STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 278, 27 April 1914, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

FROM OUR RESIDENT REPORTER.

Telephone No. 113.

THE MAYORALTY. MR. KING'S ADiJIiKSS,

A STIURIMJ .SPEECH.

T>■ Town Hull was filled 011 Friday uig!;; ji! the occasion of ,\lr. N. .1, Kin;; givivr 11 address in support of his candid ■ for the Mayoralty. The lieariy I recr!' .ill accorded to Mr. King and the ini ■ ; shown throughout liis spirited ad(ii' bore flattering testimony both to hi- i>upularity and to the many public itervi'v* rendered by him to Stratford du: !i.the last '22 years, 31 f. -'angster occupied tlie chair, and in t .i • sully introducing the candidate said j. was 22 years since .Mr. King first can;.' to Stratford, and it was probable tliß; in.t more than twenty of those present v, culd remember his advent. At tha; ihue there were only about a dozen busin.-m people in the town, and one lawyer. so that they could imagine the diflVn >i< e between Stratford then and now. There was no electric light then. (Laughter). Ever since Mr. King h.id arrived in the town lie had been eon- j nccteil with public affairs. He was a j meiiiviir of the first Borough Council, j but two years afterwards, with several others,'was kicked out, but came back i as or, defeating Mr. W. Monkbonse, I and occupied the position for four years, | the i-ily man who challenged him dur- j ing that period doing so merely to pre- ' vc-nl a walk-over. He bespoke for Mr. I King a fair hearing by "the boys," mid I intin"tfd that any questions that were asked on municipal matters at the c10.:.e ' af the address would be replied to. ! Mr. King, on rising, met with a verv J hearty reception. He claimed that dur- I ing the four years of his Mayoralty he I had done his duty. It was a great pleasure to him to meet such a laVgc , number of ratepayers. ■ After t"he dress- ] ing-down he received from his friend, Mr. Kirkwood, the other night, lie felt ' that he ought to apologise for his aiula- ] city in opposing that gentleman. In, the remarks he was about to make he intended to say nothing against Mr. ' Kirkwood personally, though he claim- I ed the right to criticise his public ac- j tions. He recognised that Mr. Kirk- > wood considered he had a public duty | to perform and that it was a painful j duty to have to slate his opponent, so | much so that with tears in his (Mr. I Kirkwood's) eyes he commenced to deal out "stoucli" to the speaker. Public men must bear criticism, and quite right, too, and he intended to criticise Mr. Kirkwood as a public man. ELECTRIC LIGHT BOfiEY.

The. old bogey of the electric light ha;l' Iweti trotted out again by his opponent. It was so old that it eoiild hardly be recognised, and lie suggested that it should be dressed up in Mr. Kirkwfpoil's eoat, Mr. Richards' trousers, and Mr. Predric'a hat, so that it might be known by its friends. (Laughter). The only matter that had bfen brought up against him (the speaker) was that of the electric light. On every occasion that he had stood aR a candidate for a seat m the Council he had topped the poll, so it, was only logical to suppose thai he had served the people well and given them a square deal.

REPLY TO MR. KIRKWOOD.

Referring to Mr. Kirkwood's remarks as to tlie requisition to liim (the speaker) to stan<l> for the Mayoralty being presented in Mr. Master's shop, Mr. Kim; remarked that it was a very nice place for the purpose. There was a sweet smell of red herrings and other delectablcs, but perhaps Mr. Kirkwood was disappointed that the occasion was not celebrated at his hotel. Mr. Kirkwood had made much of his success at elections, but he had not said how ninny times he had been beaten. He had, however, been defeated more than any other man except his (Mr. Kirkwood's! chairman that night. There was 110 doubt that after Mr. KiVkwood had dealt out "stoueh" the other evening he mivl his friends hugged the delusion that lie had put the speaker's "pot on." He would give his version of the question, and after that the people would probably say that he had been grossly misrepresented. He had beard it said that it would be a calamity if Mr. Kirkwood were defeated. What was going to happen? Better men than Mr. Kirkwood had been beaten, nn.l no calaniitv had occurred. Mr. Kirkwood had said. "No man can serve two masters." Thar, was a very ancient chestnut. He did not intend to serve two masters, and. if e.lected, his first consideration •would be the borough. He would not consider the Electric Light Company. According to the local correspondent of the Herald Mr. Kirkwood had put himself on a pedestal and thanked Cod that lie was not as other men were. Mr. Kirkwood was absolutely bound up in the liquo v traffic, and, as this was election year, some people thought the no-license quosI tion would not get fair nhv if Mr. Kirkwood occupied the position of Mayor. That, said the speaker, was absurd. finMr. Kirkwood was no more likely to be swayed by the no-license question th-r.i he (Mr. King) was by the Electric Light Co. (Applause). It had been suggested by Mr. Kirkwood that a letter in the local paper written by Mr. Newton relative to a hole in one of the roads had been inspired bv himself (Mr. King), but he emphatically denied ever having seen the letter or having anything to do with it.

OPUNAKE RAILWAY,

DISPELLING ILLUSIONS,

Mr. Kin# stated that lift had heard | a man in the hall say: "Do you think I'd vote for King? No fear! Why. | lio'd only give the workmen 8s a day." | He had never said any such tiling, lml j had, 011 the contrary, moved in the Cuim- i cil that the mens wages should bo increased to Is Id an hour, as lie considered they were not receiving enough to live on. lie had always believed ;u paying the highest wages, being convinced that in the long run that po!i"y would secure the best results, He lieved that the more wages, in reason the men got, the better would be the return, and he gave the statement referred to an emphatic denial, I "My opponent," said Mr, King, "staM that I had voted with him on all mutters of general policy. What was his i policy? I never knew he had one." (Laughter). "He also said that I hid I always voted against him on electric light matters. That is quite contrary to fact, for I voted for the deputation to go to Wellington, also for the payment of his and Or, Richards' expenses, and I voted for a letter being sent to the Minister asking for the names attached to the petition in favor of tii:• license being granted to the Electric Light Co." Referring to the vol I meter. Mr. King pointed out that it was obtained before Mr. Kirkwood became Mayor. II went wrong-, and a propix-il

was made to send it to Patea to be tested and put right, but he (Mr. Kin;;)

Office and Job Printing Works: York Chambers (upstairs)

| had urged that it should be sent to I Welling! on, so that there might not be ! any question of its accuracy, and it was , now working satisfactorily'. j WATER BATE.

| Two years ago, said the speaker, ; when Mr. Kirkwood was addressing the people, one of his great planks was a reduction of the water rate by 3d, on ' f'c ground that there was .iflOO to the ; credit of the water account. He (Mr. King) h:'.d opposed the propos:il, because he considered it was not in the best interest oi th<( town. It was lie! people in Broadway who derived Ihe greatest benefit from the reduction. but lie con- ' sidered that it should have act','d equal!ly beneficially over the whole town. , -Ihe resolution had been carried on tile j casting vote of the which he ; considered was not right, the constituj tional course being Unit when (he vot- ; ing was equal cm such matters thev re- ! inained as they were. ' | I'KRMANENT WORKS. j

! Mr. King, in advocating that the bor- . ough should go in for a definite policy of permanent works, said the condition ! the streets and footpaths was better ! than had ever been the case. This wiis due to the excellent borough staff and | equipment, and to the work having been idone by day labor. Mr. Kirkwood j claimed to have done more improvements now than were done seven years ago, I when he (Mr. King) was in 'the clmii-', . but the reason for that was on account I of there being much more money available now than then. Mr. Kirkwood also led them to believe he had bought the road-roller, but though it was onlv j paid for last year, Mr. Masters was responsible for it being ordered, and not Mr. Kirkwood.

In praising the work that lad been j during his term of office, Mr. Kirk wood i had paid a great compliment to his op- , ponent (Mr. King), as with tie excepj tion of the planting of the trees on the ! Pembroke road, for which Mr. Kirkwood was alone responsible, the whole of the works hud been carried out while he (Mr. King) was chairman of the Works Committee. As to the trees, | Mr. Kirkwood admitted they were all I dead, and that he knew they would die, ; but hiul them planted so as to save a I year. That was the only work, which j was completely supervised bv the Mayor. I (Laughter). ! The candidate quoted statistics showing that from 1010 to ioi4 the borough revenue had increased from £3220 to £5248 per annum, so that it was evident , Mr. Kirkwood had more money with ! which to do larger works than formerly was the case. Mr. King claimed credit for increasing the revenue by £591 10s a year, as when the old Council Chamber was destroyed by lire lie' and Mr. Tatton had arranged with the shop tenants that if they would hand over the insurance money the Council would rebuild and allow them to occupy the | term. The leases had expired, and the shops rent free for the remainder of their borough now received nearly £BOO a year as the result of the bargain, that amount being available for expenditure oil streets and footpaths. Another roason for the increased revenue wrb the revaluation, which brought in a larger *um for rates. LOAN .PROPOSALS. |

Two years ago Mr. Kirk wood had brought forward' a proposal for a loan of £IO,OOO, and he (the speaker) gave his opponent credit for his action in the matter, but some of the councillors wanted a bridge, while others advocated other works, .so that eventually the amount which the. ratepayers were asked to sanction amounted to £40,000. What Mr. Kirkwood should have done was to have put down liis foot firmly and inissted that as he was pledged to a £IB.OOO loan the amount should not lie increased. 'instead of that, the larger sum was submitted and rejected, not one of the specific proposals into which the total was split being carried.

There was no doubt both Mr. Kirkwood and the' chairman of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr. -T. B. Richards) had worked very hard to get the Opunake railway to join the main line at Stratford. but they did. no good. After detailing the promises' made by the Minister as. to surveying the Stratford route, which resulted only in a flying survey occupying three days, the speaker asserted that Mr. Kirkwood, instead of sitting down with the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce,in star chamber fashion, should have called an indignation meeting, which would certainly have resulted in a strong deputation being sent to Wellington to protest against the treatment Stratford was receiving. He believed Stratford had lost the railway by not having that meeting. He pointed out that I'almerston's progress and prosperity was largely due to its being a railway centre, and if the Opunake railway jimetioned at Stratford the town would have gone ahead by leaps and bounds, but the opportunity had iicen lost, and Eltham now had the benefit. ELECTRIC LIGHT CO.

Xow. said Mr. King, tliov came to that burning question—tlie electric light. Many of those present did not know the history of the company, but he did—to his sorrow. Sixteen years ago a proposal was submitted by a mail named Watt to light tlic town with water gap, but after an exhibition of tliat illuminaut the people would not have it, an:l a good thing too, he added, for two towns which had tried it had discarded the system. Then Mr. Alec Iteid and others gave an exhibition of electric I light that proved satisfactory, ami a j company was formed by several of the . public-spirited men of' the town. A

concession war gi'ante3, to the company l)y the Council for a twenty-one ; monopoly, and what was to happen when that term expired was a mutter of | doubt, lie had put a little money into ! the venture, but had received only :i very small return. In taking up the shares he was actuated by public spirt I and the good of the town, as the borough at that time had not the money to light the town. From the first the I (•ompany had met with bitter opposition in some quarters. Instead of being condemned for being one of the mem- I hers of the company he considered that j be should be commended.' The concession was running out, and there wis 'some talk of the borough tieqniring the j electric works. He was firmly convinc|ed that the borough should have the supply of lighting in their own hands, for they were now spending £SOO a ■ v f ar "P "trort lighting, and that amount. [ if capitalised, would go a long wav ; o J the purchase of the necessary nlant' As i to the question of goodwill, that could be settled by arbitration. 1 THE LICENSE.

Referring to the question of the license which the company was seeking to obtain from the Government. Mr. King

1 said he did not think fur oik? minute tlnit the Government would, in opposi- | tion to the wishes of the people, grant J till! license, and lie sincerely Imped it ) would not he {minted, for lie was afosn- | lute],- opposed to it. Mr. Kirkwood

I Wanted the electors to believe that he (Mr. King 1 ) favored the granting of the I license, and that was entirely contrary Ito fact. He was not advocating the company, but stood' for the best interj ests of the borough every time. He would have none of the license unless the people wished to have it, and lie wonld oppose it tooth and nail. Neither would he have anything to do with the taking over of the company's business unless the people wanted it,.' What did Mr. Kirkwood take him for? ])id they think be would prostitute his principles by supporting the company against the borough merely because he had a small financial interest in the

j company? They ought to know him better than that. Mr. Kirkwood liiml said he hafyn groat.Blake in the town. "Why. lie jS not even a ratcpavnr, anil has onlv a residential niin'ilication!" On the other hand he (Mr. King) had great interests in the town. lie gave Mr. Kirkwood i-rcdit for being a good Mayor, but lie had never been, nor could he be. chief magistrate, 1 because the law would not allow .a licensee to sit on the Bench, {SORROWING POLICY.

The candidate favored borrowing j £16,000 or £17,000 for Water and draini age extensions, and for the improvement of streets and footpaths. The I rates would be. increased thereby, but that was inevitable. During the present year a considerable expenditure was required in Broadway North, and it was doubtful if it could' be met out of revenue. Another water main'was necessary, also filters to purify the water in times of stormy weather, and a loan was required for that work. He believed in giving every resident a foot' :itii to the entrance to his house. As the population over the bridge had increased considerably, the time was ripe for considering the question of a suspension foot bridge over the river at Cordelia street, and he advocated an estimtae of the cost being prepared. IN CONCLUSION.

During his four years Mayoralty he • had given of his best, and now, with the additional experience gained on the Council, he felt that he could do more than ever to advance the interests of the town and make it one of the be3t in New Zealand. He hoped that. ;f elected, at the end of his term they would he able to, say, "AYcll done, thou good and faithful servant." lie thanked those present for the patient hearing lit had received, and hoped that if his opponent again addressed, them they would give him as good a heaaring. On Mr. King resuming his seat, there was again a, gl'eat ■ outburst of hearty cheers.

would give him. as good a nenring. On the motion of Mr. Smart, seconded bv Mr. Thompson, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. King for his address, it being carried by unanimous acclamation. BERNARD'S PICTURES

To-night the people of Stratford will be afforded a double treat, for not only will there be screened at Ilis Majesty's Theatre a remarkably choice selection of films, headed by the Lubin star drama, "Eternal Sea," but the great violinist, Mr. Van Heck, commences his engagement as musical director. "The Sea Eternal" depicts daring rescues from stormy seas most realistically. "Van Nostran's Tiara" is a virile and exciting story of the highest branches of detective work. "Cohen" in the moving picture theatre is always provocative rf mirth, and the redoubtable .Tew is at his best in saving the flag. "The Topicil Budget contains some stirring scenes at a bull-fight. i These pictures, well supported ny seen'ies, comedies and dramas, will be screened again to-morrow night. Patrons are reminded that the theatre is now comfortably warmed. GENERAL NEWS.

The admirable and interesting address delivered by -Mr. X. J. King on Friday night was certainly worthy of the occasion. Now that Mr. King has explained his position on the, electric light, question in such unmistakable terms, it would seem that if the choice of candidates for the Mayoralty was reduced to tlie. mere question of personality, but Mr. Kirkwood has still something to say on the matter, so that until the. last pronouncements have been made the electors will do well to keep their minds open, as Mr. King will h.ive an opportunity of replying to 'lis opponent on Tuesday night. Mr. King has received numerous congratulations on his forceful and effective exposition of his views on municipal matters.

Mr. Kirkwood will again address the burgesses to-night at the Town Hall at 8 o'clock, wlien he .will reply to Mr. King's statements. A reminder is given of the annual meeting of householders, which takes place at the school to-night at 7 o'clock, for the purpose of receiving the School Committee'sannual report and statement of accounts, also for the election of a committee for the ensuing year. It is hoped that there will hi- a good attendance.

When referring, in the course of his address at the Town Hall on Friday night, to Mr. Kirkwood's remarks upon his statement relative to Eltham, Mr. King said that the point ,he emphasised was the difference between the permanent works in Eltham and Stratford. He pinned his faith to Stratford, feeling assured that in the future it must, lie a very large town. He claimed credit for moving to set aside ,0)0 for kerbing and channelling, and contended that the money saved would repay the expenditure in two years.

You hardly feel the razor pass over your face when Stan. Sharp handles tinshaving operation. Added to this delightful sense of comfort is the knowledge that every utensil is sterilised, an I everything absolutel;, clean. Xext lic'lringer's, Stratford. Spcetac!<! and Kye Glasses —Ernes' LV. ,-ics, the kondon-'jaa'ified optician.