THE FIRST SHOT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 87, 13 April 1933, Page 12

THE FIRST SHOT.

MT. EDEN CAMPAIGN.

MR. MULVI HILL'S ADDRESS.

COXTNTCIIj CRITICISED.

' : The first sliot in the- contest for tlie Mount Eden Mayoralty' was fired last evening, when' Mr. J. J. Mulvihill, the Mount- Eden Ratepayers' Association's candidate, addressed a large audience at the Centenary Hall, Dominion Road. Throughout his address, in which he strongly criticised the action of a' section of the present council when amalgamation with the city was proposed, and their attitude in regard to other important matters. Mr. Mulvihill was given an uninterrupted hearing.;. . Mr. W. Hamill was chairman. Recalling that at the last election in the borough the ratepayers had effected a clean sweep in the council, Mr. Mulvihill said he thought that the title of his address during the present campaign should be "The Need for Another Clean Sweep." That title was justified by the attitude of the Mayor (Mr. T. McNab) on the amalgamation proposals. How Rate Was Struck. Mr. Mulvihill reminded the electors that the present council was returned as one body, ibut the rock upon which it split was the amalgamation proposals, which the ratepayers rejected by roughly 5000 votes to 1500. When the rate had to be struck for the borough six councillors favoured 4/9, but the Mayor and five councillors favoured 4/11, and when one of those originally favouring 4/9 turned over to the side of the Mayor the rate was struck at 4/11. The Mayor originally favoured 5/2 and Mr. Nagle 5/,° but eventually they settled upon 4/11. That rate, said Mr. Mulvihill, was unnecessarily high. In striking- the estimates the Mayor and Mr. Nagle were hundreds of pounds out in every item of revenue and expenditure. In all they were astray to the extent of £7759, equivalent to a rate of 5Jd in the £. That had to be paid by the ratepayers when there should have been no necessity for it. All amendments moved by the then loyal section of the Ratepayers' Associations ticket were turned down, but results had shown their estimates were much nearer the mark and that a rate of 4/9 would have been sufficient. Amalgamation. Mr. Mulvihill said that when the amalgamation proposals were being considered, the City Council had _ certain schemes pigeon-holed, which it said nothing, about. Three schemes involved the sum of approximately £2,000,000, and, had Mount Eden amalgamated, the borough- ratepayers would have been called upon to bear a share of the huge expenditure. The loyal representatives of the Mount Eden Ratepayers' Association had upset the scheme _to take Mount Eden and Newmarket into the City; Mount Albert, of course, the city did not want. N The candidate dealt with the borough finances generally, particularly the bank overdraft, sinking fund, and unpaid rates, and said that unfortunately for the ratepayers they were at the mercy of the council for two out of three years, because the valuations were not reassessed annually. What the rate would be in future if he were elected Mayor, and had the support of the Ratepayers' Association's ticket, he could not say, but he would assure thdse who had to pay. that every possible benefit would 1)© passed on. He favoured a local' water supply, and ad* | vocated investigation being made to ascertain if the borough could supply | its own requirements. i After the candidate had touched upon various other matters concerning the welfare of the borough, a resolution expressing confidence in him as -prospective Mayor of Mount Eden, and also resolving to support the full ticket of the Ratepayers' Association for the council, was carried unanimously.

« TICKETS" FOR COTTNCHi. The Mount Eden Ratepayers' Association, which "body at the last election of Mayor and councillors for Mount Eden returned its ticket en bloc, has again/selected its candidates for the forthcoming election. Of the twelve returned on the last occasion, the association has included but one member, Mr. A. P. H. Hartnoll, among those selected for the approaching election. Mr. J. J. Mulvihill is the associations candidate for Mayor, and at his meeting last night at the Centenary Hall, Dominion Road, the following were announced as the association's candidates for the council:—Messrs. R. Hoppy, JP W. McNickle, B. Grayson, A. E. Buckley, A. G. Lee, T. D. Savage, A. P. H. Hartnoll, J. Aehby, E. E. Roberts, A. R. Donald and the Rev. A. J. Greenwood. One more candidate has still to be chosen. _ Supporters of the Mayor, Mr. T. McNab, have selected a "ticket" of twelve to contest seats on the council. Their names are:—Messrs. S. E. Chappell, R. J Mills, J. A. Steele, C. Cowan, T. Davidson, P. S. Battley, G. W. S. Clark (all members of the present council), R. Hay, J. H. Walters, W. B. Gatenby, J." K. Johnston and K. Buttl*.