THE MAYORALTY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 784, 6 April 1910, Page 9

THE MAYORALTY.

MR. CRAWFORD AT ROSENEATH

MISCONCEPTIONS CORRECTED,

■ The second public address of the city Mayoralty campaign was delivered in the Rosencath Schoolroom last night by Mr. 0. J. Crawford. The chair waa taken by Mr. T. Ward.

Mr. 'Crawford said that. he would, like, at the outset, to make a brief personal explanation. Speaking in the Concert Hall on the previous night, he had referred to the city finances, and had said that when the balance-sheet was published, it would show that the overdraft which a' year ago was £45,000, had been reduced, and he commended the present Mayor and council for reducing it. 'Ho understood. that some of the citizens thought that in those remarks he had discredited the financial, arrangements of the previous Mayor; the Hon. Mr. Hislop and his ! council. He wished to say that he did not discuss the finances' of a year .ago.. He was not ..competent to do so,. I as he had not studied theml

"He had been asked on the previous night whether he was in favour of an appeal 'board for casual employees of the Harbour. Board in cases of dismissal. He found on inquiry that the permanent employees of the board had such an appeal board, but there was a class employed oh the wharf who. were put on from day-to day, or hour to hour, but were more or less in the permanent employ of the: board. They might be,called permanent casuals. ,He thought these men! should have an .appeal board: like, the others. (Hr -J, hear.) ■• There should, however, be some qualification,' so. that 'a- man who ar- ' rived in the oity one night and put in a,; few: hours' work oh the wharf the next day. should ,not have the same right.. •' ■' '.■■-.* Mlramar • and the City. Some people were saying that -because he had been, Mayor of Miramar, he was "standing for the city Mayoralty in; order' to help the interests of' Miramar: (A voice.•"Bosh!") It was bosh, but it was.being- said all over the place. The suggestion was that he was standing_ because he wanted the city boundaries to be extended so as to take in Miramar. He regretted that Miramar had been mentioned, but he would explain the position; A year ago, he and others went into this question. , It was not a question- of asking the city ■ to take in Miramar, but merely of considering whether it would.be in the interest of Miramar to come in. That was a.very different thing. v -They. found that if they came in .the. people of Miramar would have to pay mere rates, and the idea was. then dropped. The rates in Miramar ■ would probably be reduced during: the coming year, and it would therefore be absurd to suppose 'that Miramar would want to come into the, city. He would,: if elected, regard himself, as. a : "trustee for,, the' whole city, and do his duty accordingly. (Hear, hear.) If- any .'suburb thought it was going to any favour' of any sort from him, they; would, .be very much mistaken'.,. At the same -time,'. he would be sympathetic -towards the suburbs, because he thought ,it ; was'the right thing for every''city' to" endeavour to ; broaden its residential area. , ; ' ~:

Oriental Bay and Mount Vlctoria^v/ ,'■'■. Alluding: to■ the...Oriental-'Bay sea-; : fr,ont, Mr. Crawford: strongly -condemn-' ed-the' way in whidrthe wolf MJn'e'.-'hy the corporation there had been schem,ed out. The,boat harbour should not •have been hidden from the :road.. Further' on,-great? sums of •'money were .being.spent in destroying the foreshore, i'lt. .used to .be a beautiful; sandy beach, where scores of children used to play ! (A voice:' "Thousands.").-Now it was • just, stones,'thrown there by order of .the City' Fathers. It was the worst bit of. vandalism he; had seen. about Wellington. (Applause.) Speaking of treeplanting, Mr..Crawford said that Mount Victoria could be as well planted as any other place, if it was : .done. under expert advice. A graded carriage drive could be made to the top, like that at .Mount Royal, which overlooked the city of Montreal. Anything that ■ would grow on the clay banks in various parts ot.the city should be allowed to grow. .(Hear, hear.) It was folly to root out even the: gorse from such places. He had noticed inexcusable neglect of the roads and footpaths. about Rdseneath— (hear, hear)—and he had no doubt he would find " similar neglect elsewhere. Ihe parts also needed more street .lighting. He thought that these .wants could be met by a saving pn._ street-watering and scavenging. The candidate dealt with.,this subject,- and his,proposal for short-dated loans te be spent on wood-blocking-on the same lines as in his address of'the previous night, v /■ .:...( .--■■.. Tramways. AR residents of'the city, would have his sympathy in any proposals for tramway extension that would prove profitabkr. to the .city, but he.' would not further any tramway schemes promoted by land speculators for their own pecuniary gain,. unless they.offered.sufficient subsidies'to : 'make the scheme'a profitable investment for the city, He hadfor many years advocated a connecting link between Newtown and Kilbirnie, but the responsible officers must be consulted. .'•,■..

: In/a concluding appeal'for the support'of- the burgesses, Mr. Crawford alluded to his business success, and said that, though he had; inherited something,.it was not much. -He was a sample of the colonial who had fought his own.battles, and came out ahead. (Applause.) Questions. ,■ In reply to a question, Mr. Crawford said the Oriental Bay beach, which had been destroyed, should be recovered if it could possibly bo done.. If elected as Mayor he would endeavour to undo the'harm that had been done. ..(Applause.).

.In reply to another- question, Mr. Crawford said he sympathised with the desire for better lighting of the foreshores, but he thought that the electric lighting department would , require more capital if it was to adequately extend its business. . ; A vote of thanks and confidence, moved by Mr. J. W. Fletcher, was carried unanimously.