LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23330, 16 May 1941, Page 3

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

BICCARTON POWER SUPPLY : .

FINAL MEETING

amENS* \ ASSOCIATION CANDIDATES , The Radtot HaUl was well filled last evemrig,- when- Association candidates clbsed' thjtlr ’campaignvhth a series of addresses rgiven by Mr E. H. Andrews,<\(mayorali candidate). Messrs R. G, Brown,\G. ajiGnfflths. C. W. D. L. Sheppard, Wilding, and M E; Lyons; (candidates 'for the City Council)., Mrs Bean and Messrs A. J. ScottiandF. W. Freeman .(Hospital- Board) VW« S; MacGibbon (Tramway and. flarwur Board), and Mr F. W. : Freeman (Harbour Board). My G. M, .Hall occupied tiio - chair ■ ■ ■ • f / • .The meeting was good-humoured and lively at times, arid the speakers occasionally found themselves involved in i some quick repartee. ' ”'. Mr Andrews referred to the effect of; having union' secretaries on the council. He said the fact that union secretariesAvere in. charge of some of the departments of the council as chairmen; of committees undermined effective staff control. ■ . Mr Lyons: Look out, or you 11 be locked up in your room. >t , • Mr Andrews: Well, I’ll, see that you come with me for a bodyguard. . Mr Lyons also severely criticised the placing-of union secretaries in positions n control of staffs. ■ Mr Lyons was asked whether there were any' pacifists among the Labour section-of-the council. “If there are I have not heard of them lately,"'he said. He added that in . the -, a member of the council had said that "his heart bled for , t,he sojdiers who would return •from the war. ‘ ‘ ' ’ ' ' “These words do not come well from a man who, a few months before the war, was fighting, in his position on the Technical College Board of Governors, to have military training at the college, abolished," said Mr Lyons. Many questions were answered after the addresses. A vote of thanks and confidence in the candidates was carried.

3. TRAMWAY BOARD ELECTION ,

POLLING AT 138 BOOTHS

For the first time since the inception of the Christchurch Tramway Board, the election of members of the board will be held at the same time as the municipal elections. Fpr the polling to-morrow, 183 deputy returning officers and 177 poll clerks, will be employed at the 138 polling .booths. Tramway polling booths in the central sub-district are. situated at all places used by the Christchurch City Council. Similarly, the Tramway Board is using, the same suburban booths as the Riccarton Borough Council and also in the Paparua and Heathcote Counties where ridings situated in the tramway district are holding elections. Electors in any sub-district may record their vote at any tramway booths wherever situated, but electors are asked to vote in their own particular sub-district if possible. There are 65,576 names on central sub-district rolls and 24,768 names on the suburban sub-district rolls. The latter includes the names of electors in the Heathcote sub-district, in which there .is no election as Mr J. S. Barr has been declared elected. Voting is by means of a cross. There are six members only to be voted for in the ceritral sub-district, and one only in the Ayoh and Riccarton sub-districts. These would be ' treated as informal if more crosses were added. Although New Brighton and small portions of the Waimairi County have been recently added to the city, electors in these areas are still in the Avon sub-district and not the central (city) sub-district. The boundaries of the tramway district rem.ain by the commission in i93S+-the date of the last j'i ~ .... f: , ; H- policy Turfite Christchurch City Council ihduld’consist of businessmen who had •Made a success of their own businesses wasclaimed' by Mr S. H. Maddren, a Citizens' Association candidate for the City Council, in an address at Sotith Brighton. • . - / Mr Maddren said that having due regard' 1 to the demands that would be made' onfall classes of the community in the furtherance of the Dominion’s war effort, the rates would be kept as i low as; possible, and the money re- - ceived would be carefully spent on the city's requirements. Mr Maddren pledged co-operation with the Government in suggesting schemes to assist in the useful employment of soldiers on tpeir return from the war. He believed in private enterand was in favour of the Christchurch milk supply remaining in the hands of . the dairymen who were at f present servhjg.tbe community.

MR J. K. MOLONEY’S MEETING

• Mr J. K, Moloney, Independent candidate for the mayoralty, speaking at New Brighton last night, said that he ! affirmed the principle of amalgamation of’all’local bodies. The amalgamation of New Brighton to the city was a logical step and must result in good to the district. Though heavy expenditure could not be undertaken in war time it tk.BB obvious that plans would have to be drawn up for sewerage . and water reticulation. / ; /■ n Mr L, Hdllings and; Mr P. S. Turnbull, Independent - City Council candidates, also spoke. Mr Hollings referred to the'help fpr soldiers,, and said that, if returned, he would work in the interest; of returned soldiers and "their dependants. He was in favour of building a soldiers’ hospital on a large scale, which would be a home for men who\ were otherwise without any permanent place of abode. ! ' MEETING OF WOMEN The meeting held in the Harmony Hall' yesterday, afternoon under the auspices dftfhe WdnienV Citizens’ As- . sociatroh "was {considered one of the ' most successful yet held, in the pre--3 sent electionoampalghiiv' jvv 1 The -speakers iweorft Miss Mary -McLean,' a Citizens’ ;Asfto'ciatl6n’candidate , for, the City North Can- ' terbury ; Hospital-dJoard/ "Mrs W. S. : Bean t and - Mrs • candidate’ fof.ithb 1 ; North Canterbury r Jppitai; Board. Mr-liE.; H,: Andrews, : cStizehs’ {candidate foodie mayoralty, tfnd'Mr M. a Citizens. candi&»,the;Cifeeiundil. - Mr Sj G. H. Watts " presided jind ; introduced vihe , sneakers. .and< ; votes .of thanks were ■ proposed by .’Mrsi 'Edwin ■'Hamilton, catrohof the' Women’s.;branch of - the feistchurch’CitizehS'/ Association and MM White. Afternoon : fee;, was. seryedf : , ). ';■ TBfOSE ENTITLED TO -f - • Voting in-each case municipal eieCTidnS'wili be; done*py 'marking crosses'Abposite the names.pf the candjdates'' selected/. States anofficial explanatfoh iust.issued. Those entitled to > occupies, freeholders, state tenants, and those with residential. qualifications;- and?the husband or : wife ot any .bfthese. : { : Counties: Ratepayers" to theiE- ownv right, State_ ten- : ants, and the 'holders of miner’s, righte. Rbaddrainage and fiver boardsrßatepayefs and,--Stated tenants.,' , H ? bbit stockowners, ac-

CANDIDATES* STATEMENTS

Half of the work entailed in the Riccarton borough’s' change-over from a 3000-volt to an ,11,000-volt electric power supply has been completed, .and the whole change-over, providing, a modern system which should serve the borough’s demands for 20, years, will be completed -in the next; councils term of office.,' vThis'was stated -.by-Mr, H. P, Smith, a Riccarton Citizens’ Association candidate for the Borough Council, at a meeting in the Riccarton Town Hall last night. „ The electricity department of the council, said Mr Smith, chairman .of its committee in the current town, had shown, -profits, for; years past, and'--at the same time reduced charges. wMe also building up cash reserves. With the great expansion in business and the need to supply the State block, the ' council had: started the change-over about two-years ago, • It would cost about £6OOO, Tor which about £4600 had been used from cash reserves and the balance met by small loans of £IBOO and £9OO, which had been negotiated. Riccarton’s assets in poles, wires, plant, and sub-stations were far in excess of liabilities in the department, he said. The difference between the city’s and the borough’s domestic rate for lighting and heating—a point raided by some, ratepayers—was only the smallest fraction of Id, and the water-heating rate was cheaper than the city’s. In fact, the council had been told that next , to Wellington’s, it was the cheapest in New Zealand. Mr H. S. S. Kyle,; M.P., Mayor of Riccarton for the seventh time Jreelected unopposed), v and Dr. R. Hepburn, president of the Riccarton Citizens’ Association, both spoke briefly, emphasising that the association was strictly non-political and non-party.

Opponents Answered Opponents of the Citizens’ Association candidates had said that the latter were not progressive, said* lylr C. G. McKellar, chairman of the finance committee in the last three years.Complaints had been made about the condition of roads in the State housing block, but these roads were the fresponsibility of the Government,,; not the council. There had been, .■complaints that channels had not; been repaired, but the courtcil’s attitude was that ripping up and repairing . the channels would not. be economic in ’war time. .; “As for the high pressure -water supply,” he said, "we think it is foolish to attempt a scheme in war time, when materials, piping, and other articles are hard to get. It is far better to leave the matter-tillaf ter the war, wheri work vp. be’'.wanted--tor the men who return. But we f will do something when it is possible. The council; he said,-had not been guilty of the sort of progress .which consisted,, ot spending J®lOT6 money than the ratepayers could afford. The public debt h,ad been kept Steady,.and the borough’s finance had been wisely administered by the council. The electricity department’s .finances were- a credit The council had avoided a policy of trying to do everything at once and running into an unnecessary burden of debt. Local body administration' was -a job'dor- -the: untrained man, who might cause a mess and unnecessary expense for the ratepayers to meet. .. _ Mr McKellar said that the: Government had recently decided to postpone the census. Riccartori’s population at the last census was 5300, l and, he now estimated it at 6000. When 6000 was recorded officially, it would entitle the council to a share of the motor spirits taxation—which in turn would help to ,keep the rate at 3id.

Water Supply Reference .to the water supply and tar-sealing were made by Mr F. George, Deputy-Mayor, in the last

three years. , , . , While the council had not been prepared’to: do much about a high pressure Water supply during the war, he said, it was a subject they were keeping steadily in view. Progress was still being made with reports, and he had one with him at the moment. It was not yet finalised, by the, council, but if the council went bach one of these reports on schemes would be finalised, arid he hoped a. poll would be offered to the ratepayers to let them decide if they were going to have a proper water supply. “The time has come when the ratepayers must have a say whether they are going to have a good water supply or not,” he added. . “Taking fire 1 prevention alone—l ask you, is it a very long stretch of imagination to say that the whole of the town block might be swept away in one night?” . .. . As for tar-sealing of the roads, Mr George'sajd, the council was to be congratulated on the work already done in the. borough—and all out of r “We U are now prorriising you that Incur next term of 'office—yes, I think we .will be going back, ali nght, Mr Chairman—well, I think at least that we will be able to say in the next term that the whole of the streets of the borough have been tar-sealed, and out of revenue." ... . Mr K. H. Bartlett, a new candidate, was introduced to the' electors, but gave no address, ’.y