CITY COUNCIL,

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 179, 24 April 1919, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL ,

TWO NEW ASPIRANTS. Two candidates among those selected by tho Greater "Wellington Municipal Electors' Association spoke at Veitch and Allan's comer last night. Both of them were new candidates, Mr. H. D. Bennett and Mr. F. W. Manton. Mr. W. H. Bennett was present, but as he had lately been confined to his house with a sove throat, ho would not speak in the open air except to excuse himself for not addressing the meeting. There were upwards of a hundred people present, many of them well-known Labour-Socialists, and these latter persisted in asking question after question. When tho appointed speakers had finished at alxiut nine o'clock ,'a Labour candidate took over and talked for his party. The first speaker was Mr. H. D. Bennett. Hβ said ho was not a ' new chum" in municipal affaire, having had to do with them for a number of years in a smaller borough than Wellington. Hβ believed that a large- proportion of the old council ought to bo returned, but he also thought that|new men should be given a chance. He claimed that he was not the representative of any class. He had sprang from the working class, having made liis own way in the world since he had been thirteen years of aee, and he claimed to have made good. He had first decided to come out as a candidate foKthe council during the epidemic, when lie had been a humble worker trying to do something for the people who were suffering. In his work at that time he saw conditions in this city which ought not to be tolerated. He thought now that at onco something should, Jw done, and done promntly, to remove the slums from Te Aro Flat and other narts of the city. Ho did not think that any nioro empowering legislation was required. There was enourrh power already. What appeared to bo lacking Was the will to make uso of it. He. suggested that there should be a commission, or a committee of tli? council who should make an investigation as to which houses ousht to be condemned, and that when a house' was condemned the owner should he. required to build another house on the land to plans apnTOved by the council, or the council should take over the land and build houses to be let to tenants on a systpm by which they should pay rent'and instalments of principal, so that in the end thev would bwome the owners of them. He considered that the milk committee had done good work in tackling a problem of preah difficultv., He had no intention of offerug adverse criticism on the work of the committee. He himself had been a director of a dairy factory for about ten years, a factory nhout (wo hundred miles' from Wellington, and it mteht be ""that, if elected, the knowledge he had gained of Hie milk business would be of service to the council. He'was in favour of an improvement in the tramway service tn the suburbs, and in favour of baths at Thorndon in the event of the present baths having to be destroyed. Mr. F. W. Manton was the _ other speaker. He expressed sharp disagreement with some of the proposals made by Mr. Bennett, especially in regard to the slum areas. He declared that he would not wait for the determination of any commission or committee, would not wait even'for any more reports from the City Engineer, but would be in favour of iroinjj on at once with a scheme for the Iwtter housing of the people. Whatever the cost this problem' would have to be faced immediately. He believed that the people would have to ho sot out into the suburbs, away from the congested ar.eas, which he also had had an opportunity of observing at tho time of the epidemic. It was idle to cry that there was no land. There were acres of land quite near enough to the citv if access were made easier, and it should be the duty of the council to provide homes for tho workinff people in suitable suburban areas. He disagreed with Mr. Bennett also, in that he did not think a been made of the milk scheme. The .greatest fault he had to find was that, there was a shortage of milk at present- The committee should go into the country farther for the milk, LABOUR" CANDIDATES. At St. Luke's Schoolroom, Wadestown, last evening, a meeting was held in support of tho Labour "ticket." Messrs. P. Eraser, M.P., T. Brindle, J. Read, E. H. Stickney, and Mrs. Lawlor were present. Mr. A. Parlano presided. Mr. J. Read (candidate for the Mayoralty) challenged the proposition of Mr. Luke's,, that large firms should build houses for their employees, as savouring of feudalism and the later, "truck" system. ■ Mr. T. Brindle Mid, Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., candidates for the City Council, and Mrs. B. Lawlor (Hospital and Charitable Aidißoard) also spoke. The Labour candidates for municipal honours held in tho Po3t Office Square yeeterday a meeting that lasted for nn hour and a half. Mr. A. L. Monteith presided. The speakers were Messrs. Read (Mayoral candidate), Chapman, Croskery, M'Keen, and Swindell, Mr. Road, in his address, strove to remove an impression, which he said appeared to be fairly general, that Labour did not propose, if returned, to display much activity in attending to the roads of Wellington. Ho said that the Labour men would not only give their attention to keeping.the present roads in good',repair, but would favour the extension of wosid-blockhig or concreting to parts where le3S substantial materials were now in use. He contended tli.it , the increased durableness to be secured by Hie use of the better material nioro than comnensated for the size and tho initial outlay.