CIVIC ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 169, 13 April 1921, Page 8

CIVIC ELECTIONS

THE LABOUR CANDIDATES MR. P. HICKEY’S ADDRESS A public meeting in the Concert Chamber of tho Town Hall was addressed last night by Labour candidates for municipal honours. Air. R. M'Keeu presided over a rather small attendance. The principal speaker was the Labour candidate for the Mayoralty, Mr. I’. Hickey. He explained that in the time at 'his disposal he could not go into the whole of the Labour platform. His policy was just the same as that of tho other Labour candidates, and therefore it might conreotly be taken 'that he stood for all the things that they advocated. He wished to say a few words in regard to the gentlemen who were opposing him. In the beginning there had been quite a largo number of Mayoral candidates, but they had been more or less rapidly disappearing. Since there was a fortnight between that night and the election, he had reason to believe that two more candidates would fall out of the contest, and that he would be left unopposed. (Laughter.) For all that, he wished to make a few observations about Mr. Wright and Air. Hislop. No citizen of Wellington could have any doubt whatever about the position of Mr. Wright. Air, Wright’s association with public affairs in this country such that all knew exactly where he stood in regard to both national and local politics. Mr. Wright was 'the selected candidate of the business interests of the city. If elected, he could be depended upon to servo faithfully the interests responsible for hfa nomination. On the other hand, there was the Hon. T. Hislop. It was with Mr. Hislop’s pretensions as a democrat that tho speaker intended to deal. Air. Hislop had had a very long publio career. In his early life he had been a Conservative membqr of the House of Representatives. As a Conservative he had continued to represent a. constituency tor some years. He went into Cabinet ns a. Conservative Minister. In 1890 he was a member of Sir Harry Atkinson’s Goveniment, and when tho force® of the Liberal Party defeated the Conservative Party of Atkinson, not only did Air. Hislop lose his Cabinet position, but ho also lost the seat he held for Oamaru. Since then he had been struggling to get back into F a rlia>nentary life, and hod never succeeded. He had repeatedly opposed other candidates as an anti-Seddon candidate. But ini His old! age, soring how tho wind was blowing, he had changed his political colours. Not only was he to-day an antiMasseyite, an anti-Consorvative, but radical to a degreo-if the electors cared to take him at his own estimate, and accept the construction ho placed on his policy. A gentleman with a career such as Air. Hislop’s was naturally suspect in radical quarters. The appeal 'bjr Air. Hislop to-day was directed very largely to- the democratic section of the community, and while, as the speaker.had said before, everyone knew the position of Air. Wright; it was necessary for everyone to be alive to the position of Mr/Hislop also. The workers should not permit a, belated repentance at the stool of democracy to deceive them.. Mr. Hislop was nut into the contest to intercept votes 'that were aAti-Wright in their tendency, and might, but, for his presence, go to labour. He was a. red herring. He had not the ghnst of a chance, and all. with the possible exception of Air. Hislop himself, knew it. Labour and Civic Welcomes. In some quarters, considerable agitation had been shown over the question of what might happen if the speaker were elected io the Afayoral chair. 'The inquiry had been made: How would he receive General Haig? That was « poser. "I wish to say," Afr. Hickey announced, "that if General Haig camo to this city and a civic reception was extended to him, I certainly would not get down and grovel at his feet, and T am quite sure he would not expect mo to do so. I don’t know whether there are any 'wowsers’ present, because I don’t want to shock them when I say that the most likely thing for me to do would be for me to shake General Haig by the Hand and ask him to have a drink. I am quite sure that as an experienced man of the world he would prefer that sort of treatment to a lot of the unwholesome slobber that certain people would think necessary at a time like that. ... I don’t care who the person is—General Haig or Bob Smillie, or Frank Tudor, or Debs —when he comes here Labour is going to extend to him, whether it controls the city or otherwise, the heartiest welcome possible. . . . Honestly, don’t you think I could uphold the dignity of this city equally with Air. Wright?” Tramway FinanceAir. Hickey proceeded to discuss tramway finance. The estimated value of the tramways on Afarch 31, 192(1, he said, was £1,098,940. The amount of money borrowed in connection with the trains was •£553,230, which left a very handsome margin of assets as against liabilities. The total expenditure was .£866,221. The loans rasied totalled £553,230, so that there had been expended a 'balance of •£<312,991, which did not consist of loan moneys, and must consequently have come out of revenue. Now, for many years—in fact, until quite recently—the tramwaymen and the people of this city had been exploited by those responsible for the control of tho tramways. Those in control had been building up a very handsome margin of profit and extending tho lines through various portions of the outlying districts, thereby enhancing enormously tho unimproved value of the bind in the vicinity. Every lime that tho line, was extended in some direction it enormously improved tho value of land held mostly by syndicates, which were keeping it with the -idea of rouping a reward when the routes were extended and the people desired plots tn build upon. The trams had been the. direct cause of increasing by millions of pounds the value of the land round Wellington. But the city had derived practically nothing in return for tho added land values that had been created. The whole of that had gone into the pockets of the land speculators. If the earning capacity of the trams in every respect had been credited to them, and if people of ordinary capacity for business had had control at the time when they were doubling the land values round the city, the tramway ,service would have been in such a state to-day that the fares could have been the lowest in Australasia, or, indeed, in any part of the world. The additional land values created should belong to the people. and not- to the land speculator, and that was the policy of the Labour Party. If permitted to control the affairs of the citv. Labour would guarantee that there would bo no increase in tram fares, and that there would he an extension to all workers, whether they went to work at 8 o’clock or 9, of tho right to purchase workmen’s privilege tickets. Mr. Hickey advocated the adoption, for subsequent council elections, of the principle of proportional representation. Ho said that the. city should also adopt tho preferential system in the voting for the Mayoralty.- Mr. Wright thought that the City Council fthonld elect the Afayor. That would be retrogression, not advancement. Afr. AV right said, in effect: "You can’t he trusted with the job of electing the Afavor, since you might not elect Afr. Wright.” If the people desired proper and effective administration of the city, they should vote Labour nt the coming elections. Other Candidates’ Views. Mr .1. Glover complained of the state of affairs which prevented the City Council ffom supplying the Hospital with, milk. He maintained that there

should be more co-ordination between tho local bodies jn securing supplies of every kind. Mr. W. T. Young said that Labour, if placed in control of civic affairs, would at once make a full investigation of tramway finance. It seemed to him that tho money of the citizens had been expended to enhance tho value of land in the vicinity of tho lines. _ Afr. C. it. Chapman said that there was a distinct dividing lino between Labour councillors and other councillors. The Labour people believed that those who worked for wages or salary were the most important members of the community. MR. WRIGHT AT SEATOUN Air. R. A. Wright, ALP., addressed a largo audience at the Afasonie Hall, Seatoun, last night. Afr. A. IV. Parton was voted to the chair. Dealing with local matters, Mr. Wright alluded to tho facilities for sea bathing which wero so promising in the district. He said tho City Council had never been ungenerous in encouraging sen bathing at the different bays about the city, believing that such exercise was beneficial to the community. Answering questions, Afr. IVright said that the problem of sea erosion on the foreshore was one for experts, and he was in favour of obtaining such advice. He admitted that the blinds on the cars should be improved, as in wet weather they were unsatisfactory. The question of running the Seatoun trams via No. 2 route would be investigated, but no promise could be made until all the facts were known.

Air. H. ,T. Wyatt moved, and Afr. F. North seconded, a vote of confidence in Air. Wright, which was carried unanimously. MR. HISLOP AT WADESTOWN The Hon. T. IV. Hislop addressed a meeting at Wadestown last night, Air. Janes being in the chair. He reviewed the position of the city, which, he said, had been admitted to be bad. An excuse had been made that it arose during the war, but, as a matter of fact, more than half the "slide" occurred since November, 1918, and part of it occurred prior to that time. However, from the first he had disclaimed any wish to cast reflections, but desired to arrive at the truth, and then to take measures to bring about a change. He had done this during his previous administration. Having got a properly balanced revenue and expenditure, he was able to borrow at a lower rate than any city in New Zealand. His council was able for the first time to add to the sports reserves—Berh am pore (2), Kelburn Park, Anderson Park, and, in part, KilbirniePark, which was reclaimed under legislation promoted by the council. Tramways and drainage had been greatly extended, and Wilton’s Bush and five hundred acres of land had been acquired as a scenic reserve. The foreshore not belonging to the Harbour Board) in Evans Bay was acquired, also the foreshore three chains deep, together with twenty-six acres of land, were acquired free of cost, and the tramway to Lyall Bay was constructed at the cost of laying the tramway, the formation being done by the owner of the adjacent land. The Zoo was established, and JU2,000 was spent on wood-blocking out of income. "Compare these things with what has been done since, and reflect that the general account was more than square when credit was given for advances,” added the speaker. He pointed out that much was still required to be done. He proceeded to map out a progressive programme, which, he said, would, ami could, only be carried out after confidence was restored, following a squaring of expenditure and income. The candidate sketched his plan- of hou.se building on co-operative principles, and claimed that the trams could be made more lucrative and useful. Our beaches could nlso bo developed. A motion of thanks and confidence, proposed by Afr. Bruce Howe, was declared carried unanimously. A KARORI CANDIDATE.

A meeting of Karori residents was held last night to select a candidate to represent that district on the City Council. Mr. C. I. Dasent presided over an attendance of about 120. After speeches had been deliverd by Messrs. Sykes, Hildreth. B. G. H. Burn, J. Burns, Geoffrey, and Hart, the chairman called for nominations. Mr. B. G. H. Burn was the only ono nominated, and on the proposal lieing put to the vote it was carried, almost unanimously.

Mr. R. A. Wright will address the electors at the Brooklyn Baptist- Schoolroom to-night, at 8 o’clock.