MR. CRAWFORD AT SYDNEY STREET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 802, 27 April 1910, Page 6

MR. CRAWFORD AT SYDNEY STREET.

'.'';. ■;';-'A TEBTLAEGE , MEETING. '. ■' Ear his last address in , connection with : .:•• i&e, City Mayoralty,'. Mr. C. J. Crawford, . . , .who spoke 'in the- Sydney Street 'Hall, was' ■''.:.; favoured .with-what .was probably > the '; ■ 'biggest municipal election, meeting held in rThorndon for a great many years. Mr. :.'■ •.;''■■'■. [Herdman, M.P., ocoupied the chair.. :. ' : Mr. Crawford, whose remarks were en- ';. /fhusiastically received,: stated-that he re- >■■.-'■ igretted that in the course of the .contest! ■ ;.■■;' ; fhis views had been so misrepresented-in .-"■•■';' : ; pome "quarters: :■ In spite of the fact that .-; fhe was a-new .hand he.could only be (charged with onfl'.,slight mistake—at the ,-. [Druids' Hall he had given the amount of ... la harbour loan at 2 .millions when ;■'.'. jit should have been 1 million—and he ■ :■'- ..;. j-willingly/ admitted the error. (Hear, _ ' v -;. 'hear.) It would be well for him to reply :'■;',-. tto some of the criticisms-which 'had been . Uevelled against him by, Mr. Wilford at • -.' lis meeting on the previous evening, as he ' [Vfould have difficulty in convincing the . ■ . ratepayers that he had been misrepre- •■■ ■■■ rented on every point First of all he ;had never said that interest was .- -.'.'■ the amount payable"on the dock contract. -v.' , iWhat he:had remarked time upon time "■ : ;\, yas that .£16,000 would.be.the amount of ; . interest when the dock was completed— . • . iif it ever was. ■. Therefore it was'' Mr. !;. (WUford who was £14,500 out .(Applause.) ■ Then again, Mr. Wilford had charged him r with stating that .£250,000 for the dock iVould oome out of the million loan. He (Mr. Crawford) had never suggested any- . .thing of the kind, implied or . otherwise. '(Applause.) A further' charge made by ■ iis opponent was that.he had stated that : irastelul expenditure on the dock had caused the board to raise its charges -.'■ ; '.817,000 a year. In that regard he had slso said nothing of the sort. (Applause.) l Another matter in which Mr. Wilford had ,; erred was.when he declared that he (Mr. ':• Crawford) had stated that the loss on ', the Miramar tramways was .£829 in, three, ( years/but a fortnight later had cofretuii ■ .;.■:■ ..■••• ittte statement and said the amount was :• U33829.., Hβ wished also , ' to give that •'■■'. : : charge a flat contradiction, as the actual '■-■: loss according to the return -was £&W. •(Load applause.) , ■Dealing with other questions upon : iwhich he had previously given his views, , • . Mr. Crawford stated that he believed that .■• .:. the tramways should be run in the interests of the people, and that linking up and extensions ..should be made wherever • it would pay. As regarded his scheme for developing electricity by water power,, he would not advocate that it be gone on: ■with-without delay, but if elected ho would propose that the matter be fully •■■..- upon as early.as possible, When -.." it would, he felt Bare, be found that the ' money so spent would be, well laid out. ■:.-. '; (Applause.) ' .'. . • ■•-.'- \- ~:-■.■ ;':■■'. In regard to the improvement of the .■■■ . parks land reserves, ; he thought that ef- -'...■• .iorts.in' the past had. been too' spasmodic. A props; scSeme-sho.uld be prepared and the work-should be carried out as funds (permitted. Touching upon Oriental Bay, ..• •■. ' 3ie said, it would be a pity if the'beach ■were taken away from the children. Shipming companies would, if requested, see ithat no.garbage whicE was likely to wash . 'ttp along the bay was thrown frop the steamers. (Applause.),, Eegardulg the iquestion of an' art gallery, Mr. Crawford ..said that he would like to see in.time a which should be conveniently ■situated and' worthy of the town.' As to .fire brigade control, he emphatically de- . .nied the report that in connection with (the attitude He Jiad 'taken up he was' for the insurance, companies. In .conclnsion, Mr. Crawford dwelt upon the importance of proper management of the ..... jport. If 'the port v and the'"c'ity. were •'pros perly managed : he felt confident ' that 'iWelJington would becomo the undisputed : ; (Commercial capital as . well • as. the poli- ■■.'■■' ':'■ .tieal" capital of New Zealand. (Loud ap- , ■. .'• (plause.) ..,..• Eeplying to questions, Sir. Crawford ■■'~■ «aid, that he was in favour of a loop line up Molesworth Street;. that he thought ';■:■-•'. &at no need had been shown for the es- : ■ >tablishment of a tramways board; and - ; ' that there should be sufficient .tramcars ..'Jo" obviate-overcrowding. . ■ . "Anybody■• who came to; this meeting fwith any doubt as to whether Mr. Crawford should be elected must have had .. that doubt dispelled after hearing such a masterful and comprehensive address," Tomarked Mr. Hadfield amid applause, in : ■ • moving a vote of thanks and confidence. ■..■'■ . Before. the'chairman had time to call for a seconder,"l seoond the motion" was . heard in several places, and, Mr. Corliss then rose and supported the vote. When . .the motion was put only one hand was Taised against it, and when llr. Crawford came forward to acknowledge the roto he was again enthusiastically applauded.