DEVQNPORT MAYORALTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 103, 4 May 1931, Page 8

DEVQNPORT MAYORALTY.

ADDRESS BY MR. H. F. MEIKLE. WATER SYSTEM CRITICISED. Mr. H. F. Meikle, a candidate for election; as Mayor of Devonport, delivered his first address at Devonport on Saturday evening. The hall was crowded. Mr. G. H. Minchin Dresided. Mr. Meikle eaicl he had resided at the North Shore for some ten years. Before retiring from the defence forces he held the post of adjutant in two units, which duties were purely administrative, and included the duties of civil engineering. His technical ability should serve him in good stead were" he elected to the Mayoralty. He criticised the condition of the streets and footpaths of the borough. Being a nominee of the Devonport Propertyholders' Association, his main plank was that of refraining from further borrowing, unless by the wishes of ratepayers. Past councils, he said, had indulged .in borrowing without limit and the huge sura of £42,000 had been borrowed without the consent of the ratepayers. It would take many years before ratepayers would be relieved from the burden of the concrete roads. Mr. Meikle was of the opinion that the allocation of £1200 from the Highway* Board was inadequate, and more was required for subsidiary streets. It would be his aim to give people in the back streets decent footpathe. Aβ it was, storm water was literally tearing the footpaths to piecee. As the borough had a public debt of half a million, it was evident that all work would have to proceed out of revenue. It was intended to explore every avenue with the idea of effecting economy. Mr. Meikle also criticised the water supply system. Water meters had cost the ratepayers £13,000, and were most unreliable. It was his opinion that the meters ehould be aboliehed, except those installed for commercial users. If any saving had been made by the water nieter, it had been "swamped" by their cost. To limit the water supply was detrimental to the health of the people. He knew of cases where families bathed in the one tub of water in order to eavo expense. Free water was as necessary ai> free air. He could not understand why such restrictions should be made at Devonport while'other northern boroughs had a full and free service and without meters. -..-;■

MivMeikle assured his hearers that it would be hie , aim to reduce the rates, which were far. too high. It was said that Devonport, with a fid rate, was one of the lowest-rated boroughs, but it had to be considered that most 01 the rates were a consequence of the concrete highway, and ratepayers really paid for one road which did not benefit 30 per cent of them. - .... .

The nominees of the association for the council, Messrs. G. B. Beere, J. Curtayne, G. D. Hardy, G. E. Harnett, H. J. Hutehinge, S. H. Lyon, A. W. Meiklejohn and A. S. Player, also addressed the meeting. A vote of thanks and confidence in the speakers was carried unanimously.