MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 484, 17 April 1909, Page 7

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

DR. NEWMAN AT MARANUI

Councillor Morrnh presided at a meeting addressed by Dr. Nowman at tho Schoolliouso, Marauui, last evoning. In introducing tho candidate, Councillor Monah lemarkcd that Dr. Newman's exponenco in the City Council, as a member of Parliament, and in other public capacities, well fitted him to fill tho Mayoral chair. Dr. Nowman stated ho had been a mombor of tho City Council, a member of Parliament, and a member of tho Education and Hospital Boards Committee, and so had served a valuable apprenticeship, and had established his fitness to occupy tho Mayoral clinir. He i ecretted that ho had not como there full of promises, as owing to-tho depressed stato of trade and finance, borrowing would have- to ceaso for at least a year, and, therefore, ho was not in tho happy position to mako promises as Mayoral candidates in tho past had bcon able to do. If olected as Mayor he recognised that'a lot of timd and thought would have to bo given to tho duties of office, and he considered that no man could run it as a side lino. Ho would bo able to dovoto the whole of his timo to the work. It had -been reported that at his Newtown mooting ho had 3tated that he thought the depicssion would last fivo or six years* What no intended to say was five or six months. Ho thought the worst of,tho;Dad times wero over, and with tho spring he was suro thero would bo a healthy, revival all round. A vote of thanks and confide ice was adopted unanimously. , HON. J. RIGG AT BROOKLYN. Tho Hon. J. Rigg, M.L.C., addressod the electors at Fullford's Hall, Brookljn, last evening. Mr. J. Barras, president of tho Brooklyn Branch of tho Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, presided. Discussing the finaaces of the city, Mr. Rigg .pointed out that even if no further loans wore raised a good deal conld bo done out of revenue to provide for new works. Nearly £50,000 had been spent out of rovenuo during the past.financial jear. Of this amount the suburbs had received £12,000, of which Chiro had received £3295. He discussed at length tho tramway and lighting services, pointing out their capacity as re-venue-producing enterprises which could bo applied to the reduction of rates. He regarded the lighting of tho Brooklyn streets by electricity as a work of urgency. It was better not to hurry the question of taking ovor the gasworks. Ho described a special tramway car recommended by Mr. Stuart Richardson, electrical engineer, for the Brooklyn traffic, which has been approved by tho Tramway Committee of the City Council. These cars would each accommodate : 60 persons, and would prevent tho present coni gestion of traffic whilo increasing the public safety. In reply to a question, Mr. Rigg said that before any portion of the Town Belt could bo used for -workers' homes a special Act of Parliament would be necessary. This was a safeguard that must be taken into consideration when dealing with this question. ■ - Tho candidato was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. MR. BOLTON'AT THE CENTURY HALL. Mr. F. G. .Bolton addressed a well-attended meeting at tho Now Century Hnll last night, Mr. Stephen Miller presiding. The candidato m addition to outlining his policy as to tramway administration, went fully into tho question of his proposed Haining Street sito for municipal markets, and advanced figures to show that the purchase must result in a gain to tho city oil a resale in tho event of fch/> markots proving a failure. Hβ also emphasised the,fact that the site would, besides wiping out a slum area, give a widened thoroughfare- at no cost and provide a profit on the resalo. Further, the general improvement of all property in Te Aro would- ultimately mean an increase in rates by reason of the enhanced valuation. In tho matter , of appointiiKmts-jho-ifavoitred local men every time, all other things being equal. This had boon his attitude' , consistently 'on/ all other bodies on which ";ho had sorved: In" criticising the expenditure on city roserves in the direction of establishing elaborate garden plote, which tho whole of tho ratepayers never saw, tho speaker urged that this money should, bo spent in planting tho Town Belt ami laying the foundation which would ultimately mako tho surroundings of tho city as attractive as Dunodin. Mr, Bolton wont on to criticise tho non-borrowing policy outlined by Councillor Fisher, remarking that this was not consistent with tho fact that Councillor Fisher was a member of the Financo'Committee, which brought down tho olabornto loan soliemo which wa3 rejected by tho ratepayers. Replying to a question, Mr. Bolton said that ho was in fa\our of submitting the question of the establishment of I a Firo Board to tho decision of ratepayers. Thoro wero many arguments for and against tiro proposal, and tho question was ono tho '. ratepayers themselves should be allowed to settle. I On tho motion of Mr. Geo.-Treadgokl, a vote of thanks and confidence was passed. - ' MR. "WILFORD AT SYDNEY STREET. Mr. T. M. Wilford addressed a meeting in Sydney Street Schoolroom last night, Mr. 1 T. Wilson presiding. The speaker devoted I most of tho eienuiß to a criticism of {he II depreciation funds of the City Council, the Glasgow municipality, and the "Wellington Harbour Board. He said it had been stated that- Glasgow provided a depreciation fund . of 7$ por cent, on its tramways, that the t City Council provided 2] per cent., and the I Harbour Board 5 per cent, on their property. , Mr. Wilford pointed out that the Glasgow j fund of 7J per cent, was an avcrago, and . it was necessarily high on account of tho hugo . traffic and the constant lenenals required j to tho overhead wires through tha action ot j acids from tho chemical manufacturing j works - through which tho tramway passed, f Though tho 7 J per cent, uas allowed for de--3 preciation of rolling stock, Glasgow charged J the depreciation with nil renewals, and con(j sequently real depreciation of their assets j only averaged 4J par cent. "Wellington proI; vided tho ?amo deprecic.tion rate of 7} per j cent, on tho rolling stock, and 6J per cent. on rails and fish plates; again tho City Council charged depreciation on permanent way in which was included concrete bods and tramway cutting as :\t Brooklyn with a n 1 per cent, rato, and this rate was chargc- > able for a property worth £100,000. Glas--6 gow allowed no depreciation for this. The y Harbour Board chp.rgo of 5 per cent, for ded preciation was worked on reducing balances, -- whilst the City Council depreciation was :, worked out'on original cost. If ono leferreil ;. to Dickseo's 'comparative depreciation tables it it would be found that the depreciation rate ■r charged on £1000 at 2J per cent, on an i- original cost basis, as in the city, reduced in 25 years tho £1000 by £687 55,, -nhilo a depreciation iato on the same sum of £1000 at 5 per cent, on a reducing balance system amounted to £723. Consequently tho City Council at 2J per cent, on original cost wrote olf in 25 years only £35 15s. less than tho Harbour Board depreciation rate of 5 por ", cent, for the same period on a. reducing balance system. Tho question would have to fcs bo considered in the future whether tho n council should chargo itself moro interest for k the depreciation funds ,thoy aio Using. It ( was a debatp.blo point worth consideration. ' (1 'Tho meeting concluded with a vote of '. thanks and .confidonco, moved by Mr. ; BodA ioid,w^"C':/:\'' : '■■ '.-.'' '.■ '.'' : .'-' , ; ; '"v■■.•'..■ " Jβ ;:;::-MR.;;,FISHER ATNORTHLAND. , -.'; II .About eighty ejectors assembled 'at- the a, Primitive Methodist Schoolroom 'at N6rth-\ U land, last eyehing hear Mr. F. M. B. ■ Fisher,;M:P:,;one;of the candidates for the e- city Mayoralty... Mr. Fishor spoke mainly on a- tho lines of his previous speeches, with special ! fc reference to the loan contracts relating to the 'ij Wadestown tramways and the* Northland and. 11 Wadestown .water supply and drainago sysr": terns. . Replving to a question. as to whether he would favour tho provision of a publio, library- , and. ■ recreation ground for • tho »•' suburb, Mr. Fisher said that as Northland f ? had beet incorporated with tho city within J " the ■ comparatively : short period of twelve ,':■-. months only, , ho could, not hold out much hopo ' n of either -of tlieso. institutions being granted Y immediately; although he certainly thought 5, that; the-City■Council ought to keep steadily "] in: viow : the requirements and local interests , of thb . out-lying suburbs.. Tho customary.-, 5,1 compliments to the chairman (Mr. W; Clark), I da and the candidate, were accorded ' by the I meeting, at the conclusion,

ISLAND BAY TRAM FAKES.. A mooting of Islinid Buy residents was held last night to recuivo n committee'e voport regarding tram i'nros, nntl to cmisidor tho question of liqininnMiig n cnmlidfito for tho City Connoil. Mr. , R. Kcwio presided over an attendance of iibout 35 i tvmlents. . . ■ ' Mr. A. E. Odlin rqported, on bolmlf of tlio committee-,, tlio City Council's decision to leavo the question over to tho: incoming council. ■■ . '■"•'■. : . ; Mr. G. S. Chisholm moved: "Tlmt tliia meeting of ratepayers and residents of Island Bay, further urges upon tlio City Council tho : necessity for granting to- Islnntl Bay residents tiokots on tho snnio biisia n» that already granted to other sections in the city, ■ namely, tho Nowtown and Constable Streot sections, nnd whilo regretting the inability of tho council to issuo to us Iho concession tickets applied for, accepts tho rccommoiidation of tlio Tramways Committeo .for n 2d. faro to Courteiiny Plnco, and a 2Jd. faro to tho Government Station." Mr. O. Krohn seconded tho motion. Councillor A. H. Hhulmarsh, and a number of other speakers, supported tho motion, which wns unanimously adopted. THE ROLLS. It appears that tho numbering of names of, olectors on tho main roll ia not quite accurate, as tho stamping machine'mado a jump'of 200. This number has to bo deducted, hut ns certain similar names bear the- somo,number, theso N additions liavo to be made. ' Tho actual number on tho main roll is 28,096. Tho ■ supplementary roll contains IHO7 names; therefore the correct number of municipal electors is 30,003. Mr. Bolton will speak at tho Rosencath Schoolroom to-night and at tho Victoria Hallj Nowtown, on Monday night. Dr. Nowman will speak at tho Mission HaJI, T.-.ranaki Street, on Monday ovening. Mr. Fisher will address tho olectors at tho Kelburno Schoolroom on Monday night. Mr. "Wilford will spoak at tho Aro Street Mission Schoolroom to-night, and at St. Luke's Schoolroom, Wadestown, on Monday night. Mr.' "W. A. -Kellow announces his candidature for tho Karori Mayoralty, and invites his supporters to meet him on Monday night at Webb's Refreshment Rooms.' Councillor F. Cohen announces his candidature for a seat on the City Council for a further term. Mr. "W. E Faulkner, of Levin, has boon nominated as a..candidate for tho Borough Council, at the forthcoming municipal election!