MAYORAL CAMPAIGN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 799, 23 April 1910, Page 6

MAYORAL CAMPAIGN.

SPEECHES BY THE CANDIDATES,

NOTES AND COMMENTS,

Mr. Crawford, at his meeting last night, read a letter from a supporter warning him that a report was being circulated to the effect that, if elected, lie would reduce the wages of the tramway employees. He went on to say that that was not the first ho had heard of the rumour. He would not charge liis opponent' with making this scurrilous charge. He had always paid tho highest wage's.• He 'was paying higher , than award wages at Miramar six months before the award was

given, and when he was employing some 50 men there. Also, since the general labourers', award .had , been granted, he had been paying higher wages than those named in the award. "I challenge any man in New Zealand," continued Mr. Crawford, "to come forward and say that I have ever treated any of my employees badly. (Applause.) I challenge you to bring forward one man to say that I tiave treated Kim badly. No.wage earner , in this city has anything to fear from Charles John Crawford. I will always/treat'-'th'em. fairly,! see that they get good wages, and help them to rise in life." (Applause.)

Mr. Wilford wont to Northland last' .night in; the character of Vn instructor. He stated that the amount allocated for streets in Northland for 1909-10 was £575, and the amount which the council informed him they had spent was £884.' The council had'collected in rates from Northland £1900, but they debited the district.with £908 as ite share of fire, lighting, reserves, salaries, printing and stationery, and other expenses.. Whether this was a fair share or not he did riot know. The council added £908 to £884, and said that Northland had had £1792 back out , of'£l9oo, which it had paid in rates. The truth of that' depended on whether £908 was Northland's fair proportion of the expenses named, and they conld only arrive at a decision ou that point when the city's balancesheet was printed. The balance-sheet was not printed yet. Mr. Wilford suggested that those members of the audience who had pencils might take these inconclusive figures down. "I think," he said, "this is the first time that they-have been given to Northland at all'/'

"Iβ there any man, woman, or child in Wellington, besides my opponent, who thinks electrical power, has to be carried by'water?" asked Mr. Crawford last night. "I thought everybody knew it was carried by wire." He added that after studying a report of the late Mr. Peter Hay, superintendent engineer to the Public Works Department; he thought the city might save; £5000 a year by adopting, in conjunction with the Government, a power transmission scheme from the. Taulierinikau Erver. At the close of the meeting, Mr. Craw r ford explained to a questioner that ho had not advocated the scheme, but had stated that it should be inquired, into. The City Engineer should be asked to furnish a■> report .

The greatest need of Northland, Mr. Wilford suggested at his meeting last evening, is the expenditure of its proportion of the loan of £100,000 raised in 1907 for drainage- works in Northland and MelroSß. Some peorjle imagined that Northland was not included, .'and the district would have I'o see that the, money allocated for its work, was expended, as otherwise the' easy work might be done first, and no money might be left for NortHand. .Mr. Wilford went on to explain that there was no rear fear of this happening. The city, engineer had told him that there would be sufficient money to finish the work, including Northland.

A little gratuitous legal advice was given to Northland by Mr. Wilfori last evening. Speaking of' the allocation of accounts between Northland and Karbri, he said: ''Take my advice, apart from the • arbitration. now going on, and insist that a case be stated for a judge's opinion as to what is your position under the present, statute law." . ■'.■'•■ ' ■