CITY ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1098, 10 April 1911, Page 6

CITY ELECTIONS.

DR. CAMERON AT SYDNEY STREET,

Dr. Cameron, who is standing for a sealOn the City Council as an independent candidate, addressed a meeting in the Sydney btrcet Schoolroom on Saturday evening. Tho chair was occupied by Mr. I'. Arnold, jimr. Dr. Cameron mentioned the fact that his grandfather, Jlr. Win. Miller, had been ona of the first councillors elected in Wellington, and his uncle had also been a city councillor in Wellington later. He himself had grown up in rfiis city, and had been a student at Wellington College. Referring to the increased cost of living in Wellington, ho held that every effort should lie made lo keep it down. Our manufactures were in a pretty bad way, and were merely struggling along, and the working man wild a large family had u very bad time. The price of timber was rising again, and this was a matter which the city should consider. The City Council should ec-opcr-ato with the Government, and, if necessary, the Government should come in as competitor, and act as a brake to prevent prices going up unduly high. If the Government had expended the money, which it laid out in sending the Timber Commission around the country, in starting/timber yards in tho towns, it would have done infinitely more good. He was opposed to tho suggested site, at the rear of the Royal Oak Hotel, for a municipal market. It was too expensive. He would not say just then exactly where it should be, but it ought to be somewhere on tho Te Aro flat, in a central position, adjacent to the tram lines. Expensive buildings for the market were undesirable. Dr. Cameron proceeded to remark on the areas of land which ho stated were not put to the best use locally, and a lot of which would, he contended, be put under cultivation if municipal markets were established. The Chinese had.a big hold on the present markets, and he had been informed by a European trader that the small white dealer would havo a much better chance to compete with the Chinese if municipal markets wore in vogue. The speaker then dealt at some length with tho" manner in which the City Council managed—he said mismanaged—its property and its tramways. It had land and houses idle, and was in a position that no private landowner could stand. It was nonsense to say that the trams were being run on sound business lines. Both '.ho Wallace Street and Constable Street lines stopped short of tapping a large population. The first thing he would vote for in the council would bo for a report as to the whole of the men emnloyed on the tramways, both inside and outside. As to the labour question, ho believed in fair play to man and master. A good man should be encouraged to stay with, the council, and to this end there should bo a proper system of promotion. Day labour should, as far as possible, take , the place of contracts. The drainage of Maranui, Northland, Vopcltown, and AVadestown should be pushed on, as the present state of things was (i menace (o health. Slum areas in tho city should also be improved and the sanitation enforced. The council should also cooperate with the Government in getting better school grounds. New schools, ho urged, should be erected as near as possible to tho Town Belt, so as to enable the children to us<> the belt as a playground. He was not in favour of raising the tram fares, and was against overcrowding. Cheap fares could be gained bj proper management, instead of by overcrowding. Clearing the streets ef undesirables was another matter which should receive attention, no was astounded that some people were promising lo give the city a pure milk supply. There was. ho urged, ro such thing as' n nure milk supply, and the snooty of Wellington left much to bo desired. He, was ptroirrly nnposed to tr-e oify tpking over tho Gas C'omnany. but favoured the formation of public tennis courts and a publie golf course. The mec-tiiig concluded with a vote of thanks.

OTHER MEETINGS. On Saturday evening Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh and Mr. T. Smith addressed a well-attended open-air meeting at Newtown, and received a very attentive hearing. Jlr. C. J. Carey and Mr. D. M'Lnron addressed ;i meeting at Conrtenar Placo on Saturday night also. They dealt principally with the question of public markets, and .touched generally on other municipal questions. Considerable interest was displayed on the question of public markets. Amongst, the latest candidates to be announced for 'the- City Council is tho Hon. J. E- .Tenkinson, M.L.C. On present appearances there are likely to be several strong candidates amongst the new aspirants, which holds out prospects of, a material change in the personnel of the council.