THE MAYORALTY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 789, 12 April 1910, Page 3

THE MAYORALTY.

MR. CRAWFORD AT WADESTOWN. WELLINGTON AS A HOLIDAY RESOET. -.•'•■ A''large number of ratepayers assembled in the Wadestown Schoolroom last evening to hear Mr. C. J. Crawford's address in connection with 'the' city Mayoral campaign. Mr. E. Wylie was in the chair. Mr. Crawford dealt with the progress of tho city from the broader point of view, making special'reference to the harbour and its . management. ; He pointed out that, if the dock ,were completed, it would mean a charge of ,£16,000 a year, and that that, plus the increased, dues, ,£17,000,. about to be imposed, .made a total of i£33,0b0, which would have to be made up out of harbour charges, assuming that there waa any permanency about the £17,000; .. .

The candidate said that the point of his references to these larger ■ questions was that he thought that the citizens did not sufficiently realise that they could, by proper management of the -city and its harbowy ensure that business men who had retired would continue to live in Wellington.. .They could also attract large numbers , of up-country people:to come to Wellington for holidays, by development of the beaches/and seaside resorts round about. Wellington, he. said, could be made such a desirable place to live in that large numbers of people would come to the city from all parts of-New Zealand visiting, and this would be a great fillip to. the trade and industry of,the city. ■ Mr Crawford went fully into the rates, giving comparisons with the figures of the past nine years. He dealt with the question of how the increases in valuations had affected the city,.and brought greater funds for expenditure. Eeferring again- to the. matter of; the- upkeep of streets'in the heart of the city, he considered that many economies could be made, releasing funds for expenditure on necessary works in the outlying parts- of the city. Covering his previous remarks .in connection- with tramways, ' Mr. /Crawford ;mentioned'specially the needs of Wadestown, and spoke of possible extensions in the'future. He referred to the questions of drainage and water supply for Wadestown, and mapped-out a scheme for improving that part of the Town Belf&ear Wadestown. .■• Dealing with the city loans, Mr. Crawford explained the,reasons for the want of. provision of sinking, funds,- pointing out those loans which would have his earnest attention if elected. The usual vote was heartily passed.' '

.ME. WILFORD AT KILBIRNIE''. ~M r- ;T, M. .Wilford, M.P.,-candidate for the city; Mayoralty, addressed-a well-at-tended meeting.in O'Donnell's Hall ■Kilbirnie,. last-evening.'■ Captain light was in the chair, r -, . , if Th TO ? w li j ma £' said at he had known Mr Wilford off and on for twenty years, .aud aad; always found him very honourable and straightforward in business, and it they searched through the Dominion dad not htuik they could find a better man to fill the Mayoralty than Mr. WilJord. He.contended that it was an advantage to the city to have a Mayor wnoMvas also a successful member of parliament, because if any convenience was wanted from , the Government he could get.it at once. It was desirable also that the Mayor should be a barris- ' v'?l t -VeTyi; high..grade, '.so that he Bhould be- familiar with legal ■ 'points Kilturnie; had always supported Mr. -Wiland he thought that the can-' didate had a ! very warm-feeling in his f heart for Kilbirnie. "• ■"■■:-.••

'Mr. Wilford said-there was no doubt that-a legal training ; .was of value to a . Mayor, ,w.ho ought to know the Municipal. Corporations Act-and Public Works Aofc; i rom , top, to bottom::■■ If. ■. the Public \Vorks v Act had been' thoroughly understood at the" time of the Byko Corner trouble, thousands of pounds would have been saved to the city. He had a warm corner in, his helrt for and if .he was elected they : would find that their confidence in. him. was not misplaced, and i he would ..be .only too ready to do• ..what-was- jnst to-them,--and to' carry out some of the obligations that in ..the past had been more honoured in the breach'than in the', observance. It had always been a charge--against him ; that he had too much to ■ do. Now, did he look like it? Hβ found that he had too littlo.to'db.' He' had-a lot less work "now that he was no longer chairman of the Harbour :;Bpard, and if he was elected' Mayor ;he .would give, op the' ? Chairmanship of the .House., He would be practically idle if he was not elected. Kilbirnie had suffered from not having a representaiive \on the City' Council who was. a , resident of the district. That should be remedied at the next election.. It was .curious how Eilbtmie had been, overlooked. The amount of J2OOO allocated for ■work- in connection with their reserve had been diverted, he belived, to Duppa Street : A large snm' was supposed to have been'spent'on the Kilbirnie Recreation Ground, but if the amount named had been 'expended it must' have been spent wasteruily. and extravagantly, for they had ; not received value for,,the mpney.- llr. Wilford referred to the defective lighting of the suburb, and stated that the position at Childer's Terrace was absolutely dangerous, but nobody seemed to care. The flighting from' the; hall to the Patent Slip" was a disgrace to. the'district, and it was time these matters were looked into. He had laid before the City Engineer , a scheme for improving the Kilbirnie, tunnel, ■ which was now . under consideration. Mr. Wilford' went on to deal with' the drainage..loan of 1907, urging that citizens should be allowed, in accordance with the, term's of the poll, to connect their premises with the sewers on the deferred-payment system. An amount could be saved by the constitution of a Tire Board, which-would enable all the outside districts to have' their own brigade, appliances. , -.-...- A 'unanimous vote of thanks and confidence was accorded to the candidate'at the conclusion of his speech.'