MR. E. GALLICHAN'S CANDIDATURE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 96, 25 April 1911, Page 4

MR. E. GALLICHAN'S CANDIDATURE.

Mr: E.- Gallichan, who is standing for election to the City Council, ad' dressed a meeting of electors in the Tiffin Rooms last evening. Mr. G. Hill presided, and about forty people' were present. At the outset Mr. Gallichan explained that he had come out on his own initiative, ' and he was vain enough to think that he was as competent as any other man to* take part in our civic management. He was not opposed to municipal markets, but he had to be satisfied beyond every possible shadow of a doubt that markets would at least pay their way and would not be a drain on the revenue in the future before he could support a proposal to establish, a market here. The matter of the city's milk supply required immediate attention. Attention should be given to the source of supply. To enable this to be done legislation was, required, but once it was done he would be in hearty accord with the scheme, and would do every, thing he possibly could to help on the establishment of a distributing depot in, the city. The present system of cleaning the streets was most unsatisfactory. The cleaning of the streets should bo done at night, and by 7 a.m. the work should be completed. He did not advocate a reduction of rates for the present, but when the revaluation of the city leaaes was efiVeted in 1912 and 1913 the increased rentals should be eaimarked and applied to a reduction of rates. He complained that light was being supplied to the hospital at a ridiculously low rate, and that it was the duty of the council to b» just to those streets which still required lighting before it was generous to the hospital authorities. The charge should be 5d per unit for lighting and 3d per unit for heating. He was a supporter of town planning. It was beyond the City Council to accomplish a scheme in which all the outlying districts would be included. _It would be well to set up a board consisting of representatives of the various local bodies, whose duty it would be to approach the Government with a view to the setting aside of an endowment to pay interest on sinking fund

and any money borrowed to carry _ out a scheme. The loans could be repaid in 36 years, say, and the endowments could then revort back to the Government. As to the demands of the tramway men, he said the problem the city was up against was not so much one of increased wages as the shockingly bad management of the tramways. The men simply demanded a fair wage for a fair day's work. He could suggest improvements which would result in an additional earning power and a saving of £40,000 per year. The cars wasted too much time at the various termini. On the Brooklyn line the cars stopped for six minutes each trip, and on many of the other lines time was similarly wasted. At the Government station it Was a common thing to see ten or a dozen cars, possibly, all idly waiting. At Newtown end it was not unusual to see cars two and three deep waiting for a considerable time instead of proceeding on their journey. On the other x hand, at the railway station at Lambton it was a common thing to see cars leave practically empty before passengers just alighted from a train could board them. The tramway men knew these defects, and they had shown how ±/700Q could be saved. They had also shown a re-arrangement of the service whereby a saving of £20,000 per annum could be effected. Then if the Post Office-Willie-street connection was made care would not require to run to the railway station and a further £10,000 per annum could be saved. The men 'did not ask for an increase of wages unless tho suggestions which they made for improvement were borne out by experience. Surely it was a fair thing that the men's ideas should at least be given sympathetic consideration. He paid a tribute to the courtesy and competency of the men, and said that the overcrowding of cars should receive attention. The keeping of an indicating chart- should show just where it was necessary to run the cars to the public. Great saving would be effected by carrying the material for various works on the tramlines in electric wagons. The rules regarding the promotion of employees required alteration. Sinking funds also deserved more consideration. He advocated consideration of the question of providing for a universal fare. Recently he had received a letter from Mr. Richardson complaining that he had boarded a car with a cage containing a canary. ■ He had no objection to ■offer or protest to mako against the intimation that he would be proceeded against if he did it again. But why discriminate? It was not fair to ntop anyone carrying a canary and at the same time issue a permit to. a lady to carry her dog on the trams. What v.'as required in connection with our tramways wae a general manager with a sound commercial knowledge to attend to dickybirds and poodles and other important matters and leave Mr. Richardson free to attend to the mechanical side. Many of the best men had been forced out of the service, men who had received testimonials of the highest order from Mr. Richardson, recommendations for important positions, men who had received good testimonials from Mr. His lop, Mr. Wil'ford, and councillors, and yet these men had been driven out of the service. This should* not be, and should he be returned, he promised that this abuse would stop, and the men be given a fair chance of promotion when opportunity offered. Tho candidate was accorded a vote of thanks for his address.