THE CITY MAYORALTY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 73, 25 March 1912, Page 2

THE CITY MAYORALTY.

MR. HALL SKELTON A CANDIDATE. THE POINT AT ISSUE. STRIKE OR NO STRIKE. On present indications the City Mayoral ciectitm is to resolve into a contest between Mr. C. J. Parr and Mr. Hell SUe'ton. The Federation of Labour nominee, Mr. M. .f. Savage, was met by the members of the Socialist party on Saturday, but it is believed that ho will decline co accept nomination. .Mr. Hall Skclton. in speaking to n "Star' , representative, this morning, snid ho would stand entirely as an Independent lie thought that the functions (Tevolving upon the Mayoralty were such that the citizen elected to such iv position shouM be absolutely independent of nny party, and quite impartial. The sole object of his standing was to, if possible, prevent what threatened to be one. of tho most disastrous industrial upheavals New Zea.in.nd has ever known. It was, in his opinion, absolutely certain that if Mr. Parr were returned there -would be a stoppage of the wheels of industry right through New Zealand. He believed that if the Mayor of the city were willing to urge a policy of conciliation, this disaster might, b<? averted Mr. Parr, had, he considered, acted unwisely in refusing to l>rinij about a conference. He (Mr. Ha.ll Skelton) was being requested to stand by both employers and employees, as weH as by tho largo body of business men which would suffrr most if a general strike did t-ake place. Ho would have preferred to hove seen eomo other citizen come forward (o contest thr position, but he felt '•cmpelled to ctmltango tho present Mayor in the interests of every citizen in the community. It waa a strange thing that on the occasion of the drainage strike Mr. Parr had been willing to officially mc«t ihe representatives of the union and of the Federation of l.nbonr, and to hear every statement they hadi to make, prior (o a settlement being arriyed at. From the point of view of courtesy alono Mr. Parr had been nt fault, said Mr. Hall Skelton, in declining to meet the FWcration officials in tho present dispnite. Moreover. Mr. Parr had said that the men hud no legal status, and that their proper course was f> scttln tho dispute through the Arbitration Act- That was incorrect, pince the Trades Union Art gave tho unions the right to settle their disputes with the fimplnypra direct, without waitfun for the slow-moving machinery of the Arbitration Art. Tho position' waa now so sente that he believed that in the interests of industrial peace alone there fthould be a change in tlie Mavorn] office, nnd he. therefore, would contest thr eeat, believing that upon th-:- ousting of Mr. Parr depended the Issue— Ptrik? or no strike.