CANDIDATES ADDRESSES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2440, 20 April 1915, Page 6

CANDIDATES ADDRESSES

I ' , I PURE MILK SUPPLY ITOK- THE ' CITY. ' Candidates who aro on the "ticket" of t'ho Greater Wellington Town-Plan-ning and Municipal Electors' Associai tiou continued their campaign for the local elections last niglit. .In at: Peter's Schoolroom the speakers were: Messrs. J.. Godber and j. E. Jenldnson (City Council), R. A. Wright (City Council and ■ Harbour Board), and A. Leigh Hunt (Harbour Board). Mr. T. Bush presided, and there was an attendance of just over twenty. Mr. Godber addressed the meeting first, and pointed out that it was fourteen years since he first had the pleasure of addressing a meeting of municipal electors. During that time, with one break, he had served the City to the best of his ability, and many steps in advance had been made. The councillors had a great deal to do in this work, and their duties could not be judged" by the fortnightly meetings. One often asked why they did the work, but he said that , there was a' fascination about it, and when one had something on his mind that he wanted completed, he desired further support from the electors. Personally, if there was one thing he desired to see completed it was a pure, milk supply for Wellington. They had heard of the necessity for: pure milk for the Hospital, and he said that if it was necessary to have pure milk for the Hospital it was still more necessary to have it for the public of Wellington, for .he believedin prevention rather than cure. The Public Health Committee of the council, of which , ho was a'member, had been endeavouring to bring about a. pure milk supply,. but they had not done so yet. There was an overlapping of powers which was detrimental to all concerned. The present council had been doing all they could to improve the supply, but owing to lack of power in the past they had not been able to control the system. In 1914 a Bill was put through Parliament which gave them what they wanted, and sine© thon they had' done much to improve the method of handling the City's milk supply. They had met with some difficulty at the station with regard to a separate place for handling the milk, hut they were not disheartened. The members of the Public Health Committee who were returned were determined to push the thiae on to the end. When they got a clearing-house they would insist that 'the Government should provide proper insulated vans, for 90 per cent, of the milk came by rail into the City. The people who sent their milk by this means were anxious that there should.be a clearing-house, and the other ten per cent. 'of suppliers, from Makara and Karori, had signed a declaration to bring their milk to the clearing-house. The candidate went on to deal ,with. the steps that would' be taken at such a clearing-house, to ensure that pure milk'was sent out. Of course,: it might be said that milk might be watered after it left the clearing-house, but the Magistrates were inflicting heavy fines, and if thatr did not stop adulteration, the council would refuse licenses, and drive such men out.of busines. If that did not stop it then they would go the length of taking over entire control of the milk supply, and retail it from house to house'. It was a sound business proposition, and* even if it cost £100,000 to pay compensation, etc.. At the present prices they could, he was assured, make a profit of £10,000 a year. Wipe Out Slums. Touching on town planning, Mr. Godber said that he was against filling in Oriental Bay. They could, out of revenue. build a breastwork there and have a grand ' esplanade. They should,' as soon! as means permitted,take steps to wipe out some of the slum areas in Wellington, and.generally improve congested areas. He also favoured the establishment of tepid baths, for he did not see why they should not utilise tho waste steam from either the destructor or-the power-station for the purpose,. The speaker touched on • ! ectric light • matters, and said that there was a certainty of reduction in price to the . public in the future.

Mr. Jenkinson set out that he was an independent candidate, with the one promise that lie would oppose the filling in-of Oriental Bay. As to town planning, on which he had spoken previously. he added that many people had the idea that it was going to be an expensive business. - Such was not the case, for it meant gradual development of Wellington into a city beautiful, under an advisory board, which was one of the planks of the Town Planning Association. Mr. Jenkinson dealt with'the planks of the association, and spoke along the lines of his first address. Ho believed that a _ municipal market could be established in Wellington, but it required careful consideration to see that it would be a paying concern. Mr. Jenkinson dealt at some length with the ; published .financial return of the City Council, .and said that there were many_little things that required attention in the future. As to Oriental Bay, they should make it what it was destined to be—the prettiest adjunct to the city., Lack of Finances. Mr. Wright, who delivered bis first address, said that many people wbo hadnever been on the council, but desired to sit there, wore imbued wit'll the idea that all sorts of reforms should be carried out. There was one fatal difficulty to that—the lack of money. If the reforms were to be carried out, the rates would have to be increased, and he was of opinion that the rates were heavy enough. Therefore, all candidates should qualify promises with, the remark that they should be done if finances permitted. Mr. Wright dialt at some length with the gorse problem of:tho Town Belt, and said that despite all that had been done up to the present some more drastic steps would be required to cope with the difficulty. Referring to what had been done by the council, ho pointed; out that the extension of the Constable Street tramway was being carried out, and this would mean an ultimato saving of running expenses. In regard to concessions, wherever possible tliey had been made The council had remarkably well out of the electric light supply, and had made several concessions to the consumers. The same thing applied to the tramways, but thero was another concession

that should be made—tho -workers by the 9 o'clock trams should l get the same concession as the workers on the 8 o'clock trams. As to reclaimed land leases, he admitted that the council could not go on in the way it had been doing, and the suggestion that a Judge of the Supreme Court might- sit as an arbitrator appeared to him a good one. Coming to the future, he said that unless they could' get a body of men to show where there was a wasto, the council would be faced with the difficulty of the past council. Up to the present there had' been 110 body to point, out where money was wasted. Further, the council was a large employer of labour, and every year ihese employees vtero increasing. The matter of wages would bo a problem for the future council. JJr. Wright concluded "by intimating that he would giveihis main address at a future meeting. Mr. Leigh .Hunt dealt with Harbour Board finances, in similar terms, to his address oil' Friday night, and stressed

the fact that men of business experience should be on the Harbour Board. The candidates were questioned regarding tlieir views on municipal markets. Mr. Jcnkinsou had already expressed his, and the other council candidates said they did not favour municipal markets. The. meeting closed with a. vote of thanks to the chair. CANDIDATES AT ISLAND BAY. A meetiug Tinder the auspices of the Greater ■.Wellington Town Planning and Municipal Electors' Association was held ill St. Hilda's Hall, Island Bay, last night. Mr. H. G. Hill presided. In introducing tlie candidates Mr. Hill said that New Zealand could at least be proud of the freedom of its municipal politics from what the Americans called "graft."

Mr. C. B. Norwood, who is'a candidate for election to the City Couucil, was tlie first speaker. Ho spoke principally on town-planning projects. He was anxious, he said, to see the congesto.d area of which Haining Street is the centre wiped out,_ and if possible converted into a public park. If this could be done he would bo agreeable to the trams passing through the Basin Reserve, but not otherwise. Regarding the tramways generally, he thought the latest time-table a great improvement, but ho could not see that any considerable reduction in fares was yet possible. If the duplication of the line to Island Bay was necessary, as he believed it was, he was prepared to vote for it. Mr. Robert Hall spoke at some length oh the responsibility of the municipality for the physical and moral health of the community. Ho expressed strong disapproval of the proposal that the city should establish nmhicipal markets, which would restrict private trade. He pointed out that we had no market gardeners nearer than Ota-ki, 45 miles away, and this being so he did not think it possible that farmers would bring their produce to town and market it if opportunity were offered. • Even if they did, people from such districts as Island Bay would not come into the markets to buy. In Auckland the city markets were now occupied by secondhand dealers alid such traders. Some time ago an agitation was afoot in Auckland to have the markets: put to their proper use, but nobody wanted space there, and the agitation subsided. He was in favour of reducing the fares to the suburbs in order to relieve congestion in the city areas. Mr. W. H. Bennett spoke on the lines of:his previous address. He corrected an error mado in tho reporting of, his first speech, however. Ho had been made to 'say that he favoured the cutting back of overhanging trees to ten feet from footpaths. This of course would ruin all.trees near paths. What he favoured was -that where trees did overhang there should be an overhead clearance of' 10 feet above the path. ■ A large number of questions were answered, to the apparent satisfaction'of the audience.

ASSOCIATION TICKET. Greater i Wellington Town Planning and Municipal Electors' Association candidates speak as follow:—To-night at 8 o'clock: Wadestown, Assembly Hall— W.H. P. Barber, J. E. Jenkinson, W. H. Bennett (City Council); H. 6. Hill (Harbour Board). Chairman, Mr. A. E Atkinson (Council candidate). Maranui Church Hall—R. A. Wright R. Hall, 0. H. Norwood (Council); Leigh Hunt (Harbour Board). Chairman, Mr. I (l . J. Evans. Wednesday, April 21: Roseneath School—L. M'Kenzie, Robt. Hall, C. H. Norwood (Council); Wm. Cable:(Harbour Board). Chairman. Mr. T. Ward. Brooklyn and Yogeltown, Masonic Hall—Geo. Frost (chairman), W. H. P. Barber, Len. M'Kenzie, J. E. Jenkinson (Council); H. G. Hill (Harbour Board).. LABOUR TICKET. Labour candidates announce the following programme :—To-nigh't. -.St. Thomas's Hall, Newtown; Thursday, Fullford's Hall,. Brooklyn; and P.O. | Square,- mid-day Wednesday and Friday. ■ MAYORAL ELECTION, j . ; - A meeting of Mr. J. P. Luke's supporters was held last' evening for the purpose of arranging details for furthering his candidature for the Mayoralty. There was a large attendance, with ex-Councillor Smith in the chair. Mr. Luke submitted his views to the'meeting and Councillor Thompson and Mr) E. C. Jack, secretary of "the Farmers' Union, also spoke. At the conclusion of th© meeting all present formed themselves into a . working committee.