MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 181, 26 April 1919, Page 9

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

MAYORAL CAMPAIGN

MR. BARBER AT WADESTOW x N

Councillor W. H.' P. Barber, who i 9 a candidate for .the Mayoralty, addressed a. meeting in the Club Hall, Wadestown, last, night. The chair was taken by Councillor Atkinson, who commended the candidate to the electors as a thoroughly suitable man to fill the Mayoral chair. Councillor Atkinson mentioned that'lie had supported the present • Mayor, Mr. Luke, in other contests, but he considered that on the present occasion Mr. Luke had not done a fair thin? bv coming forward as a candidate for a new term of office, after stating that he did not intend to stand. . Mr. Barber spoko on the lines of his earlier addresses. Ho referred to his connection with business affair's ns well as with, local politics, and said that the oity of Wellington needed a business man at the head of its administration. The city was a business concern, and it ought to be run on business lines. "I hope you' will endorse the nomination of the council," he said. "If I am elected 1 feel quito certain I will have the confidence of the council. If the present Mayor-is -re-elected, I think there will be a' good deal of friction and some scenes that will not-be to the credit of tho oity." Mr. Barber urged an extension of the tramway so ns to > open, up large areas of land in the locality, especially in the direction of Wilton's Bush, a.resort 1 which lie considered should bo developed. ' , . The candidate was accorded a hearty .Vote of thanks for his address. THE CITnOUNCiL • MEETING AT NORTHLAND. Candidates on the ticket of the Greater Wellington Town-Planning Association addressed a meeting at Northland last Bight. Mr. I. Clark, jun., was Voted to the chair.

Mr. E. A. Wright, in the course of his address, warned the electors of the importance of selecting cautious men and ■women to the Hospital and Charitable Board. The latter body onjoyod unique powers. Whatever money it required; however latge tho sum, it simply pre-' sented its bill'to the council which was obliged to pay without demur. The Hospital Board was in the happy position of being able to spend what it pleased, and look on as a silent spectator, while the 'cajincil imposed the' necessary taxation. Mr. Wright admitted that Northland had not received the'consideration from the council to which it was entitled. But in this respect it was not alone. He hoped to see a progressive policy adopted by tho new council, which would atone for past neglect.. LABOUE CAMPAIGN. Labour candidates addressed several-open-air meetings last night, including one in Ghuznee Street ana one in Vivian Street; They-explained tho Labour policy on the lines of previous speeches, and laid much emphasis, on the need of liousing reform. Mr. A. L. "Monteith, speaking for the -Labour Party at Ghuznee Street, last 'evening, stated that the City Council had refused a request for. the free use of the Town Hall' for a benefit which was tendered to an old employee who bad served the City Council . for 20 years faithMly and well, and who had left a. large family in poor circumstances. Notwithstanding the Town Clerk's denial, he stood by the statement made, and said that the facts were as follow Three gentlemen had waited on the Mayor, Mr. Luke, ■ and had come away with the understanding that if a charge was paid a Tefund of' the amount would be' made. A deposit of <£5 was paid on June 12, .1918, and the'balance, <£10 45., on-July 25, 1918, a total of ,£ls .Is. No refund of this amount had ever been made. Perhaps one of the incoming councillors would, continued the speaker, move that this amount be rofunded,. and if this were done someone who deserved it would benefit. Mr. C. H. Chapman, Labour candidate ' for the City Council, speaking at lunch time yesterday in the Post Office Square, said it was. "untrue 'that people lived in the slums because they'preferred squalid conditions. During his recent inspection • one woman, .who paid a week for her house, said to-him, "You are looked down on for living here, and it is not nice for the children, but what can poor people do?" Another paid 12s. fid. for a place in a shocking state of disrepair. The .weather-boards were rotten—at the back of the house 6ome even were missing altogether, and there was no protection from the wind and rain. It was evident that the occupant wanted to keep the inside of her house* as clean a3 possible, and she said she had to liglit a fire in the email- backyard on washing days, and was afraid of setting fire to the surrounding buildings. For two years she had asked for repairs in vain, tut could not get another house. The damp came up through the floor-boards, and she was verv much afraid that this affected the health of her baby. Mr. Chapman urged co-operation on the part of the Government. the City Council, and the Harbour Board to erect houses in and around Wellington.

!SUBURBAN BOROUGHS KARORI AND AMALGAMATION:' A very good audience assembled on Thursday evening in the Karori Council Chamber to hear the views expressed by Mi-. W. Skegg, who is a candidate for

the Mayoralty, and of the seven nominees as councillors on what is known as tho progressive ticket. . Mr, A, M'lvenzio presided. Mr. Skegg stated that he had consented to nomination for tho position, not out of personal opposition to Mr. B. Burn, tho present Mayor, but in order to infuse some life into .borough affairs. He felt sure that the futuro of Karori was closely linked with that of the city. Ac present ICarori depended on the city for lighting and for tho working of the tramways. Any improvements in tho future, sueli as a water and drainage system, more direot. access to the city, and connection with tho gas mains must be, effected either directly or indirectly through, the agency of tho city. Tho improvements referred to were indispensable to tho development of the borough, and. they could best and most economically be carried out by direct amalgamation witli Wellington. Mr Skegg eoid that if elected and supported by an able body of councillors like thoso associated with 'him. on the progressive ticket, lie vould press tho matter of amalgamation with , more enthusiasm than had been shown by the present Mayor and council. He felt sure that tho matter could be carried to a successful issue on terms satisfactory to the ratepayers who, in any case, would have tha final decision at a special poll. It was not correct, as had been-istated, that amalgamation would result in a largo increase of rates. The rates would more likely be less than they would be if ICarori attempted to carry out the necessary improvements on its own account. Mr. B. G. H. Burn, the present Mayor, in response to an invitation by Mr. Skegg, made a few remarks explanatory of the work of the council, and stated that ho was Quito in favour of amalgamation, but only on conditions favourable to the borough, Mr. J. Caughley stated that although many people claimed to bo in favour of amalgamation, their ' enthusiasm could be judged by the faot that (hey were continually emphasising the difficulties, excusing delays, and getting no farther than tlio vague statement that it would come some day. The other suburban districts had all made great progress in recent years, but Karori had stagnated. Several sections'of the original. borough had been forced to secede from the borough in. sheer despair of getting any modern improvements, or of getting Karori as a'whole;to combine with tho city. If further areas seceded for tho same reason, tho dog-in-the-manger parly in Karori would have only itself to blame. It would be very regrettable to 6ee Karori reduced to a town district or merged into a county district, owing to . some other portion of the borough going into the city on its own account. The far better course was for the whole borough, to unite with the city. Some who claimed to favour amalgamation were expecting conditions that were contrary to law. Thoso people would render amalgamation impossible by puttins forward illegal conditions. Mr, J. Burns, ono of those nominated as councillors, spoke in support of the policy of tho progressive candidates. Mr. .H. E. Dryden wished it to be widely known that he and those standing with liiin had made every endeavour to secure nominations of ratepayers from all .'parts of tho borough in order to make the new council as representative as possible. Those who were, nominated would 6tand for the progress of the' whob borough, and not in the interests of anv section of it. I Messrs. F. I l '. Laurenson, I?.. L. Tingey, I mid J. W. Henderson also spoke on. some of the questions affecting the welfare of Karori. An apology was received for the unavoidable absence- of Mr L. G. Porter, one of those nominated as a supporter of progress through amalgamation. At tho close of the meeting several questions were answered, and a voto of .thanks was passed to.the chairman. : MIRAMAR NOMINATIONS. - The following nominations have been Tcceived by the returning officer (Mr. Fox) for the office of Mayor of Miramar:— I Stanley Mercer Stone, nominated by Messrs.' H. A.. Smith, E. Rough, J. Lyman, P. W. Boon, John Marshall, T. F. Brunton. and Mrs'. Rosa A. Ansill. Frederick Townsend, nominated by Messrs. Ramsden, A E. Mabin, E. Rawson. and A. Wilson. Eleven'nominations hare been rtceived for six vacancies oh the council Ernest .Tames Barnett, Edward Benjamin F. Gardiner, William Henry Green, John Hicks. Annie M'Vicar, Joseph George Newton, Harry K. Robertshaw, William Telford, Michael I. Tracey,' Sydney E. Underwood. An innovation in election meetings will take place at the King's Theatre on Monday next, when Mrs. J. R. Gibbons and Messrs. E. J. Righton and Bert Roylo will address tiie electors. The speeches will be interspersed with musical items. . Signor Cesaroni will, sing-, Sapper Theo. Troeiza will recite, and Mr. L. D. Austin will be pianist. Dr. PlattsMills will preside. Mr John P. Luke has an announcement in . regard to the City Mayoralty in this issue. : Mr. W.. H. P. Barber will address the electors at the Town Hall, .Khandallah, to-night, at 8, and at the 1 schoolroom, at-9 o'clock. He will also speak at Fullford's Hall, Brooklyn, on Monday night.