OUT OF TUNE

NZ Truth, Issue 1216, 21 March 1929, Page 6

OUT OF TUNE

irouoie Among 1 tie Dunedin Clans > . '•■■•■.'.'•".' : FEELING~RUNS HIGH ' '.'■ .-'!• '■ •'*'■■■"■■ „i"' ' ■ . . •> ' (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative). . V Staunch as might be the patriotism of the Scot, when Scots-/ men quarrel between themselves it is usually a case of "No ; [ quarter, and no prisoners!'' .. **. • So it was m Dunedin Men, at a special meeting of the Otago Piping and Dancing Association, officers and committee-men were ousted from office, en bloc — boots and all!

THAT, for some time past, trouble has been brewing m the kilties' camp was well known m Dunedin, but it was never anticipated that the bubbles of dissension were but the forerunners of a veritable upheaval," Never m the history of bagpipes m Dunedin has there been suoh a stir among the patrons of the -tartan, and if "N.Z. Truth" is any . Judge, it will take a lohg time to bridge the chasm left m the Otago, Piping and Dancing Association by the business effected at a special" meeting held recently^ *'-. Murmurs of dissatisfaction m the alleged tactics of certain officers, it seems, developed Into*. a division m the camp. ' i Members took "sides," and so .strong i "*v*as the feelirig of discontent that a special riieeting had to be convened for the purpose of dealing with the following notice of ' motion, signed by eight financial members of the body: — "(1) To. ballot for the candidates for membership of the.' Association who r were duly nominated at the, meeting of the Otago Executive on December 10; 1928: •' .-'■■ '■'.'.. "(2) To deal with the -following noi tice of motion duly lodged with : the i Centre executive by. Mr. P. A. Cheyne, Dunedin, viz., ; 'That, m accordance with the Association Rule .45 (a), the . whole of the officers and all other members of the executive of the Otago centre as elected at the annual meeting

original notice of motion cannot deny that Instead of effecting a "clean-up" — as was intimated before the meeting was formally opened — they have done the Otago Piping and Dancing Association- a grave and almost irreparable Injury. The object of voting out the whole of the office-bearers, It seem?, was to rid the committee ; of the alleged black sheep by reinstating the non- offenders, thus < avoiding personalities. In this, the instigators failed miserably, and only suooeeded In defeating their own object, for not only did they, oust the supposedly bad-marks, but, they robbed the centre of piany valti- : able and conscientious officers. - - If the dissenters had one speck' of ' '. courage m their convictions they; would have ventured a special meeting ; arid named thoße whom they were considered', were doing the "underhand" i . work and were qualified for dismissalfrom office' V Having been voted out by a majority ; of 31 to 24, those officials who were' conscience-clear about the whole 1 paltry business, felt that it was only adding insult to Injury when their names: were mentioned for re-nomina-tion. * Consequently, thirteen of the fifteen' former committee-men and the presi- . dent, secretary and treasurer all hastened to decline when their names

be removed from ■-''.- .■■■■■>.■ .were called for ire- • ; office forthwith as - - -.-■'•': .- lristatement; . y ■ a body; and that — v j jr ' T Five life > mem- > all the usual of- / l/l/ifC vVPYP A Ifi^pH hers, who wero fleers^ and all other UUUId rrp/C \*IWKU nominated decllnY members of the ' ■ -■' ed office, and one

executive be elected forthwith m their place to carry on . the business of the. executive until the next annual general meeting of the centre." That there was to be no soft-soaping i about the business was very evident i when, as .members commenced to roll up to the meeting, each was requested . to sign his name and address m. a register.' ' il ■- , . ; Y ■ Before the ' meeting was declared open, the. doors were closed and each name called out and checked by the . secretary.. , : Anyone not financial had to pay up or forfeit his right to a vote. . It was a canny move, and- profitable— very. . Much wrangling over the right to vote •■'! or .otherwise ,m respect of several outside delegates disclosed the bitterly serious .motive of the meeting, and from rule- books an.d written legal opinions the first shots were fired m this battle-royal of pipers arid reel-sters. i The atmosphere, was; electric,, and even . before the gentleman • who appeared .' to be chief- spokesman arid general for the "opposition" .could move that the business be idone, iri camera,, "things" were said arid "daggers" drawn, v. - Although the Press was allowed to remain m the room, details -of what transpired cannot -be published. From a commonsense point of view, the whole thing seems to have been a fiasco, and those responsible for the

veteran /whose i name, has been associated with y the 'society from the first-day that ever, s there was wlrid.in an Otago bagpipe, y refused, point-blank, to .have anything' ; to do with the society. V . "You can strike my name right out I altogether," he announced, without any ' I beg-pardons of manner. -.'-."/; -■■■. As things stand at present, the centre is without a secretary, and from I all accounts this vital office will remain l m the air until It is taken up by some y s professional secretary. r ■ Jocularly, the , leader of the "oppo-' > sition," after the meeting, observed i that if no good. had come out of- the proceedings, • m the one sense, the centre hadxbeneflted iri the collection of subscriptions to the sum of about £ 20 . which otherwise it would never have . seen.'; ' '„', .' -\ : '. ■'■■■'. ■■' -v.-'/ „ '; -y - '•;'■ But that is a sour grapes ,solace, and; ''Truth" has , rip hesitation' m saying that it will be many a ; day before the bonds of kinship can-.- repair the. rents m the Qtago^P.yandp. -Association, .r,. .^■••Frbm^^hat'- ; we.'knoiw- about thetrue [' ! Scot, he is a'nian to • speak- his mmd [ and if he' has anything to say about ( anyone, he says it arid makes no -ones j . about it. . ",'" --"...'YV. . Obviously, then, those who feltydisi approval m the way things were being-,. :'. conducted for the centre, should have, singled them out andgiven them a' fair , tribunal' on an outspoken charge, m- V , stead of casting a stigma upon every '' i one of the office-bearers. y , ,-. t