CITY COUNCIL “SCENE.”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8360, 21 February 1913, Page 7

CITY COUNCIL “SCENE.”

HOSTILE VOTE CARRIED AGAINST THE MAYOR. RULING CAUSES TROUBLE. Very abruptly the proceedings of tbe City Council came to an end last night at a quarter past 10 o’clock, when the order paper _ was not half . exhausted and much important business still awaited consideration. The council adjourned on the motion of Councillor Frost as a protest against a ruling by the Mayor, Mr D. McLaren. The trouble began as soon as Councillor Frost, the chairman of the reserves committee, rose to move the adoption of the committee’s report, the first recommendation of which was: That the following resolution passed <m the 18th day of April. 1912, be amended to allow of the treatment of one acre of the said block of 10 acres of section 48, town belt, as hereinafter provided— That with a view of making a start with a comprehensive scheme to beautify the town belt, the city engineer, acting under instructions from the reserves committee, has submitted a plan, to include the block of ten acres lying to the west of Wellington terrace known as section 48, town belt The committee have approved the plan and recommend the. immediate adoption of same se os to give the department ah opportunity of ■malH-np a start with the work daring the coming season. The estimated cost of the work including fencing,, planting, etc., is .£3OO. The land has already been cleared of gorse, and the unplanted portions after fences are erected can be let for grazing purposes in small blocks. And that the Kelbume Bowling Chib be granted a lease of portion (one acre) of the said section 48. town belt, for the purpose of forming a howling green and croqueb green on. the following conditions:— z The xenial to be fixed. by the city The conditions of the leas© to be drawn by the city solicitor under the tends of the Act. • ~ The site to be selected by the city engineer, and the whole of the work to be fairied out to his satisfaction.. OUT OF ORDER. The Mayor said he had to rule the out of order. To accomplish the desired end Councillor Ecost must move it by way of rescission in the ordinary °°“But,” protested Councillor Frost, “you dictated the recommendation yourself. You put it into this shape. The Mayor denied the charge and repeated that the clause was out of 01 Councillor Frost moved ' that the standing orders ho sot aside and the danse proceeded with. '■ “A POSmVE DISGRACE.” Tlmnyh this was not seconded, it was followed by a warm discussion, m the course of which Councillor Fitzgerald was understood, to declare the ruimg of the Mayor was a positive disgrace, . „ , , ~ “Take your seat, sir, ordered the Mayor. “You have no right to say that. The business is being conducted by rule.” Soon' afterwards Councillbr Frost moved that the ruling of the Mayor be disagreed with. ■. The Mayor said that proper notice would have to bo given of,, this. *lt would be just as ..easy . for ..Councillor Frost to give notice to rescind the other notice, while he was about it. “ Well, move that .the council adjourn,” advised Councillor McKenzie. WON’T BE BROWBEATEN. . - Declaring that the recommendation was absolutely as drawn up - by the Mayor and "that bo would not bo browbeaten over it. Councillor Frost accepted the advice, and moved the adjournment as a protest against tbe Mayor s ruling. For a short space there was no seconder, and the Mayor was just declaring the motion to have lapsed when Councillor Trevor seconded it. _ Councillor Shirtcliffe said.he had a distinct recollection that at the last meeting Councillor Frost verbally gave notice of the motion. On a point of order raised by Councillor Fletcher, the Mayor ruled that Councillor Shirtcliffe must confine him-' self to the motidn for adjournment. Councillor Fitzgerald said he would support the motion to adjourn as an indication that it was time the standing orders were circulated, so, that coiincillora might know exactly where they were. Hi* second reason was that when another member of the council moved a similar motion recently no objection was made, and his third was that a committeo chairman should be supported when he made an honest attempt to represent the mind of his committee. The Mayor said it was true that Councillor Frost had com© to him over the matter, but all he had done was to put the clause into proper literary form. On an appeal by Councillor Fletcher the Mayor had to rule himself out of order for getting away from the question of adjournment. CARRIED BY 9 VOTES TO 4Tho motion was carried by 9 votes to 4, the division list being: For the, motion—Councillors Barber, Cohen, Fitzgerald, Frost, Godber, McKenzie, Shirtcliffe, Smith, Trevor. Against the motion—The Mayor, Councillors Atkinson, Fletcher, Fuller, and Hfxidmaish. Councillors immediately gathered up their papers and made for the door. As they did so the Mayor said that they had left him in the position of being unable to seal important documents which had to be sealed that night. “ What are you going to do about it?”" he asked, but no one replied.