SUNDAY NIGHT POLITICAL MEETING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2426, 9 May 1922, Page 2

SUNDAY NIGHT POLITICAL MEETING.

LABOUR PARTY APPLIES FOR - TOWN HALL. APPLICATION REFUSED. ON CASTING VOTE OF MAYOR. At last night’s Borough Council meeting a letter was read from the Foxton Braneli of the Labour Party making application for the use of the Town Hall on a Sunday night for the purpose of hearing a political address by Mr Holland M.P., leader of the N.Z. Labour Party.

Cr. Whibley in moving that the request be granted said that the meeting was to he of an instructural nature.

The Mayor said that he was opposed to the motion. He said that there was only one day in the week set aside for the worship of God, but there were six days in the week in which to talk politics. He considered the meeting would be of a “destructive” rather than an “instructive” elm rn et e r

Crs. Coley, Walker and Thompson agreed with the Mayor. Cr. Martin said that the above Councillors had not taken up that attitude previously with regard to other meetings held in the Town Hall on Sundays. He considered there was not one person in n thousand who respected Sunday. Mr Holland on his present tour was restricted for time and the night set aside for Foxton was a Sunday night, hence the request. If the Council would not grant the request the Labour Party would go elsewhere.

Cr. Whibley said he had hoped that the political side of the question would not have been brought up at the meeting. How was it that the Council Imd previously let the Hal! on a Sunday night to the Prohibition Party? The question was whether the Council was going to accept the £1 for the rent of the hall and help l<> swell its funds, or whether they were going to let the money go elsewhere? Cr. Smith said that in view that other towns had similarly let their halls, he considered it only a fair tiling that the Council should accede to the request. The Mayor moved an amendment that the halt be not-let to the Labour Party for use on a Sunday night. The amendment was carried on the casting vote of the Mayor, Councillors Coley, Walker, Thompson and Ross voting for and Councillors Whibley, Martin, Smith, Rand, Bryant against. The decision met with murmurs of disapproval from the Labour members of he Council.