OFFICIALS RESIGN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 938, 3 April 1930, Page 1

OFFICIALS RESIGN

MIX-UP IN LIFE-SAVING 1 SOCIETY CENTRE NOW LEADERLESS j The chairman, secretary, and assistant secretary of the Auck- I land Centre of the Royal Life- ! saving Society have resigned. A | motion rescinding approval of the ! action of the chairman and secretary in making arrangements ■ for an art union was carried at a j special meeting last evening. The meeting was called to consider this motion. Dr. T. Harold Pettit, chairman of the branch, desired the motion to be treated as a confidence one. If it was carried, he would resign. The motion was carried, whereupon Dr. Pettit resigned. The secretary, Mr. Prust Stewart, and the assistant secretary, Mr. P. Gilchrist, also resigned. It is definitely understood that other members will follow their lead. A curious position has arisen. No one present would undertake the responsibility of convening a meeting to ! replace the resigning officials. As a result, no further diplomas can be issued, nor can the bank account be operated upon. Mr. Prust Stewart said to The Sun this morning: “Dr. Pettit was mainly responsible for the re-forming and building-up of the society in Auckland. It will be very difficult to replace him with as capable a man.” Last. Sunday the centre held competitions on Milford Beach for the Pirate Shippe Shield. “HAD REASONABLE OFFER” DR. PETTIT’S STATEMENT “The position,” said Dr. T. H. Pettit, when questioned bi r The Sun, “is this: As secretary of the Ponsonby Swimming Club and quite apart from his position on the Life-Saving Society, Mr. Stewart co-operated with the Grammar Swimming Club in a scheme for the floating of an art union. “The Life-Saving Society was approached and offered one-third of the proceeds if it agreed to come in with the proposal. No work or money was entailed on the part of the society. Naturally, we accepted the offer. “Authority was/ received from the chairman of the governing body at Christchurch, in which city the New Zealand Council meets. Furthermore, the articles of the- association of the Koval Life-Saving London, give full authority. “Howpver, certain other clubs connected with the soci€*.ty in Auckland objected. They wished to come in on an equal footing. “Though they were the very people who would benefit from any proceeds that went to the society, their delegates last evening passed the motion rescinding approval of the action of myself and Mr. Stewart.” No one would undertake to call a meeting to elect new officials. As a result the whole of the society’s work was at a standstill. One hundred teachers at the Training College were waiting to go through their tests. Dr. Pettit mentioned the fact that two years ago the life-saving movement in Auckland was practically i dead. Today, apart from the present | contretemps, it was in an extremely I flourishing condition.