CITY MAYORALTY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20224, 30 April 1931, Page 12

CITY MAYORALTY.

* MR HAY WARD'S CANDIDATURE. REPLY TO MR SULLIVAN. A reply was given last night in St. Mark's schoolroom by Mr W. llayward, tho Citizens' Association candidate for the Mayoralty, to statements made by Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., and others <j\ tho Choral Hall on Tuesday evening. In the absence of the appointed chairman, Mr J. W. Beanland took the chair. ' 'Mud-slinging." Mr Hayward said that he had hoped that the campaign would go through without any "mud-slinging," and lie had certainly never said anything derogatory of Ids opponent, Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P. He had stated of Mr Sullivan that it would be difficult for him to attend to his Parliamentary duties and those of the Mayoralty, if elected, but beyond this had said nothing of his opponent. Yet at the Labour meeting on Tucsda.y night, Messrs J. lv. Archer, Sullivan, and others had made statements concerning iJio speaker which were incorrect. Mr Sullivan had caused him to think that Mr Sullivan was at least woefully ignorant of his facts. Mr Sullivan had, for instance, mnde tho statement that the speaker was chairman of tho Tramway Board. Lie should have known better, for tho .speaker had not, been chairman of that body since November. Nor had ne been chairman of the Board when be stood previously. Mr Sullivan had also stated that tho Citizens' Association was a branch of the United Party, I whereas on the occasion of tho previous eloction he had stated that it was a branch of the Reform Party. As a matter of fact, there was no politics in the Citizens' Association. A Wellington Deputation. Recently when a deputation from the Labour Party had waited on the Minister for Public Works (the Hon W. 13. Taverner), with a view to getting legislation . put through the House by way of an amendment to ths Tramway Act, Mr Sullivan had statod that tho tramwav men were already suffering from a ten per cent, cut in thqir wages. Such a statement was quite incorrect; nor had the men had a reduction in their wages for a number of years. It was difficult for the speaker to understand how Mr Sullivan could make such a statement. Evidently he had been misinformed and did not know his facts. The position was that on May Uth the tramway men would have their wages reduced by 2\ per cent., or per hour. Mr Sulliv-an had accused the Board of "edging" through Parliament the Act by moans of which it was ablo to reduce wages. As a matter of fact the Act giving the Board power to work outside the Arbitration Court had been passed in ]902. Tlie Olty Bates. It was rather interesting of Mr Sullivan to speak of reducing the City's rates when it was remembered that during the time that he was chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee the rates had been increased by no less a sum than £22,000, one of the biggest increases in tho history of the municipality. Mr Sullivan's speech was full of similar inaccuracies. Mr Archer had also been guilty of inaccuracy at Mr Sullivan's meeting, for he had stated that the tramway men were to have their wages 22J per cent., whereas tho cut was equal to only 2i per cent; Mr Archer was, therefore, 20 per cent.'astray in his estimate. As a matter of . fact the hours a fortnight worked by tho men were 96, the spread hours being eleven on week-days except Fridays, and twelve on Fridays. The suggested spread hours were now thirteen, but these might yet be altered. Surely such conditions were not outrageous as was claimed by Mr Archer. When the conditions of tramway men were being criticised it should not be forgotten that last year the Board's revenue was down to the extent of £20,000. There wore several reasons why the Board's finances were not in a healthy state. City's Bicycles. For instance there were 50,000 bicycles in Christchurch, besides motor vehicles, in consequence of which trams were not required hero as they were elsewhere. Christchurch also had a tramwiay mileage of 53 miles, while Dunedin for instance had a total length of 17 miles. Another point was that the Board had to pay £IO,OOO per annum in overtime. The employees of the Board declared that they did not want overtime but good rates of pay. It was, however, impossible for the Board to carry on without overtime. They were ablo to earn 25s on Sundays and it was the intention of the Board to employ an additional 14 men and abolish overtime. To-day the tramway system could not be made to pay, so it was impossible for the old conditions to be allowed to continue. He did not like to see wages reduced and lie would pay double ' the present wage rates if there was the money available for the purpose. Conditions had become so bad with the Board, howjceW, that unless its proposals were I "adopted it would be necessary to strike a rate. Last year in spite of the loss in revenue the Board made a profit of £7OOO. This was due to the fact that owing to the shortage of power at Lake Coleridge the Board was able to sell "juice" from its stand-by plant to the Government at a profit of £7OOO. Messrs W. S. Mac Gibbon, E. H. Marriner, and, B. B. Dalley, Citizens' Association candidates for the City Council, also spoke. I . I