BREEZE AT COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1921, Page 4

BREEZE AT COUNCIL.

“RING UP THE CONSTABLE." MAYOR AND COUNCILLOR DISAGREE. There was a breezy passage during the meeting of the Patea Borough Council on Tuesday evening, during which the Mayor called for a constable to have a councillor removed. The council was discussing a tender for the hydro plant, etc., and the Mayor explained that the tender was for duty paid. Cr. Grainger said were the plant to be made in England it would be 25 per cent cheaper cn account of no duty being charged. His Worship: Please sit down, Cr. Grainger. Cr. Grainger: You have no right to interrupt me. I have the floor. You have no right to speak. His Woivship: I have the right to make an explanation. If you don’t like it, you can lump it. Cr. Grainger: You are not giving me British fair play His Worship: Then leave the room. Cr. Grainger: I shall not. His Worship (to the town clerk): Ring up the constable and I’B have Cr. Grainger put out. The town clerk at this stage leil the room to ring up Constable Armour. His Worship: I have never beeli told that I have never given Britialn fair play. If Cr. Grainger does not apologise he must leave th© room. Cr. Godfrey thought Cr. Grainger had a perfect right to speak, and should not have been interrupted by the Mayor. Cr. Williams said he hoped the councillors would see that things did not go any further. It was a pity that they should get over-heated over & small matter. His Worship -said he had a perfect right to get up and make an explanation if ten councillors were speaking. He was not going to be told that he was not giving British fair play. The town clerk returned and stated that the ’phone was engagedCr. Hore said that ho thought that his Worship was taking an extreme view of the matter. Cr. Grainger said he was quite willing to withdraw the words objected to. He had not meant them in a derogatory sense

His Worship said that settled the matter. They would go on with the business.