MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1102, 15 April 1911, Page 6

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

MORE NOMINATIONS. TWENTY-ONE FOR THE COUNCIL. Tho city returning officer (Mr. James Ames) has received the nomination of Thomas Mason Wilford for re-election as Mayor of Wellington. Mr. Wilford's nominators are: i\. Reid, J. G. W. Aitkcn, Kathcrino M'Lean Holmes and J. I'. Luke., No other candidates for the Mayoralty havo been announced. Nominations of five candidates for election to the Harbour Board and of twenty-one candidates for election to the City Council have now been received by tho returning officer, .following is a list of nominations, additional to those published in The Dominion on Thursday:—

Harbour Board.—Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh (W. H. Hampton, I*. Solomons, H. Tucker); Wm. Thomas Young (1 , . J. O'Rcgan, P. L. Muir); Paul Coltoy (J. P. Luke, E. T. Taylor, F. W. Haybittle) ; Jas. Trevor (A. H. Harbottle, J. H. Floekton). City Council.—Jas. Trevor (J. H Flockton, A. H. Harbottle); G. Frost (J. A. Short, J. P. Luke, C. B. Norwood, J. D. Mitchell, F. J. Curtney \V. Morrah, J. W. Kinniburgh): Edward Gallichan (T. M\ Witt, G. Nash J. T. Rash, 0. G. Kcmbcr, E. Arnold, H. H. Carr, J. Dykes, B. Doherty, J. H. Flockton, A. A. George, A. Levv, S. M'lvor, W. A. Thompson, G. Wa'do) • Thomas Smith (D. Campbell, J. L. Varlmv, J. J. Elliott); A. R. Atkinson (H. n. Kcrsley, J. Huteheson, E. AVylie); Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh (E". A. Hampton, R. Cameron, S. Gordon) • Ivor Hazell (G. Blathorwick. E. Kennedy, P. L. Muir); Jas. Godher (T. S Young, J. Hutchcson, J. W. Boughton) : George Shirtcliffe (N. Reid, A. S.'Biss. W. Murdoch); H. Bodley (C. F. Robertson, W. Nash); Falk Cohen (J. A. Tripe, P. Coffey) ; John Smith (A. K. Newman. W. F. Shortt, W. J. Holyer W. J. Gaudin); Paul Coffey (J. a! Tripe, E. R. Dymock); Wm. John Thompson (H. C. Tewsley, D. Robertson)/

It will be noted that some candidates arc content with the two nominators demanded by law. Others enlist the services of three or four, and the nomination of one candidate is endorsed by no fewer than fourteen sponsors. The returning officer (Mr. Ames) states that this profusion is at least an unnecessary departure from orderly procedure. The nomination paper is designed to receive the signatures of two electors as nominators, and Mr. Ames thinks it nn' open question whether the presence of additional signatures does not invalidate the nomination. Nominations are receivable until noon nest ■.'Wednesday;

MFj; JOHN FULLER, JUNR. A meeting of those interested in the election of Mr. John Fuller, junr., to the AVellington City Council, was held in Tunibull's rooms, Panama Street, on Thursday evening, there being an attendance of between forty aud fifty. Mr W. H. Edwards presided, and introduced tho candidate. Ho said that Mr. Fuller was. very well-and'favour-ably known" in" tho city, a successful business man. of sound'convictions, an independent mind, and deserving of their heartiest support. Mr. Fuller, who was cordially received, gave a vigorous speech. It was not his intention to indulge in a retrospect of what had been done, or what had been promised and not done. He had been eighteen years in New Zealand, and had received part of his schooling in Auckland. He was no firebrand, he said, but a level-headed business man, progressive, and cautious, and absolutely independent. Referring to the Citizens' League, Mr fuller remarked that it was strange that tbac organisation bad just made its appearance at election time, arid equally strange that several of the sitting councillors had become members, lie thought that these gentlemen sjjouJtl have, stood upon their individual merits rather than go on a ticket, for that was what it amounted to. Ho »i>s on no ticket; he desired to work for the people as a whole, not to play tho part of a marionette to a particular section. If elected he was prepared to say his say , ; in tho council chamber without having his coat-tails pulled by people outside. He was opposed to any increase in the rates, and could see no reason why Wellington should not do as Dunediu did some four years back, and reduco the rates 1 assmg on to the subject of tramways, an all-important subject, Mr Fuller 'remarked that the council appeared to have suddenly woke up to the fact that ail was not as it should be with the iranuvays Department. For himself, he would never bo satisfied till a thorough inquiry had been held into this and also the Electric Lighting Department. In questions relating to capital and labour, ho condemned restrictive by-laws, and declared that wholesome competition for both tho masters and tiio men was the best augury of progress. Ho had no shares in any public company, bad no axe to grind, and his solo ambition was to merit tho confidence of all right-thinking men. Ho could assure them that there was no fear of him getting "swelled head" or being spoilt." He was absolutely opposed to municipal trading except in such enterprises as directly concerned every section of the community—trams water service, etc. Ho believed in municipal markets, not municipal shops, but open- markets for competitive trading in perishable goods, and available to tho public, from say, 5 a.m. till 7.30 p.m., as they were in other big cities. Ixuehing on questions of finance, Mr Fuller said that one of • tho things winch ho would endeavour to obtain was a city balance-sheet that tho Fifth Standard hoy could understand, not a ir.aze of obscure statistics. In conclusion the. speaker urged his hearers to see to it that the same mutual admiration society was not , sent to" the council table onco again, as-if to say: "Here wo are again."

A hearty vote of thanks and confidence was accorded the candidate, at the clr.se of Jiis address. .Mr. Fuller is to address a meeting at Wadettown on Tuesday evening next. MR. W. S. BEDFORD. Addressing a. hotly of electors at llio Queen's Statue on Thursday, Mr. AY. S. Bedford, one of the candidates for election to the City Council, criticised the composition of the "ticket" selected by the Citizens' League. The hallmark of wealth, Mr. Bedford claimed, was not in itself a sufficient qualification to justify selection. Speaking of matters in which Iho City Council might co-oporatn with the' Harbour Board, Air. Bedford advocated (lie erection of comfortable barracks for the accommodation of overtime workers on the wharves. As things now stood, these toilers were often crowded out of the late cars. The matter was one for tho Harbour Board, but it might very well he iirnjcrl linon the attention of that i body bv the City Council. The board and council had identical interests and should work in concert. MIRAMAR MAYORALTY. Mr. V. R. Meredith, a candidate, for the Miramar Mayoralty, speaking at, Worser Bay, on Thursday evening, to an appreciative audience, referred to a rumour that he was standing in the interest of one man. This was coming hack to him so often that ho found it necessary to give it a flat contradiction. Ho felt sure that not only was his opponent, Mr. Brodie, quite unconnected with the circulation of this rumour, but that Mr. Brodie would also scorn to take advantage of such despicable tactics. As a matter of fact, until the gentleman named in the rumour appeared as one of the deputation asking him to contest the election, he (Mr. Meredith) had not seen or spoken to him for two j'ears, and had never yet spoken with him on municipal matters. The candidate proceeded to deal with tramway questions on the saino lines as in his Seatoun address. Ho recommended that a- competent accountant bo appointed to draw up a separate tramway, account from the inception of the tram service, to date, and carried on for tho future. Mr. Meredith also insisted upon the need for a more reasonablo allocation of expenditure on lighting and reading than had obtained in the past. He agreed with the policy of tree-planting. Ho believed tho borough would ultimately bo merged in the city of Wellington, but they should first get their finances into a sounder state, so that they would he able to make better, terms with the city when the.time came for amalgamation.

The Hon. J. E. Jcnkinson has a notification to electors in our advertising columns. Mr. John Castle inserts an advertisement in this issue referring to his candidature for the municipal election. Mr. F. Cohen notifies electors that he is again standing as n candidate for tho City Council election. Two advertisements referring to the election of councillors and Mayor for the borough of Lower Hutt appear in our advertising columi-.s. . Mr. E. Gallichan will speak in the Tiffin Social Hall, Manners Street, on Monday evening next. . : .