LYTTELTON MAYORALTY.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17742, 19 April 1923, Page 14

LYTTELTON MAYORALTY.

MR W. T. FOSTER'S

CANDIDATURE,

Mr W. T. Foster, a candidate for the Mayoralty of Lyttelton, addressed a well attended meeting of electors last evening at the Oddfellows' Hall.

Mr Foster stated that he was no stranser to the electors, for he had been on the Council preciously for several years. Some six years a«o he stood tor the Mayoralty uiisucciissiuii.v. Two years atco lie was approach:. <i to oppose the present Mayor (Mr \\. T. Lester), but, oiniii; to the strenuous work Mr Lester had done durum the war and his contemplation of a trip to England, he had stood down until again approached si.me time ago.

iiogaruing tue iiiuuicial position of the Council, he gave credit to the late Council for the reduction or the Council's overdrait. When ho Icit the Council it had a big overdraft, due to loans for drainage. In his opinion the cost of administration was too high ana" the staff required adjusting, fie considered a saving could be obtained if a permanent staff of ab,;ut tour employees were kept to do the work of road repairing and other works in the borough. In respect to the borough's water supply, the swaker thought that the time had arrived when extra wells should be sunk. Tho demand for water had no doubt increased on account of the extra buildings. He did i'..->t tb:nk the scarcity of water in Lyttelton was due to the use of water, for gardens, but to the extra demand bv the shipping. Since he had comph'ined of the scarcity of the water supply ho had noticed that the Council had passed two resolutions to the effect that the cuestion of sinking extra wnlls slA.u,d. be aono into at an early date. He was pleased to see that the Council had curtailed the expenditure on Diamond Harbour. The moiry could be better employed in carrying out works on this side of the harbour. 'Corsair Bay required a shelter shod and other improvements should also he carried out because the crowd that patronised the bay warranted the work. He advocated tTie necessity of an open space as ft plavsrround for children to obviate the necessitv of children having to nlav in the street. xi.ii The time had arrived when the local fire brigade should have a motor—not a cheap motor, but one with reserve power. , , After answering a number of ouestions the candidate accorded a vote of ttianks.