RICCARTON BOROUGH ELECTION.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18364, 23 April 1925, Page 13

RICCARTON BOROUGH ELECTION.

LABOUR CANDIDATES' ' ADDRESSES.

Tour' of tho Labour candidates for geats on the Riccarton Borough Coun-cil-Messrs R- T- Daly. J. A. McCnl- •'" lough, G. H. Thompson .ind 15. "Wilson —addressed a well-attended meeting m i' tj, 0 Torn Hall in Clarence road last I evening. An apology for absence was read from Mr F. J. Rradnock, another V candidate, who was ill. It was pointed out by the speakers ili»t there had been no representatives of Labour on tho Council since 1911. \ flW i they declared that the government 'of tho Citizens' Association had ■definitely and badly failed. The policy of the Council, they contended, had : been 'timid, hesitant, dilatory and in- ' -effective. It had taken the Council thirteen years to secure a steam roller —in the meantime relying on private citizens rolliiie the roads with pneu- . .malic tyres. The. record o; the Council :demonstrated that it had not 'learnt the difference between wise economy and petty cheese-paring. The Labour Party, therefore, offered no .npology for forcing a. contest on tho present oocrsion. The policy of the Labour Party, if elected, would he first of all , (to find out what were tho influences i which had prevented tho Council from ■l 'taking action in regard to tho removal i. of tho saleyards from the district; } secondly to enquire into the surest .ind ; quickest process of Retting the eale- ■ yards removed ; thirdly, to intist that tho Council shall immediately adopt the process and act upon it. * Regarding the roads, sewers "and water thev would endeavour to pet fair treatment for tho southern part of tho borough. Jfa.nr' of the roads in thij.area were in an abominable condition. Hates were contributed evenly all over the district, . but expenditure was largeiv Concentrated on the northern part. Thev did not favour a-large capital expenditure on tar- _ settled roads until the question of water supply had been go.,e into. It was no use attempting to lav sewers unless a plentiful supply of "water was available. The sum of £SOO a. year was at present paid for fire protection, but. experience had proved that no Protection was given to <i building which' (Slight fire. By the time the brigade arrived and connected up with tho nearest ditch or stream" there was little but ashes to put wit.' Xo great improvement could he effected without ,» water supply. A Labour majority I in tho Council would not increase the general rate in the borough, as this , ms already at a maximum. i Mr Thompson, who acted as c.'iairnian. s;ii:l that up to date the "Citiwns' Association candidates had issued i no manifesto. i'orh:>p? they thought they had reigned vo long in. office that r it was beucxth their ilijruiiv to place anything before Ilia ratepayers. The present Council h:uJ lieen'in office two rears, and it was d lo to the ratepayers' that they should he supplied with a cop\ of the balance sheet, but inquirers Jiad been told that it was not ready. v The Council would have to face considerable expenditure in the near future, and the ratepayers were entitled to know how the accounts stood far tho past two years, 'so that they would know what to expect in the siext year or so. Riccarton could be mad© *'c of the best suburbs of the city ' without a great deal of expenditure. ! ," Mr Wilson said hfr did not profess lo know what'the Citizens' Association ' itood for. They knew, however, that t \lio Association bad failed in the idj falnistrntion of the borough's affairs. <MJe district was in a shocking condition so far as every convenience. was Concerned. His rates,-had gone up a* an alarming pace, but yet he received no more benefits to-day than he got ; eleven years ago. The paleyß*ds wero In, menace to the community from a , health point of view. That evening at twenty minutes past seven a mob of jibout 300 cattle tad been driven! through the borough and some or

them had broken into a ratepayer's ; garden and had terrified his children. i., A tokc : How do you propose to ft remote lb Km?

The speaker: Ry refusing to give a i liefust- The saleyards had prevented L tho l>orouo;h from joining the city. SpC Voices: Why? ?» „ The speaker: Because the health |" authorities would not permit such salos < to '** held within the city boundary. ? Voices: Nothing of the sort. Of p eourso they would.

■ Tho diairniaii here related the policy of the Labour Party in connexion with the f.ale\ards. Mr AVil»on concluded by saying that / the Labour Party were not popular > because they were a progressive party. Mr Daly gave it as his opinion that iv tho Labour Party were popular and t increasingly so, as was indicated by , f the fact that titled people were ioininp np lutli the Lobour Party in tlie-Old „' Country. Ho n<lvocatpd high water »« pressure tjnks all over the district instead of first pumping water up to the hills where- it was contained in largo s reservoirs and then released all over ' " tho place Ho thought the electrical KTStem of tho district was one of tho u finest m tho Dominion. He would , like, however, to see more use made of * alcrtric cooking utensiih at a ivery '"■ reasonable price. Neither himself not' ; his colleagues were anxious to become : ' members of tho Council, hut they thought it was their duty to come for- -__ WMia tho public interest. His aim !'"" would bo to extend the uses of elccr tnoity and to remove the salcyarde. ;j Mr McCullough said ho'thought tho *j< Borough Council -were to be congratuI fluted on Laving "bearded the lion in his .I'uV in t,,at t ' ie,v * a Pproa'ehed the Highways Board,, and ho was to have read in the newspapers i\* at * 6ast k*d n success^u l- * or y«o past thirty years he had advocated fito removal of the saleyards—a menace J» health and lives in the district. ; ho wanted to know was what I Js*> tbo malign influence at work for I Wretention of the saleyards. The" of tho borough had not been j ■Jf 4 ]? ' n *° force, and he was going to ' Li f Bad out why, whether as a councillor 08 a r,a,c P , ' l . ver - It' returned to the lie would not promise them u j > -.ttnunal of the saleyards, but he would |j'Promise to find out the reason why they £ ojUl not been removed. The Labour would enquire into the advisnbil- j of establishing a municipal dairy * n "i a municipal bakery in the district. *iio municipal dairy in Wellington had Prored a huge success, and there was t a " reason why the Ricecrton residents < not avail themselves of a similar ' s achemc which would save them a great **? of money. Municipal bakeries lr TU»d been advocated bv Sir Francis Dilt !ta Bell ' nc t,lo "S ht " th e Labour cani '■, ?' atcs wer e entitled to support, as they L ""Cro attempting "to put their house iu j ;? order." °

Sjf questions were asked and £ aasvrcred. /i «a\i membcr of the present Council L ii Slft^ 0 GoVcrnmenv would not recogw- »?k tllo as a menace. f tl f cnairmaß expressed " tho hope ¥ tDc Citizens' Association would > s i?s° forward with a meeting and place policy before the ratepavcrs.

'awl: -i-l I'ge Lansbury'-i description of i Empire as having been built Mce, chicanery, low cunning. >ds which in private life we doom," recalls what Lord Mil-said to another Little » ."The honourable member," John, -with one of his raro fit, "tells us that he is sick at of patriotism. I can tell E%e is something worse—the '•patriotism."