FIGHTING IN COMMITTEE.

Patea Mail, 28 May 1881, Page 4

FIGHTING IN COMMITTEE.

School Committees in Dunedin have a method of settling disputes which, if rather troublesome and risky, is at least effectual in the end, besides saving a considerable amount of time that would be devoted to prolix discussion. They reason with their fists, as the following will show. Violence was resorted to at a recent meeting of the St. Leonard’s School Committee. It seems a clerical error had been made in the minutes and to this the irrepressible H. S. Fish referred in forcible language. This led to a hot discussion, in which the words “ liar,” “ blackguard,” were used pretty freely. Afterwards Mr Fish seized the minute-book, and being pursued by an enemy, rushed into a corner of the room, calling upon all his fellowcommitteemen who were not cowards to come to the rescue. This entreaty did not meet with much response, for there was only one who had sufficient chivalry to rush to Mr Fish’s defence. The remainder jammed him in a corner, when one of their number (Mr Drake) recovered possession of the book, and handed it on to another committeeman. Mr Fish then seized Mr Drake by the throat, and Drake “ let out” at him. Only one blow was struck, but this knocked Mr Fish down. He fell sideways on to the corner of the desk, and, with the desk, went to the floor, breaking three of his ribs. Doubtless “ the subsequent proceedings interested him no more.”