VOTE EARLY!

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3062, 25 April 1917, Page 6

VOTE EARLY!

TO-DAY'S ELECTIONS

TOWN HALL TO BE THE CENTRE

To-day is the most important one in the yean as far as the.cityand suburban elector is concerned. Before 7 o'clock this evening the electors of Wellington are to decide at the poll the personnel for the next two years of the City Council, Harbour Board, and Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and as those two years are likely to be hard ones for all local bodies, the burgesses will no doubt think well and wisely before using the blue pencil. Two years ago there were six. lady candidates on the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board ballot paper, and of those four were returned. On the present occasion a new record has been established, as out of twenty-six candidates (for the fourteen scats) twelve are ladies; Only two of them are among the present members of the board. The two ladv members who havo decided not to go to the poll again are Dr. Pitts-Mills and Mr. T. M. Wilford.

The returning officer (Mr. Jas. Ames) requests that every elector will visit a booth as early in the day as possible in order to prevent anything in the nature of a rush at closing time. He wishes to announce that should l electors he pressed for time at the close of the day the Concert Chamber in the Town Hall would bo the best place to visit owing to the large number of booths that will be availabe there up to the last moment.

The returning officer will control tho election from his office in the Town Hall.

The Mayor (Mr._ J. P. Luke) stated yesterday that owing to the fact that the strike was over, that an election was being held, and that it was Anzac Day (and a big memorial service waa being held) there would be a more generous tramway service' in the city than had been the case since Monday.

The poll is to open at 9 a.m. and' it will close at 7 p.m.

Of the fifteen members who have sat round the City Council's horseshoe table for the past two years, thirteen will he candidates for re-election or otherwise' at to-day_'s poll. The only two relio are not standing ogain are Councillors John Hutoheson (who must not be confused with the John Hutchison whose name appears on the ballot paper), and John Fuller, jun., who is now resident in Australia. Labour has a "ticket" of eight members, and there are a few candidates who are independent of any ticket or faction. POLLING PLACES Polling ..places for tbo election of City Council, Harbour Board (city members),'and Hospital and Charitable Aid Board are as follow:— Alexandra Hall, Abel Smith Street. Victoria Hall, Adelaide Boad. Masonic Hall, Adeaide Boad. Methodist Mission Hall, Aro Street. Bethuno's Auction Mart, Brandon Street. ■ Baptist Church Schoolroom, Ohiro Boad, Brooklyn. Anglican 'Churchroom, Washington Avenue, Brooklyn. Chamber of Commerce, Customhouse Quay. St. Mark's Church Schoolroom, Dufferin Street. St. Peter's Church Schoolroom, Glmzncß Street.

Methodist Church Hall, Waitoaßoad, Hataitai.

St. Hilda's Hall, Island Bay. .Tea Kiosk, Kelburn Presbyterian Church Room, Baroa Road, Kelburn. New Century Hall, Kent Terrace. All Saints' Church, Clubroom, Hamilton, Road, Kilbirnie. Church Room, Tainui Terrace, Maranui.

Rechabito Hall, Manners Street. Church Room, Northland. • Harcourt's Auction Mart, Panama Street. «, Newtown Library, Riddiford Street. St. Thomas's Hall, Riddiford Street. Schoolroom, Roseneath. Gymnasium, Sydney. Street. St. Peter's Mission Hall, Taranaki Street. ' Kearney's Tea Rooms, Tinakori Road. , St. Paul's Churchroom, Tinakori Road. Club v ßoom, Wadestown. Ladies' Waiting-room, Ferry Wharf. Town Hall, Cuba Street. For the convenience of Karori and Mirarrfar ' electors tho following additional polling places have been provided for tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board election: — M'Farlane's Shop, Seatoun, Cottage, Awa Road. Worser Bay. Fire Station, Park Road, Miramar.. Borough Council Office, Miramf.r. Karori Borough Council Chambers, Karori. ~ , r . Russell's Refreshment Rooms, Main Road, Karori. . ONSLOW MAYORALTY MR. J: M. DALE'S CAMPAIGN. Councillor J. M. Dale, the candidate for the Mayoralty, ,who is opposed to the catchment area scheme, addressed meetings at Khandallah and Ngaio last evening. . Dealing with the question of the supply of water he said that although at every meeting he had challenged his opponent, Mr. Crump, to show that the upper dam would not have been empty .on twenty-two days out of sixtysix last summer, ho had never received an answer. Mr. G. Finn, also a catchment area advocate, had talked of millions of gallons going to waste, yet a private dam of 1,200,000 gallons had not been full for nearly five months, and that from a catchment i area of about eight times tli6 size of Onslow's.

Mr. Crump had said he had always favoured drainage, and yet he brought down a water scheme without it. Councillor Dale emphasised the need for drainage and pointed out that, it could be obtained only by amalgamation, with Wellington City. Curiously erTough, Mr. Crump had supported the amalgamation three years ago, but now he was against it. Councillor Dale went on to say that tenants would be harshly treated under the proposed scheme. Tho supporters of tho catchment area had claimed that tho'increased letting value of property would more than compensate for the increased rates, so that if an inefficient scheme were installed the tenant would bo the person to suffer.

Referring to the argument of Mr. Harkness that there would be difficulty in amalgamation with the City because of Wadestown, Councillor Dale challenged Mr. Harkness to obtain a legal opinion,backing up his statement. In respect to an assertion by Councillor Smith, at, Kaiwarra, that Councillor Appleton had moved in. the council that the opinion of the borough engineer on improved access to Kliandallali be not ordered at present, Councillor Dale explained that this was not a fair statement. As a fact, the council had decided on the same evening that it cnuld not afford to spend £25 on tho Gorge. Road, a much more necessary work.'