PUKEKOHE MAYORALTY.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 623, 12 April 1921, Page 5

PUKEKOHE MAYORALTY.

MR MASON AT PREMIER HALL. Mr H. G. R. Mason, who was defeated at the last Mayoral election by the present Mayor (Mr. C. K. Lawrie) and who is a candidate for the Mayoralty at the forthcoming election, addressed the burgesses of Pukekohe in the Premier Hall last evening. There was a very fair attendance. Mr J. T. Stembridge occupied the chair and, in introducing Mr Mason, said lie was going to give a resume of the past and present prospects of the workings of the borough.

The candidate, who was given an attentive hearing throughout, said he had consented to contest the election in response to very numerous requests to do so. The people in general, or a great majority of them were dissatisfied with the progress made or was being made in connection with borough affairs. Good progress had been made during the past, but not too much progress had been made during the term of the present Mayor and Council. He noticed in the Times a report of a recent meeting of the Borough Council when the Mayor congratulated the Council on the good work done and the progress accomplished during their term of office. Mr. Mason said that as far as he could see the progress made was absolutely a blank. Just prior to th§ last election Mi Lawrie circulated the burgesses and that pamphlet embodied his policy. He advocated better attention should be given to roads than of late, meaning during his (the speaker’s) term of office. He referred to West road and said this was a striking example of the better attention given to roads during Mr Lawrie’s and the Council’s term of office. He had taken a friend over the roads recently and the road (West street) was very rough. The motor driver remarked in reply to the visitor’s question that the roads were better as they got outside of the borough. Mr Mason contended, in spite of the policy for better roads, that there were no less holes in West street than there were in it two years ago. He compared the attention given to roads for the year ended March 31, 1919, and the corresponding period of 1920, the latter during Mr Lawrie’s term of office. In 1919, £IBOO odd were spent on roads while for 1920 this amount had been reduced by onethird. This was a good example of how better attention had been given to roads. Quarterly Statistics. Mr Lawrie promised in his circular to see that quarterly statistics were published. So far there had been none. Electric Light Extension. During his term of office he propounded an electric light extension scheme, but since the present Council took office nothing further had been done. He pointed out that there was ample room for development as fax’ as the borough’s electric scheme was concerned. He condemned the action of the Mayor and Council for allowing a Waiuku company to encroach almost on the borough border. The company had been granted a license from the Franklin County but had not yet been granted a license by the Public Works Department. It was not. yet to late to save the and if elected he would do all in his power to achieve this object. This state of affairs showed shocking negligence on the part of those in authority, especially when there was a glorious opportunity to extend the Borough electricity scheme. Waterworks. With reference to the Borough waterworks, the candidate said that when he first took office he found faults with several matters in regard to the waterworks, and he took steps to have them rectified, in spite of opposition from a body of people. He traced the history of the waterworks from the time the old Town Board was in existence. When the first Council took office it judged its predecessors, and criticised their actions, and that was why the feeling created had been intensified and which retarded the progress of Pukekohe to a marked extent. Because he found faults in waterworks this body of people—the Chamber of Commerce —prejudiced him in every way, placed objections in the wav, and always raised doubts. They were all frivolous. He pointed out that he was instrumental in getting the low reservoir, in spite of opposition and misrepresentations, and added that only for the low reservoir, the people would have been without water. The Chamber of Commerce was by no means representative of ID- ratepayers or citizens. In re-

to an invitation on one occasion. he attended a meeting to

explain his views on the waterworks scheme. To his surprise he found three in. including a reporter. B ; many the Chamber

o-,t together on other occasions he did not know.

King Street. According to Mr Lawrie s circular, money had been wasted on King Street. The estimated cost of the street was £9OO, but with using prices it cost about £I2OO, and he assured the ratepayers that every sixpence that went into the street, they had received value for their money. If King Street went to pieces to-morrow they would still have had value for their money, comparing it with other streets, including West Street, which cost more. The Big Loan. Mr Mason took a good deal of the credit for the raising of the big £B4 000 loan. The schemes were almost completed when he left office, but the present Council deferred the matter for nine months, and it was only by representations made by the burgesses and the Times that a move was made. If was too late, money was scarce and tight. Other local bodies got in while the borough was asleep and raised the money they required. He condemned the idea of splitting loans into two parts, because it meant defeat of the scheme. One section would support one proposal and turn another down and the other vice versa. The drainage scheme was not ready when the paper got to work, and only for him canvassing some of the Councillors requesting them to make sure it. was embodied in the.whole loan, the loan would have been split. Eventually it was placed before the ratepayers and carried. It. was a lucky thing for Pukekohe that a good deal of the Mayor’s policy did not eventuate. It was evident they wanted a change of Mayor. War Memorial. When the questiton of the war memorial was introduced, the electors were given a choice to decide as to what form it should take. They wanted swimming baths and he maintained that their wish should have been respected. Swimming baths have been provided for in the loan. Yes, said Mr Mason, we would get the baths when the loan moneys were raised. We have got the war memorial in a form the people did not want, and we will have the baths in a form the people do not want. Cash was raised for a war memorial and he contended the baths could have been erected with this money. He advocated the erection of baths at once, so that people could get a little pleasure out of life. Athough money was tight, as far as big works were concerned, he thought money coud be obtained for small works. Motor Reel. He advocated the acquirement of a motor reel for fire brigade purposes. Tidy Main Street and Rest Room. Mr Mason was in favour of employing a man to clean up King Street three times a week, and the erection cf a rest room for women visitors to the town. Conclusion. I)-, conclusion, the candidate stated that if elected "he would do all in his power to further the interests of the borough. He would not spare himself in his duties. He was keen on the work and wanted to make the town a pleasure to live in, and a town one could feel proud of. (Appause.) Questions. Mr J. G. Ward asked where Mr Mason would get the water to supply the swimming baths. Mr Mason said he was not able to speak with confidence in connection with details of borough affairs as he could when he w r as in office. He would have to go into the matter. Everything he did before was only after a good deal of thought and ■careful consideration. The water could be got from the town supply or from a bore near the Domain, where he thought the baths would go. In answer to Mr Johns Mr Mason said he was in favour of Roose’s hush loan proposal as it stood, He urged the ratepayers to give the proposal their heartiest suppoi-t.