LABOUR PARTY’S CAMPAIGN

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23323, 8 May 1941, Page 10

LABOUR PARTY’S CAMPAIGN

Municipal Elections

CANDIDATES FOR CITY

COUNCIL

“I say God protect us from these successful businessmen,” said Mr George Manning, a present Labour member of the Christchurch City Council, who seek's re-election, in a campaign speech at North Beach last night. He was referring to-the claim he said was made by Citizens’ Association candidates that their administration would be one carried out by successful businessmen. “Although we have not been trained in high finance or in business, we on the Labour Council strive to get every ounce of value from money raised by rates,” he said. Mr Manning made special reference to the present Labour Council’s proposal, now under consideration by the Local Government Loans Board, to reduce the council’s interest payments, which if carried out would save £28,000 in 14 years. Proof of Labour’s ability to protect costs and services to the working people was shown, he said, in the fact that although costs had risen and the purchase price of elec--tricity under the new contract had also risen by some 40 per cent., the cost of power had not gone up—under Labour’s control of the Municipal Electricity Department. “Everyone of us has come up from working classes. We know the worries of living on a small wage,” added Mr Manning. That knowledge was reflected in Labour’s control of expenditure. When Labour for the first time took control of the Christchurch City Council, when the administration by the “so-called businessmen” of the Citizens' Association was ended, £BO,OOO was owed to the bank, said Mr F. Kelso, a new Labour candidate. Things had been in such a bad way that a report on the city’s reading brought down had been in fact an indictment of the work of the Citizens’ Association Councils. That record of the Citizens’ Association, before the days when Mr J. K. Archer first came in, should be compared with the progressive policy in reading and every other facility, of the Labour Councils. The Citizens’ Association had made the claim, too, that they had been responsible for the cheap electric power sold the people, continued Mr Kelso. Actually most of the credit for that belonged to the late Mrs E. R. McCombs. Discussing housing, Mr Kelso said that he and some others who thought with him believed that the council should do more in the way of providing houses than confining activity to homes for pensioners. "It is essential that local bodies should be manned by people sympathetic to the Government of the country,” he added, mentioning the failure of local bodies in some parts to co-operate with the Government’s housing plans. Mayoral Candidate “It is no good people coming out to gull you by saying rates can be reduced.” said Labour’s mayoral candidate (Mr E. Parlane). Actually it was impossible to lower the rates at the present time, he said. Money was needed for the Emergency Precautions Scheme, which at the moment was all ready on paper, but without a penny to pay for it. The incoming council would have to consider finding money to pay for that emergency precautions scheme; everywhere else in New Zealand financial provision was made for it. Statements which he said had been made by Mr E. H. Andrews (the Citizens’ Association mayoral candidate) and Mr M. E. Lyons were replied to at length by Mr Pariane. For instance, Cr. Lyons had said that Labour had been extravagant. He had said that £IO,OOO had -been put aside for the purchase of the Maori House. Not one farthing had been put aside anywhere for it. When the Citizens’ Association controlled the council, Mr Parlane said, the council had had to take £72,000 from the Municipal Electricity Department funds—but neither Mr Andrews nor Mr Lyons had mentioned that. That money had bled the funds of the department dry, and recently when it had some new projects in prospect it had to . raise a loan. Reference was also made by Mr Parlane to another allegation he said had been made —that of job control—since it had been said the president of the Drivers’ Union (of which Mr Parlane is secretary) was also chairman of 1 the Labour Representation Committee, and an employee of the council and “called the tune.” The man was neither chairman nor vice-chairman of the council, Mr Parlane said. Mr Parlane spoke at some length of the advantages he said would come to New Brighton—in such facilities as roads, domains, water-supply and firefighting services—from its amalgamation with a city “controlled by a progressive Labour council." Miss M. B. Howard also spoke. LOWER CITY RATES MR F. WHILEY’S ELECTION ADDRESS The reduction of city rates, and of the proportion of city expenditure on debt charges, was urged by Mr F. Whiley, a Citizens’ Association candidate for the City Council, in an election address at the Woolston School last evening. He said that in Auckland, of every pound levied in rates, 17s 4d went in debt charges and 2s 8d was left for social services. ‘‘The figures are absolutely staggering," he said. “We have got to protect ourselves in Christchurch from such a situation.” ~ . He believed that in the funding of the City Council loan ,of £600,000 about 1 per cent, was being saved. But in America to-day • money was being found for the same purposes at half of 1 per cent, for short periods of up to three years. Compared with the years 1935, 1936, and 1931, the rates levied in Christchurch in the last three years showed an increase of £97 914. This year there had been a reduction of £11,292. How had that come about? ■ “Election year," suggested an interlector. It had been suggested that the reduction was caused by the cancelling of works because of a shortage of materials, said Mr Whiley. “But I do know that you are going, to have a reduction of £II,OOO this year because you were good enough to take an overcharge of £II,OOO last year without making any noise.” He contended that rates could be reduced 20 per cent. Without any loss whatever in social services. HOSPITAL IMPROVEMENTS MR ROWSE’S CANDIDATURE FOR BOARD • ‘‘Care of the sick and needy and :every attention for our returned soldiers," was the. summary of his aims given by Mr D. Rowse, Citizens’ Association candidate for the North Canterbury Hospital Board, in an election address at the Woolston School last night. He suggested, as improvements in the board’s services, the grouping of out-patients to eliminate waiting for attention, and the establishment of the home for old people in Christchurch instead of at Ashburton. The erection of the subsidiary hospital at Cashmere should be expedited, because extra accommodation would be needed for returned soldiers, and should be provided in advance. The expenditure on accommodation at Burwood would be wasted in the future, and in the meantime money had been spent on the land and plans for a scheme at Cashmere which had been abandoned. It had been claimed that the Labour Party had the only well-known and enthusiastic candidates, said Mr Rowse. But there was one Labour, man , standing for four seats, whose wife was also ■tending for two seats. “That to my '■ibid iB ridiculous. A man cannot look

after the work of so many bodies. Surely there are other people with the ability to occupy those positions. I only need to mention. the. Tramway Board as an example of chaos, with the raising of a loan of £20,000 to provide whit should be a charge on income."