OFFICE OF MAYOR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 99, 29 April 1933, Page 11

OFFICE OF MAYOR.

ONEHUNGA CANDIDATURE.

MR. GEEAGHTY'S ADDRESS,

A good recaption was given Mr. T. H. Geraghty at a meeting in the Foresters' Hall, Onehunga, last evening, in the course of his campaign for the Mayoralty of Onehunga. Mr. J. D.. Twentyman presided. Mr. Geraghty said he had been a member of the Onehunga .Borough Council for the last four years. He estimated the total revenue of the borough last year at £93,882, made up as follows: Loans and bank advances, £12,500; unemployment relief wages, £39,018; ordinary revenue, £42,364. He contended that the finances were in a serious plight and that, the current year's rates had already been spent, before they were collected. And although the balance-sheet showed a debit of only £4400 on March 31 last, the actual shortage was £7200, as £2800 of unpaid accounts had been carried lorward for payment out of this year's revenue. Sinking funds amounting to £10G3, which should have been paid last year, remained a liability. The borough's finances, he said, were in a bad way. The money spent last year from all sources of revenue was equal to £7 10/ per head of the population of 11,500 persons in the borough.

The candidate advocated the continued laying of concrete footpaths, the further improvement of parks and reserves, and, if elected, would encourage the establishment of new local industries. He was in favour of earmarking all revenue received from heavy traffic and drivers' licenses and petrol tax, amounting last year to £3200, to putting down the roads in permanent paving. By the employment off relief labour the only tost for this work to the ratepayers ' would be for the material used. There were 3622 ratepayers and the net public, debt of the borough was £272,903, or equal to £75 6/ per head. The outstanding rates at March 31 last amounted to £12,000.

In answer to questions, Mr. Geraghty said, if elected, he would favour giving every relief worker additional employment to enable him to work off his rates. He would look very closely into 'the large expenditure in office salaries and would begin by reducing the Mayor's honorarium. (Applause.) He favoured the construction of a tepid batli near the site of the refuse destructor. He

disapproved of the council charging rate- {'-■ payers for a portion of the cost of concreting the footpaths, as they had already paid for the footpaths many times over.

Mr. Geraghty received an almost unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.