ADDRESSES TO ELECTORS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21465, 6 May 1935, Page 17

ADDRESSES TO ELECTORS

CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION CANDIDATES

HOSPITAL HOARD'S POLICY DEFENDED

A quiet and sympathetic audience listened to the speeches of Citizens' Association candidates for the City Council and Hospital Board, at the Rugby street Methodist schoolroom, on Saturday evening. More than 100 persons tilled the hall, and each of the candidate:* was warmly received. The speakers favoured the establishment of a productive works policy to Jibsorb the unemployed at standard rates of pay and several spent a considerable time answering criticism made by the Labour party. A vigorous defence of the policy of the Hospital Board in the reduction of wages was made. Mr F. W. Hobbs presided. Sir Hugh Acland, candidate for the Mayoralty, said he believed that the apathy of Christchurch citizens was now past', and that they would on Wednesday elect a strong council of citizens' representatives. He had come out to eliminate the party division in the City Council. He hoped to coordinate councillors io work for one end—-the welfare of the city. Mrs J. A. Bean, a candidate for the Hospital Board, said that she had served two terms on the board and had considerable experience. The hospital under the retiring board gave tine service arid assured patients of tlv.. best treatment available in New Zealand. There was a great responsibility placed upon every member of the "board, and she regretted very much that party tickets had hed to be introduced into the election. The retiring hoard after its election had clone away with any party distinction. Nurses' Salaries There had been a great deal of criticism of the salaries paid to nurses, Mrs Bean said. When girls entered the hospital they undertook a Tobationary period. During that period | thev were simply trainees or pupils, beiiig given experience and teaching, but the board was able to give (hem a small salary, house them well, and treat them w'ell in every way. The nurses had not even murmured in complaint, and the publicity given to their position was only embarrassing them. It was nothing more than electioneering propaganda. The reductions in salaries hj: d been forced upon the board, and nothing would give it more pleasure than to restore them. The reduction of sixpence in the 1 pocket-money of old people in the hemes had also been forced upon the board, and would be restored at once when conditions permitted it. The board had to keep within its means and not allow the efficiency of the hosI jiital to decrease. j Criticisms levelled at the citizens candidates by the Labour party were answered by Mr M. E. Lyons. He conI tended that there were employees at 1 the Trades Hall who received wages '. not equivalent to the nurses' 7s (Id ! and found, which had been so strongly criticised by Labour speakers. He con- : sidered that the Municipal Electricity Department should be a separate de--1 partmcnt. and its funds should not be raided. In round figures £40,000 had i been taken by the City Council from the department's funds. The Citizens'- Association was out to have the No. 5 scheme abolished, and to have substituted a series of uscfu' public works with standard rates of pay. Mr Lyons said. I •'lndependent Men" j Mr A. G. Jamicson, candidate for line City Council, said he wanted to dunv the absurd talk that the citizens' candidates were dictated to by tlu leaders of the Government. They were simply a band of independent men who took pleasure in ottering themselves to the service of Christchurch, and who wished to give strong support to Sir Hugh Acland. Citizens' ■<■: ndidates had been described as "wage-slashers," but they were keen to see reasonable wages paid to the unemployed and to all workers. He advocated productive works, including the building of a tunnel road. At present it was not possible to get tourist ships to come to Lyttelton, but the tunnel road would make it easy for peoole to reach Chirstchurch. Another public work he advocated was the completion of the South island main -trunk railway. He believed in giving the unemployed men more congenial work where possible, according to their trades and professions. Mr T. J. Maling claimed that the citizens of 'hristchurch should combine to induce the Government to spend more money in Christchurch and the South Island. Mr F. D. Sargent, a candidate for the City Council, suggested that the chief objective of members of the Labour party was to mount on to a stepping stone to Parliament. Every city councillor' should place the interests of his city first. He himself, if ejected, would go into the council chamber -with a free and independent spirit, using his own judgment. The Hon. W. Hayvvard, M.L.C., and Mr J. G. L. Vernon also spoke.

AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE MR T. BAKER OPENS CAMPAIGN Mr G. T. Ijaker, a former city councillor, who is contesting the forthcoming elections as an independent candidate. opened his campaign on Saturday evening at the St. Luke's Church .schoolroom. He criticised the administration of the city in the last four years, and made several suggestions for its improvement. The Rev. I?'. N. Taylor presided over an attendance of 24 persons. Mr Baker expressed the opinion that the city had not progressed as it should have. He said he felt that too much notice was being taken (if party politics find not enough of the progress 01 the city. Ciiristchurch should 'follow fho progressive moves of other cities. In this connexion, he suggested the formation of a ratepayers' lire insurance department of the City Council. He mentioned the new State Fire Office building, remarking that many people did not realise this was being constructed from the profits that ha I been gained from policies taken out by people in the Christ-; church district. There was no reason why the City Council should not take over lire insurance so that the ratepayers would benefit l'rorn the profits. This .slop had been taken in the north of England, and was being followed in other parts. Housing Scheme Mr Baker also declared that some housing' scheme should be undertaken by the City Council immediately There were house:; in the city that were not lit to live in, and the council should have these houses condemned, and then rebuilt under a comprehensive scheme. The collection of refuse was also discussed by Mr Baker, who criticised the system in Christchurch as not being the most sanitary. Nor, he said, was it as cheap as it could be. He claimed that the cost of collection in Christchurch was more than £1 a ton, while in Dunedin. where the system was a more sanitarv one. the cost was 9s a ton. He advocated the demolition of the destructor and _ the disposal of garbage by taking it to the estuary an ■ dumping it there so a3 to reclaim some of the waste area. ! The sneaker also advocated that there should be less administrative ! costs in the council, a greater alloeai tion sought from the Main Highways j Board, and a change in the.system of charL'ing excess water rates.