ELECTION POINTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26616, 12 November 1947, Page 4

ELECTION POINTS

Charge Denied “If he knew more he would talk less,” said the Mayor, Mr Cameron, when denying, at Mornington last night, a charge by his opponent for the mayoralty, Mr E. F. Jones, that he had not kept his promise to call a special meeting of all interested in swimming. “Mr Jones said that when I stood for Mayor three years and a-half ago I promised to convene a meeting to discuss swimming facilities in the city. He said that I did not keep that promise and that I did not convene such a meeting. I was installed as Mayor on June 5, 1944, and on August 31, 1944, I convened the conference I bad promised to convene, and it was one of the best-attended meetings on swimming matters ever held. It has been impossible to build a new Olympic pool,” he stated, “but we have modernised to the best of our ability our Municipal Baths and we have received a letter from the Swimming Centre thanking us for what we have done. I would ask Mr Jones to retract his charge,” Mr Cameron added.

Interest Lacking “ When we started the meeting of the City Council on Monday night there were 10 councillors present,” Mr L. M. Wright, Citizen candidate for the City Council, told his Mornington audience last night. “We were discussing a scheme that involved the expenditure of £1.170,000 and yet at 9.30 there was only one Labour councillor left. Some of these Labour men have as much interest in their city as a cow has in atomic energy.” “My Own Business” “ I have attended one meeting and one meeting only of the Citizens’ Association and not one person connected with it has asked me what my political opinions are,” said Miss Louise Roberts, Citizens’ -candidate for the Otago Hospital Board, in an addres-s at Mornington last night. “I did not expect them to, for I consider my political opinions are my own business. I believe, too, that local bodies should be non-political.”

Hospital Attendances “ Every year no fewer than 40,000 people receive attention at our outpatients department and 8000 are treated in the Dunedin Hospital,” said Dr D. G. McMillan, chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, in an address at St. Kilda Town Hall last night in support of the Labour candidates for the board. In other wards, Dr McMillan added, 48,000 people out of the population of 107,000 in the board’s area, attended the hospital, either as patients or out-patients. Approaches to Bridge

“ I see that Dr Cotton has criticised the approaches to the Edgar Stark bridge at Waipori,” said Mr L. M. Wright, Citizens’ candidate for the CityCouncil, in an address at Mornington last night. “We built the approaches on the advice of two expert civil engineers. It is a pity we had not been in the position to ask Dr 'Cotton's advice, but nevertheless we are convinced that the job was so solidly done that the approaches will last for over 100 years.” Secondary Hospital

“ We have 42 acres of land at Wakari and up there we will build our secondary hospital,” said Dr D. G. McMillan, chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, in an address at the St. Kilda Town Hall last night in support of Labour candidates for the board. He added that the Loans’ Board had approved a loan of £450,000 and early next year the Hospital Board would be calling for tenders for the erection of foundations and would then call for tenders for the erection of the hospital which would be a 300-bed hospital.

Country Hospital Service ' “We have done a lot during the last three years to improve the service in the country institutions,” said Dr D. G. McMillan, chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, speaking in supportof the Labour candidates for the board at StL Kilda Town Hall last night. Dr McMillan . mentioned that when the board was elected a number of these institutions did not have adequate sterilising equipment, but the boara had overcome that difficulty. At Pleasant Valley patients had to be sent to Dunedin for X-ray, but X-ray plant had now been installed at Pleasant Valley so that people did not have to go to Dunedin for their X-rays any longer. Hospital Board Chairmanship “A lady came to me some weeks ago and said, she had been asked to consent to be nominated as a Citizens’ Association candidate,” said Dr D. G. McMillan, chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, in an address in support of Labour candidates for the Hospital Board at St. Kilda last night. “She agreed, was selected, and was told that she would be perfectly free to follow her own conscience, but before the ticket was announced she was told she must pledge herslf to vote for a change in the present chairmanship of th£ board. She said she would do no such thing, and she was dropped from the party ticket.”