CIVIC ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 183, 29 April 1919, Page 6

CIVIC ELECTIONS

THE MAYORAL CONTEST

MR. BARBER'S CANDIDATURE

Councillor W. H. P. Barber (Mayoral candidate) addressed .1 meeting in Pulfonl's Hull, Brooklyn, last evening. Councillor frost presided. In introducing the candidate, Mr. Frost urged that Mr. Barber had qualified, by the serving of a long apprenticeship, for the position he aspired to gain. He was Wellington-burn and ho was connected with many prosperous commercial concerns m the city. Mr. Barber began by criticising the claims of his opponent, Mr. Luke. Mr. Luke had asserted that ho was "free from party intrigues and cliques and cabals"; yet he had formerly been returned as tho nominee of the Greater Wellington Association; i-.nd that body had on this occasion refrained from nominating him, because it had not believed that his nomination would best servo the interest's of the electors. Mr. Luke also professed to have a clear-cut and definite civic policy. What was it? The council did not know. Mr. Luke had bad six years in winch to initiate an era of progress, but he had not yet to his credit any eminent achievement in that direction. The speaker could claim that if he had to preside over the council he would do so with the goodwill and support of every councillor. A voice: What if the present councillors don't go back? Mr. Barber: Oh, some of them will.

As on previous occasions, Mr. Barber outlined his proposals for the future. He wished to see tho metropolitan control extended by further amalgamations, of the smaller places with tho city. The council must now make up for lost time by proceeding with the works that had been unavoidably delayed by recent war conditions. It must, however, be careful to go forward upon tho right lines, and the information to be gathered abroad by the City Engineer would save an enormous amount of experimentation. The council had an assurance that the city would receive the benefit of_ Mr. Morton's inquiries when he returned.