“WE’VE HAD FUN’’

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 651, 1 May 1929, Page 11

“WE’VE HAD FUN’’

NO BACKBITING MR. VAILE ENDS CAMPAIGN Mr. H. E. Vaile, a candidate for the j Mayoralty, addressed a good-humoured audience last evening in the Grey Lynn Library. The candidate regaled the electors j with a wealth of reminiscences and anecdotes. Here is a selection from his observations: “It is very nice to think we have had nothing to fight about. The whole campaign has been conducted in the best of good humour. We have had a good deal of fun and there has been no backbiting. “An Auckland morning paper referred to Mr. Baildon as being ’impeccable,’ which means that he is incapable of sinning—he must be a perfect man. “I think we will have to return to the ward system. It is absolutely farcical to have to elect 21 councillors from a host of 67 aranged alphabetically. “When an old woman sells a packet of cigarettes on a Sunday there are about 10 council officials to pounce on her and run her in and get her fined £5, whereas one could do it equally as well. “You will be interested to hear that a number of City Councillors —so I am told —went to St. Hellers Bay this evening to assure ratepayers down there that £25,000 will be secured for pushing ahead the waterfront road to that place. I am delighted to have been of some use to Auckland. “It seems absurd that we cannot have the Municipal Band broadcast. If we cannot have this band’s music on the air the sooner we end the band the better. “My enemy cannot accuse me of being a humbug and I will see that no humbug is permitted at the Town Hall. “A certain weekly paper published a photo of me with the caption, ‘H. E. Vaile, who wants to be Mayor.’ In the next column adjoining this announcement were the words: ‘He had been driven from his father’s house and had taken refuge with his uncle.’ Perhaps there is a libel in that —I am looking for money to pay the expenses of this campaign. “I have had lots of people wanting to borrow money on the strength that they would vote for me and several have asked for the price of a drink. I did not fall for anything of that. “This afternoon a man phoned me to say that his brother had been arrested for a certain theft and in view of the coming of polling day the least I should do was to bail the accused out,” said tlie voice. “Some time before the election I asked Mr. Baildon whether he intended to stand on this occasion. He replied: ‘No; four years of this is enough for me. Somebody else can have it.’ Since j then Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, chairman ! of the Harbour Board, returned from I abroad and Mr. Baildon changed his mind. “It would be a very good idea if the Mayor and councillors were required to make a tour of the world. I do not think it right that a city the size of Auckland should be in the hands of men who rarely travel further than Takapuna.”