THE SOCIALIST CANDIDATES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11485, 19 January 1903, Page 5

THE SOCIALIST CANDIDATES.

ADDtRBSSES IN CATHEDRAL SQUARE.

About two hundred people attentively listened to, and frequently applauded, ad dresses delivered by two candidates foi .seats on the Tramway Board, Messrs £ Gobns and €. Casimir, who spoke on Saturday night, in Cathedral square. Hie chairman (Mr Southwaxk) announced both I candidates *s nominees of the Socialist i Party. In their speeohes the candidatee dealt chiefly with the desirableness of the tramways being under municipal control. The mover of the vote of thanks to the candidates ventured the opinion that in this inspect the speakers had, as he put ■Jt. "been punching a <iead herse," as the j majority of the candidates had expressed i their sympathy wiw municipal control. ! The'TSbairman, in introducing the *-p«ik- ; ers, opined that those piwent knew soia-*----tihing of the success which had attended the municipal control and working cf tramj ways and otner public service. Of far I more importance to the work: ,, . , * than the earning of large profits h;»4 bt<?n i!w restriction of the hours of trumway employees, which had been brought about by the Hiunicipal-sation cf the tramway!! in different and towns iai Enplaaj, M'here nwn wlio had pre\-iously worked fa'iteen or sixteen hottrs per day for a- mere pittance, now worked hours per day under deoent cordit or..<=.

Mr Gr-.hr.s first refenv.i to h's refusal to be inter vkwea, cud K3:d that in dcing p> be had no d:sj« to insu't t':.c roport-:r

or -he paper lie r..:jiK.<er.:.eJ, b«:- ho cor.- ! thii. t.andMftfs for tmuropil office, lite --cvse for paili;-.:in:..;.ir'- honours, ow-.'d a duty to the c-Icvlxt.--. m:.l siumid adcirefcw them. A candidate should pkdgo hiita.-If to th-.> aa<i not to any particular individual. Inferring Lα die plants of the existing train- ; way companies, ho. p'«3ircd himself not to support i<flv yroposa.: to buy tlieui, although lie rccnainisvd that the Board, whfn elected, would havo to r.inke seine provision for retaining v por:".i>n of tJie plaiits for tho cc-nves.ie.nc* of the public. He would oppose any proposal that the trams should be constructed or run by a syndicate, &&d in support of municipal control she quoted the experience of Blackpool (England), "which, he said, had a population about the same as <bhat of the Christchurch tramways district. In one y*ar the cash balance of the tramways' account amounted to something like £15,000, and after deducting working expenses, etc., they had a surpiue of £2000, of which £1717 had been placed to tie credit of the g«ieral.rate account. In-Glasgow, in twentythree years, the corporation bad received from the tramway and omnibus company for concesscons the stun of £63,000, whilst from the fiist year's working of tne municipal tramways the corporation, after paying working expanses, had a credit balance of £100,648, of which £9000 had been placed to the credit of the general rate account. He believed that under municipal control better conditions would be obtained for tie employees, both during the conetruction and the working of the lines. Hβ did not believe in class distinctions, or that the Board should consist of memoers representing one. party only. He had no personal knowledge of tramway conetruction—he was not in that line—but he held that his judgment waa quite as good as that of any other man. He was quite capable of representing them on the Board, and he believed he wee better qualified to represent the mass of the constibueate than a great number of the candidates who were stand* mg. Under municipal control he contended they would not have higher fares on. holidays, as compared with the ordinary faro;, as were now charged on ihe line to the A. and P. Association's Show Grounds or to Lancaster Park. He considered that candidates had no rig-ht to expect election to tlve Board unCees they addressed the electors, and gave them on opportunity to question them. Mr Christian Casimir, whose address was characterised by muoh energy, said be recognised that the important 'question with ; regard to the tramways was that of public ;or private ownership. No member Whouid be elected to the Board with a free hand. Aβ a social democrat he declared for public ownership",, and he pointed out that Mr 1 Chamberlain, when mayor of Birmingham, had contended that all public seryioes should ba municipalised. He also quoted figures showing the success of municipally-manag-id public services. With regard to the Middjeborough municipal tramways, he said the employees worked nine hours per day, and got f ourbesa days holiday psr annum on full pay, and contended that under public ownership the employees, being joint shareholders, coujd have a say in the conditions under which they worked. Mr Wigram, Mr Stead, and other gentlemen said they were in favour of municipal tramways, but qualified their statement by saying that should circumstances arise they might alter their view*. He wished hie hearers to understand that he would fight uncompromisingly for public oirnwefcip. Hβ contended that some of the candidates Jiad a finger in the pie of past of municipal affairs in this city. In reply to a question, Mr Casimir said he was not a freeholder; In* qualification being a residential one.

Mr Gohns, in reply to a question, stated that if elected lie would do aJJ in his power to have the Board's meetings held at night. If thai were done he would hare no difficulty in giving tba necessary time to hie duties as. a member of it. Hβ. complained t&ai meetings oa important public questions were held in the day-time,> with the result thaf the representatives of the workers were 1 nuctiesstlly excluded from attending. Mr Robbie moved—"That this nwetiag thanks Messrs Gohns nod Casimir for their addresses and sympathises with the views expressed by them." He contended that as the majority of the candidates approved municipal coßtool, the question of importance was whether labour was «utitled to representation on the Board. He believed that the workers formed something like 80 per cent, of the population. He thought Mr Wigram's reply to the Trades' and Labour Council's question re wages was nob without a trifle of flippancy, and gave the impression that the Board -would take a case to the Arbitration Court. He alleged that the rolls io connection with the approacbnlg'eleetion bad &een illegally closed, and abould have been kept open till five o'clock «n tlie fourteenth day before the date of the election.