HUTT MAYORALTY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2126, 18 April 1914, Page 3

HUTT MAYORALTY

MR. DAWSON'S CANDIDATURE Mr. T. C. Dawsoii, a candidate for the Hutt Mayoralty., addressed tho electors at St. James's Hall,. Lower Hutt, last evening. There were about sixty people present. Mr. M. J. Hoggins presided. Mr. Daivsoii stated that his reason for siaading was tliat some nine? .months ago he had been asked-to do s<3 by a number of electors. At first he ■ .had declined, but later when asked by the present Mayor (Mr. K. P. Bunny) he had decided to -come out. in etanding for the Mayoralty iw thought it wise to look into what had been done by past Mayors and councils, and aiso to glance nt the future. The horoHgh was ooi)sti« tuted ia 1891, and its <fcbt on March 31. 1918, was £112,021 lls. Gd., less sinking fund £3401. Tho loans to March 31,. 1913, for streets, water supply, sewerage, iuu£ drainage (in round .figures) were £5)5,000. The rates, general and epeciat, were 3 8-i3d. in tho £1 on the unimproved, values, exclusive.of water rates. The following wero the estimates of receipts and expenditure for 1918-14:—Receipts, £10418 12s. 6(1., and expenditure £10,686 16s. lid,, leaving a debit for tho year at Merck 31, 1914, of £568. This debit, added to the debit at the beginning of tho year, made a total of £6556. During tho' coming year tho bcrfough would have its share' of the espouses in connection with the new Hutt .Road, £8400, at 5 per cent, interest, ami included in the extra expenditure would ho £950 as levy to tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. . The expondiviiro in salaries last year had been £1203-, sq that those present would seo that they could Hot go in for much in the way of such as roads and footpaths,-until the ratepayers sttnetiofted another loan. They had an estimated revenue from all -sources (exelusive of special rates), of £1.0.000 for the yea'r 191445.. That would leave them with the present eve-ttlrtiffc of £6856. He (the speaker} was therefor© not in favour of further loans being vaised.. The main point in his platform Mis the inauguration of a motor-bus service. Better eonijmtnieaiio.il in Lower Hutt >va_s what was seriously wanted, and he instanced hovr other boroughs had progressed through having all adequate transit bus service. If a, mote-r----aits service wore inaugurated in Lower Hutt the speaker predibted that more people would como to reside- in- it. His next plank was one affecting the price of gas. One of the first things that ho was going to do, if elected, was w> seo that the eXorbita.nt price of gas Was reduced. Only 494 ratepayers out of 3000 wero gas consumers, but by cheapening; the supply there would possibly beSQGQ, Another matter •that lie would like to see brought about was tho amalgamation of tlio Hutt River Board with tho Borough Council. It. was tho opfaion of quite a number of pe&plo that the state of tho rivor was unsatisfactory, and the streaker %raght that a River Board engineer should he appointed. Hβ also iisiended to give attention to ra-ntls a«d Footpaths. A Htsnibor of people had asked him if Ko wero in favour of the establishment of swimming baths. Well, i-io did not favour p, loan for such., but rftthor.tlioflg-h.fr- tMi they should establish baths on the linos adopted by Hastings. In that towftiho youths who tfesired . the. baths helped to excavate a : site. The speaker mentioned some of Ws past work on tho council. o»<s mat-' tor raised by him had' been that the j borough should have offices af its own, ] as the present Chambers were unsirib- j nl)Ie end too expensive*. I.n conclusion, Mr. Dawson said that he would not make auy promises; but if eiesteel w-ouM work in a.-conscientious manner for the ; good of tho borough. .

At the closft of the meetiui; Mr, A. Macaskill proposed a vote of thanks and confidence in the candidate, which was eecifflded by Mr. J. L.. Barlow, aftd carried unanimously. Mr. DawsoM intimated that he would address' tlio Western Hutt electors wox't Tuesday,. ADDRESS BY DR. PUEDY, . Ths .Congregational Schoolroom ■at Alice-town was filled last ovoniug, whenDr. Purdy, who is one of the candidates far the Hutt Mayoralty, addressed the electors. The address was mainly along the lines of Dr. PuruVis initial speech at tho 'Town Hall, Wer Hutt, 1 the speaker again referring to , ilt£ fact that public men wore too ready to say things detrimental to tho Hutt Bsrmigh, and quoting certain matter from a- newspa per report wliieh had ; gofie all over New Zealand. One public.man had ve* ceritly made the startling assertietj that the roads in t-ewor Hutt were a disgrace 'to tile bock-blocks. Anyone -making that statement, continued Dr. Purdy ( "did not. know what he was tallying abottt." There wefe, in fact, roads in Wellington City inferior to tlioso at the Hutt. Tho speaker also stated that, if- the main road was tarfetl from tho bridge to the V.T.C corner, it would bo found, in about two.years' time, to be a. cheaper sclieino than tlto present oito, with its heavy cost of maintenance, arid, as ;i result, all the'arterial roads would then be tarred. Ho was, howover, surprised'to find.that men would rather pay £-3 per week for over than lay opt about £100 and have tiw. work completed. At fto cancliisiofi of his.address, Dr. Purdy was unanimously ' aqcordea a hearty veto of thalike*