CITY ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1731, 23 April 1913, Page 8

CITY ELECTIONS.

A VIGOROUS "CAMPAIGN. CANDIDATES' MEETINGS AND SPEECHES.. MR. LUKE AT ISLAND BAY. 1 '. T— in furtherance of his candidature for tho Mayoralty, Jlr. J.. P.. Luke addressed v a. meeting of.electors in St. Hilda's Schooli room, Island Bay, last night. Mr. E. H. i . Hill presided. Tho candidate stated that : lio was contesting tho election in tho' interests of tha people to obtuin municipal government on safe and' progressive lines. • : Tho; essentials of tho city, had now been : .flargely provided'for''l>y up-to-dato services that could not bs extolled in any other city. In fact, Wellington was more .up to date iii its municipal undertakings ' than rnauy'cities'in older lands, where 'opportunity was afforded for development . on easier financial conditions. There was -work in storo in extending the tram services to link up -portions now running. •Mr. Luke said the immediate require-

r ; indents were to improve, conditions in tho ; .'outlying portions of the city. In the in- :■ jterests of publio health lie advocated tho ; pushing forward of the work of construc.tion of the culvcrt.at Island.Bay. Ho 1 . -also advocated, when funds permitted, the - erection' of tin open sea-water bath. A furither nccessory work was the extension of : tho esplanade at Island Bay. Ho belicv»'d that tho new council would bo pro- ! Jgressivo in relation to the requirements ' of tho suburbs. He stood for tho advanee-

hnent'of -tho c-ily as' Greater Wellington. Mr; Luko advocated reasonable tram fares to enablo tho residents, to ' reach their Ivork and return at a minimum -of cost. ■;He also advocated tho issuing of -rcsidon- ■ tial tickets on the trams, on tho panie -lines as three-used in Auckland and ;.Christchurcli. ■ . - ; ~ On. tho motion of Mr. A. Odlin, seconded by Mr. R. Keene, a unanimous vote (of thanks and confidence in tho candidate lvns cniried., MR. D, M'LAREN. .. . 'ADDRESS AT KILIiIRNLE.'. ' Mr. D. M'Laren addressed a well-attend-,cd.meeting of electors at tho . Kilbirnie 'Skating limk last evening. In. the course of his.remarks, he outlined tho position j-espec'ting the city's finances.' The speaker \lenied the correctness of the statement .'iiiiade by Jlr. Luke that the surplus of •*£1637,0f this year was due to increased revenue, and that the whole of.the moneys' allocated wer? not expended.. In explanation flic .'speaker said that whilst tho re.'venue for the year had increased by tho .uinouht -of •.•JGGEKS, -the increased expenditure; for tho year was £iHiH over tlio pre- . Vious -year. Continuing, tho speaker >wiid that Jlr. Xuke hail sought ,to convey the idea to the Brooklyn people.that,the City Council had made a surplus simply by. tho trick of skimping-the. expenditure on necessary .works... Tiii!-. .speaker: .;then went on to cite, : in detail, the various 'items of expenditure which had been nuthorised anil duly given effect to during • the year. Ho advocated the extension of tho tramline over Constable Street. . In -brief, his policy was to .maintain the ■finances in a .strong position aud to push . forward progressive works as quickly as tho means at the council's, disposal would nlloiv. At the (Conclusion- of -the -meeting' the candidate was • accorded a voto of thanks and confidence.,-

MEETING AT KGLBURNE. •Thrco -of the candidates who arc stand-' Ins for the civic elections under the ausjiicas of tho Greater Wellington Muni- 1 cipal : Electors' Association—Messrs. T. ,C. A. Hislop, AV. J. Thompson, and R. A. Wright—addressed- a.meeting.of the electorsat Kelburno last evening,. Mr. H. M. Stephens .presiding. Mr. l Hislop spoko mainly on the lines of previous addresses. Ho referred to the. attempt of the Labour party to -dominate, the civic policy of tho council, and stated t'hat while he <lid not obi Set io Labour "being represented he did' not think the Labour party should seek a monopoly of the council. During the course of his remarks Mr. .Thompson, explained that, the . Greater Wellington- Municipal Electors' Association had been formed with,'the object ,oi infusing more" life into. 'municipal' matters,'in addition to tho ratepayers' associations, which already _exist arid to work iii conjunction with tho- latter ; tosecure the .advancement of Greater Wellington, nud ;= id-'particular to facilitate the development of a definite scheme of ,town planning;' to : educate public opinion re-' 1 garcliitg all matters of interest to the city ; to sscuro' >clean i administration _of tho city's affairs; to-influcnco tho action.

:' of the'municipal and .local bodies in the ' .■directions calculated'to" bo in the city's "best interests; to secure the'return of the candidates for scats on all local, bodies who will, in the opinion of tho association, give the best- service .to .tho' city. The candidate .dealt with various mnni-. cipal questions,''and .stressed the import- ■ nnce of embarking upon a definite scheme of town-planning to prevent t.ho crea-

tion of slum areas. \ j Mr. E. A. Wright was the last speaker. 'Ho briefly to the fact iihat lie was a'■ candidate .not onlv for the City

' Council, but ,ol,sp' for the Hsxibonr Board. Ho; was .contesting the latter election bo- , saiise, lie objected to any public body be-' ving. ; controlled, by one individual. Tho ; . one-man system was the very negation nt democracy. A vote of .thanks to the chair •.concluded the proceedings.- •

; ■ AT NORTHLAND. ; ' Messrs.' H. Buddie. Mi I'. Luckie, and L. M'Kenzie, candidates for the _ City V Council, delivered ' addresses' at North- : land last evening on matters , affecting : the welfare of the city, and received a good hearing, and nt tho conclusion of tho meeting a vote of (thanks and confil jlence. ; -. | MR. C. W. TANNER. . !/ ; ADDRESS AT CONCERT CHAMBER. Mr. C. W. ■ Tanner, a candidate for the V "City Council, addressed the electors at i tho Concert Chiariher (Town Hall) last : ' evening. .- / i" Tho,candidate said that he would havo 1 liked a better attendance, but, with tho 1 counter-attraction of "Carmen," it was perhaps too much to hope for. Politics ■ were dreary enough at all times, and peu- • pie seemed to find municipal politics im- ; usually dreary. He, howovet, -regarded, them with interest. .In tho field of municipal polities hojwas not new, having held a senj. on the City Council somo , years ago, and he could look back upon his record with sunic degree of pleasure, for during his term of office, tho Wainui water 'supply had been undertaken, whilo the drainage schenio and other big works were before tho council. Referring to r his absence from the-field for the past period, Mr. Tanner explained -that, in ; endeavouring to serve tho people, ho had : come -into conflict-, with somo of tho big ; Jaiul syndicates, and a movement was ( set : against him so as to bring about liis defeat at tho subsequent election. Focl- ' ing that lie had .been discharged, lio did .' not seek further election, but the present time was one when ho felt his previous experience. could bo. of benefit to : the city. He came before the electors ns a.Liberal—a progressive Liberal—and , ivas out to urge the necessity of a proi giessivo Liberal municipal This i did not necessarily indicate opposition to ' ' Labour, and he claimed to have always '■ been friendly to Labour. This would bo 1 shown by liis attitude towards Labour I deputations that had como -before the i council during his term of office. Ho was, however, opposed to syndicalism ana 1 syndicates, and ho was not in agreement | with many of tho Labour leaders. _ > Recently there had been a .. period of 1 stagnation in municipal politics that was to r bo regretted. In this connection lie emphasised the desirability of a keener interest'in city affairs, and the necessity of combined offorts to - make the city attractive, and to facilitate trade. One matter which ho particularly desired to touch upon was tramways. There was i no doubt we had an excellent system here, j but there was something wrong with it. I .Numerous defects in the service and tho sections were only too apparent. To remedy this he suggested tli.e employment of a good accountant; who should devote tho whole of his time to tho figures, with n view to working out a proper time-table. This would ba well wortli the expense. It

would also be for the benefit of tho servico if a better spirit were fostered among tho tramway employees. To soonro a bettor tram service. was really the principal plank on which ho stood before the electors, and ho believed that much could bo dono by ono councillor prepared to hammer away on any ono subject that needed improving. It was well known that the city had passed through a trying time, but he believed the land slump was over. Homo peoplo said that land was beyond its real value here, but it was .absurd to say so. On the contrary, tho land here had not yet reached li-igli-waier mark, and at the present' timo land in Wellington was clieap compared with wlmt it was in other citics. Wellington had had its- ups and downs, its slumps and its booms. But it nover slumped very far, and the next boom was always greater than the one before. On the question of taking Hie trams through tho Basin Reserve, Mr. Tanner intimated that if ail expert like tho City Engineer was prepared to put forward a plan by which this could be carried out without seriously affecting the reserves, ho' (Mr. Tanner) would bo in agreement. ' In answer to questions, Mr. Tanner said that he was not in favour of giving up public rights in any of tho reserves. Ho considered tho. principle of a public bowling 'green was good. Ho was not satisfied that rating on unimproved values had been a success.

'A vote of thanks and confidence' was accorded the candidate at tho conclusion of his address.

MR. W. PERRY. Mr. W. Perry addressed a well-attended meeting of electors at tho Kiosk, Oriental Bay, last evening, 44 persons being present. Mr. T. W. Ward, president of th® Bs»Sieatli Ratepayers' Association, occupied the chair. The candidate said that the cardinal principle of tramway policy must bo 'that tho trams must pay. He advocated the extension, of tho Constable Street line, and emphasised tho importance of extending tho tram from the present terminus at Oriental Bay to Eoscncatli. Tho establishment of tepid and hot-water'baths in tho city should be carried out as soon as-possible. these had paid their way in, Christchtirch anil would pay here. Ho said that the present council had made an honest effort to deal with the ..tramway' problem, and gave it credit for instituting the Tramway Board. He criticised tho council for not giving sufficient consideraion to tho proposal that a conference be held with the various bdilios concerned to consider the advisability or practicability of linking un tho wharves with-the tramway system. Ho referred to Oriental Bay as one ot the beauty spots'-of the city, and said that steps should bo taken to form, a paiauo along, tho waterfront so as to popularise this part of tho city. A unanimous vote of thanks iuid confidence, proposed by Mr. ,T J. M'Grath and seconded by Mr. A. A. Paape,- concluded a' most enthusiastic meeting. ,

IN THE SQUARE. LABOUR CANDIDATES HECKLED. Labour candidates for the City Council and other local bodies who spoke in Customhouse Square at midday yesterday mostly got n good shearing, but some ,of ihem .ivere subjected to frequent interruptions by a small, but determined band ot Socialists, amongst whom Comrade Dowdall was prominent. At an early stage Mr. Dowdall was remonstrated ,inth by the chairman (Mr. Bedford), who tola liim that 'lie - camo >down every day ami wanted -"to monopolise the questions. Trouble began when the chairman announced that Messrs. Carey and Keardon wero, prepared to-answer questions. • The former was immediately asked now 'lie justified.himself as a Labour man? 110 '.replied that lie had corno out at tho top of tho poll in tho selection of Labour can-, didal'es, and, furthorriiore,_ that ho would never attempt to justify himself to a man like the questioner or some others in. the Socialist party, : , A voice: You are no good! lou are a twister. , „ , Mr. Carey: "If you' dont want: ine, don't'voter for me. If thero is any pluck in you why don't you run a man against .me?" Ho appended, to this Tcmark_ some pungent criticism' of the men who at Waihi and elsewhere had led the workers into a debacle 1 . ' i ■■ After Mr. Keardon. lyid been subjected to some questioiung about the slaughtermen's strike, Mr. Dowdall, who had been steadily firingoft.questions, was asked by Jtr. Carey why ho did-not stand for election himself. - . , , Mr. Dowdall: Stand for a single position, and I,will.beat you! : Mr. Carey:: All .tight, hero is a challenge. Comrade Dowdall will stand, for the City Council. Ho will lose his deposit. . ' .■■Mr. Dowdall: Your union paid your money. , Mr.. Carey: No, it didn't. My tnoneys gone in. '. ' - Mr. M'Lareii: You can argue all day without getting any nearer the point. Mr-. Bedford now said that ho would reply to Mr. Dowdall. . Mr. Dowdall (m ail injured tone): I haven't spoken, so you can't reply to mo. If you reply to me. you must give me tho right of -reply. ■ Mr. M'Lareh: We won't go home till morning! ; Mr. Bedford (to Mr. Dowdall): If you spoko you wouldn't get six' peoplo around you. If you stood for a public body you would lose your deposit. Mr. Bedford went on, to declare that ho was a good Socialist.

A voice: Ton haven't got a red tie on, old boy! •Mr. -Bedford said that his Socialist friends only wanted to get their'.point in one way. They wonted to smash and cut everything down and break things generally. He condemned as. folly tho Socialist practice of writing "Socialist" across a ballot paper. Doing this, Socialists opposed their friends. (Socialist laughter.) Mr. Bedford: Are tho other side your friends? . i

Socialists: Wo know they aro not! Similar exchanges kept tho. orowd ■amused for som® time.' As a number of tho Labour candidates got down from the express, which they had used as a platform, to go away, one of tho Socialists inquired: "Will you bo here nt. halfpast twelve to-morrow, Carey?" "Not to-morrow, my friend," replied Mr. Carey,. "I have to go to a. champagne lunch to-morrow.".

"f believe you," said the questioner. • THE HARBOUR BOARD. MR, A. LEIGH HUNT A CANDIDATE. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt has definitely decided to become a candidate for tho Barbour Board. Yesterday Mr. T. Ballinger, who was one of the deputation whicli waited upou him on Monday, received tho following letter from Mr, llunt:—'"l have carefully considered tho request of tho deputation : that waited on mo yesterday, and although personally am not seeking the position, still, in deference to tho numerous requests I have received, I am prepared to becomo a candidate. Several membeus of the deputation spoke of mo as a fighter; this, 'I am afraid, is hardly correct. I am of a peace-loving disposition, but at the same time this does not prevent me from staudiug firm should occasion require. If 1 am elected I shall strive to rive to my fellow-citizens the samo excellent service as has been the case with many of-the present and past members of tho board." MR;'E. A. WEIGHT. Mr. It, A. Wright has consented to allow himself "to bo nominated as a candidate for tho Wellington Harbour Board. MANAWATU CANDIDATES. Mr. M. A. Elliott, of Jlclsojip, Elliott and Co., of Palilierstou North, has been nominated ns a candidate to represent tho Manawatu district on the Wellington Harbour Board. Messrs. M. Cohen and J. G. Cobbe are the present' members. Both are offering themselves for. re-election. EASTBOURNE. Mr. H. 'W. Preston, the well-known wine and spirit mcrchunt of Wellington, has decided to bo a candidate for a seat on the Eastbourne Borough Council. At a meeting- of young men, convened by Mr. W. J. Organ yesterday, it was decided to make arrangements for the purpose of furthering tho candidature of Messrs. Buddie, Perry, and; Lueltio for seats on tho City Council. A committee was forinod, ami arrangements aro also being -made for tho formation of ladies' cominittces. On the question of looking after tho public interest, Mr. C. W. Tanner claimed to have done good work when on the City Council in connection with an incident, details of which he related in his address to the electors last night. He said Unit When the reclaimed land was being leased,

tin attempt wasonade to have a small area set aside as a reserve. The piece, however, would have been no use to the public, and the move was dimply one on the part of somo business men who wanted a better frontage to their business site. Ito and others had a very hard light on the question, and as a l'tMill of their efforts the land was now covered by a block of buildings yielding revenue to the cilv. liut for the. fight they made the eity would probably have been for ever deprived of income which at present was something Jilso -£1000 per year.

CANDIDATES' MEETINGS. City Council candidates will speak at the Masonic llall, Brooklyn, at 8 o'clock this, evening. Mr. George i'rost will preside, Messrs. Buddie, I.uckic, Hislop, and Thompson will address electors at the Island Bay Schoolroom at 8 o'clock on Thursday, April 24. Mr. H. G. Hill will take the chair. All candidates arc invited to be present. Mr. Perry will meet his committeo at Turnbull and Co.'s Auction Itooms, Panama Street, to-night (Wednesday), at 8 o'clock. Mr. K. B. Williams announces that ho is a candidate for_ the City Council at the forthcoming elections. Mr. George Nash will be candidate for tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in tho forthcoming election at tho'end of tho month. ,