THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 108, 28 April 1908, Page 3

THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

COLXCILLOR BELLKIXOEIt'S CAXDIDATUKE. Despite the heavy rain there was i good muster of ratepayers last night a the meeting in the Theatre Boyal con veiled bv Mr. F. C. IScllringcr, a candid ate for (he mayoralty. Mr ('. 11. Wcs ton presided, and in introducing the can ilidale referred to him Us one of a fain My which had done much for municipal lii'u in the borough, and as one who linn held, and still held several responsible positions in the, borough I Mr. Bellringer, in opening, said he had been born and bred ill Xew Plymouth, aud any success he had achieved unci been achieved here. He was not a stranger to public affairs, and, whether elected as mayor or not he would continue to take an active interest in all things pertaining to the welfare of the borough. He intended to lay before them a true statement of the municipal finances, which he was sorry to say had not occupied a siillieiciitly prominent place in public l-ecenlly. Though some of his tigui'cs might lie surprising, he had no intention of belittling the town.

■ Xew Plymouth had great possibilities, and he'hoped lo be able to assist in raising the Iwrough trj the position it should occupy among the larger towns I of the Dominion. Mr. Bellringer said that the finances I of the borough were in n strong condition. The total receipts lift year from revenue accounts were £11i,484. being £2784 in ex-cess of the estimate. The principal sources of revenue were general rate C 4742, special rate £2283, water rate and extra supplies £2OIO. electric lighting C2IIOO, abattoirs CIBBO. The expenditure totalled £14,1173, the credit balance being £lsll. After deducting £350 held to the credit of the abattoir, cemetery, and library accounts, the balance was £1152. The expenditure on streets had been £2783, which

i would have been increased but for the ■ difliculty with the loans at the commencement of the year. Working on , the same safe lines as last year there . should be from £4500 to £4700 available for streets in Hie current year, and this would enable the Council lo do more work of a permanent nature. He claimed that the present Council had effected more permanent improvements than any preceding Council. The total rateable value (annual) of the borougi, wn.s £54,500, and the rates at present levied were Is Od general, lOd special, and a water rate on residences only of fid in the £ on the annual value. He was strongly opposed to any policy that would entail any increase of rates (applause), preferring to run along safe lines. With the development of the electric lighting and water supply schemes, the increase of income must lie such as to meet all reasonable (In-, mands. He was strongly opposed to any further borrowing (applause) and he thought that wdicn they heard f lie few figures following the ratepayers would agree with him. The loans raised to date were:—Waterworks £30.000; sewerage. £10,000; baths. £3000: streets. £18.000; and -e----demption of old loan. £20.000; making £OO,OOO raised in 1002. The whole oi. 1 that amount, had been expended. The second waterworks and electric lighting loau of £7OOO had also lieen fully expended. Of the next electric light loan of £IO,OOO, there remained £4OB Is 2d; and there was also in hand £24811 12s Od of the last loan of £2500 recently fhiiscd for duplication of lines and extension to the suburbs. The second

drainage loan of £IOOO had been fully expended. Of the CIOOO waterworks extension loan all had been expended but £157 14s 3d. The abattoir loans amounted to £9307 9s 4d, and faere was a balance in hand nf £lllO 10s. •The total loans authorised were £123,11(17 9-s 4d; and the annual interest charge was .CwflO ss. On the population ofihe borough proper ("iU7) over CI per head hud to be paid for interest each year, and the loans amounted to £2l los per Jiead of the population. Add that to the Dominion's debt of £O7, ami they would find New Plymouth burgesses carried a liability or debt of CS9 |ier head. The time, he thought, had conic to cry "enough." as far as borrowing wont. If returned he would pledge not to support any further loans (applause I. deferring to the Greater Xew Plymouth scheme, lie said that it was only reasonable to expect the suburbs to join the borough, Seeing that at present they had most of the' borough advantages. which they would obtain more cheaply by merging into the borough. The water supply was one of the best, if not the best, in the Dominion, giving a pressure of j-Zolbs to the square inch for lire prevention. At night it was very much more. He believed ill the suburban extension to this extent, that they should get their water, but the burgesses must lie fully served first. lie was a strong supporter of the electric light department, which was one of the best assets the ratepayers had, and one that was likely to earn a goodly sum for the maintenance of the streets. At the same time he was not in favor of adopting their competitors' methods, but would insist on every extension made showing as a good business proposition. On electric lighting the expenditure to date was £21..'1«>-'">. When the present loans were fully spent the electric lighting would have cost £2(i.9OS. and the interest thereon would he C 1214 annually. Last years operations had not only paid the interest, but had brought in an actual profit, which had enabled the electric light defiartmcnt to pay back to the general fund £llOO. The electric light committee estimated that by the end of next, year the day load alone would pay fully two-thirds of the actual wage'-, and in tl,» coors-o nf time leave street lii'tlting

bsolutely free to the ratepayers. Referring to drainage, Mr. l'lellriiigcr .tated that the sewers must he extend■A, of course, hut without further li»r■owing. The earnings from fees, etc., ihouhl he ear-marked for extensions. I'he work of laying and coniieetinji ,vas, under tbe Mr, Kendall's supervision, about half the cost entailed undei riwvious systems. Mr. Kendall, he

thought, was one of the finest borough jngincers in the Dominion (applause), lie referred to the fact that the Council had adopted that clause of the Municipal Corporations Act giving the burgess, cs exceptionally easy terms for making connections. This system of practically advancing tin- cost of connection might well be extended to the electric lighting department (applause), and he was in favor of assisting ratepayers in that direction. lie favored a vigorous policy of street maintenance and extension, and the work done should, as far as possible, he of a permanent character, lie would extend the concrete kerljiug and channelling, anil would also push on the asphalting of paths, believing that this was not only a necessary convenience, but a means of saving money in tip keep. Better and more complete anil economical arrangements should he made for the supply of metal, and he believed that bv an up-to-date system of haulage ami .-rushing by electric power, freeing the traction engine for hauling tin' niel.il into town, from N Mil to I- lid

•r van I ci.ulil !»• .-aved. J'li,. |,iv,.fiii -Iflll »;h aillil|llatfd mid cully. Jin- present I'oiiiu-il hiul found il-ili nldlcd with ii number of i tile shape of promises on behalf »r rcvinns ('(jiuii'ils to construct i-i-ilain inks, mill these constituted nn unl'iiir lim-ff on the revenue, lie instanced lie Viviun struct cutting near We-dcrn 'ark. The fevcr-bod ill tin: West Kiul. in- yi'iira unsuccessfully treated liy pre inn's Councils, liiul been drained and leaned by tin' culling of tile tnniii') miIcr Devon street, lie. averred that tin: ,vcH ward bad hail more cxpcndiliiri ast year than for many years past.

Amougst urgcnl matters to lie pro ceded with in the jjcir future wi'iv th< ■securing of the Alolcsworth street ex tension and Currio street extension; tin replacing of the l'owdcrham stive bridge liy a concrete culvert, with ('our tcnay street widened to its full width [(applause); the securing of the Ileum railway bridge and approaches to relieve Devon street of heavy and stock lraffle to and from the Waiwakaiho sale\ards. Another iniportaiit matter was th« securing of some more up to date means of dealing with the town refuse, thus doing away with the objectionable "depot'' in the East End. Regarding the Ksplanaile extension, he would like to | -ee it, but he would never favor il being done by private subscription. It the ratepayers wanted it the work would (have to be done by way uf l'«t». I'«t : he would not favor that, lie believed , il could be done little hy li'.tle out of ) 'lie surplus fmnls each year. TTo would I favor granting a further CM to the [.Recreation tlround- Hoard. Mr. liellringer said he was thoroughly I in favor of a Cireater Xew Plymouth. '< which would largely increase the area hind the population of the borough. making it one of the largest in the l)o----1 minion. He enu-idered 'l'it/roy. W'estown and Vogeltown should he included - in tin' borough, thus redwing the >ub ; urban 'nsf of administration and avoid :' ing a loss of uiitieeesMirv duplication , ','J'he ratepayers were to be congratulai I'd upon the pains taken to ensure t 1

satisfactory meat supply, uy tne installation of excellent abattoirs, the first in the Dominion to be made complete by the erection of a chilling room with refrigerating apparatus. Concluding, he referred to the New Plymouth people i as a progressive people, and New I'i.vI- mouth as one of the best little towns ill tin- Dominion, lieplyhij; to criticism concerning his - advocacy of a higher hospital rate, lie ■ raid the lower rate last year was only possible mi account of the large amount whielrliad been secured by bci|ticsls and used in the general fund. It was unfair to stigmatise Jiini as a "rate-raiser," for the institution could not lie run on k«s than I lie ninepence he had advocated, lie had it. from the "News" that it had been stated in open Hoard' timt the beipicsls were to have been set aside for a specilic purpose, and he considered it dishonest to use them in any other way. J!' opportunity came, he would re-pay tint money to a social fund. A* to llie hospil-.il, he would have allowed no sister or daughter of his to enter the hospital as a nurse under the conditions which he found upon taking office. \\ ere there any doubt concerning Ihc statements he had made recently concerning the nurses being insulliuic'ntlv housed, and quartered with infectious" patients, he could show them the report of the medical superintendent, Dr/. Teutliam.' upon which he had acted.

.Mr. Bcllrmgcr concluded bv asking the ratepayers to "honor one' of their own," a ninii whose whole interests lav in the borough 0 f Keiv Plymouth. Mr. ]{. ]>". Ktissell moved a vole of thanks to Mr. Bcllringer for his address mid .stated his desire to sj-e the Mayor a young man able not onlv to attend 'o municipal business, |„i t ~j HI) in touch with the actual business life in the town. The speech they had jnst "card was a very practical one, free from fancies of dust-proof streets and dnves mi glassy siinda wh i c . h) ti, 011 ., u like a -ciapter from Revelations," had formed part of „ previous speech. Air