his Council together, and if this had been done he had no doubt that the Councillors would have been agreeable to let the Church have the supper-room lor the cost of the gas, but be did not think it was right to make the arrangement in a q underhand manner, as had been done. The Mayor said it was not fair to say that underhand work had been done.

Cr Speirs said that, as Cr Richmond was so generous as to Suggest that the supper-room would have been let to the Church for the cost of the gas, he might now leave the. churches out of his motion altogether. The only occasion on which the room would be used for the purpose would be in case of a church being burned, and he thought under such circumstances it would not be fair to make a higher charge than at present. Cr Richmond said that a number of people in the borough thought that the Town Clerk was taking too' much into his own hands, and through not having matters of this description laid down for his guidance, was causing people to talk in this strain. He agreed with Cr Speirs that churches should receive more lenient treatment than other bodies.

The motion, on being put, was carried.