THE MAYORALTY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 8

THE MAYORALTY.

9 ■■ . MR. AITKEN'S CANDIDATURE. MEETING, AT KELBTJENE. ' -■'. ■ ' 'Mr. J. G. 'AY: Aitken, M.P.,; addressed .a meeting of.- his■;supporters - in : .the; Mayoral • •'"■ contcst; at Kclbunie.-last evening.. : Sir., R. . G. Hamilton was in tho chair..... ' QUESTION OF RATES., -.■■.: r.: Mr. Aitken .said that tho, question .of tho- ■' . Mayoral .olcction was exciting 'a good deal of interest; it was also exciting'somo tilings -.■i that, to liis mind, woro bettor , left unsaid. Ho did not tliink that ho would, transgross. . * in that direction ho had never yet had. the I . ■■■■"' name of doing so; aiid ho had contested a good many elections. Tliero was ono matter '.|: to which ho- dosirod. particularly to refer. ■; -.. ■ Mr."' Hislop, spoalnng at Island . Bay,, said ■ that ho had; contrasted tho amounts of rates ■ raised during Mr. HiGlopls . and his .ov/i> . torms- of Mayoralty. ;He had nover said, . : ,f. however, that tho -.rates ~worp ; increased; ill y', Mr.' -Hislop'stime'.-y.[and;-not. •in .; his.; ; . The', ratesV;in his timo; had'.; risen', very * considerably. . ' What ;he ( said;, was. that -■-J, the l time had .now .come | .when . they ' should bo satisfied with tho amount of rates iJ-i ."-that was being collected, and tako caro that " - in tho immediate future the amount should ;not' be >increased.'! ,i He ..had. shown that, . 1 though :in -all; probability there mignt be ?4v^; : :V'Bpmp'idigbt ; reducdbn in; the 'amourit'of'rates, 'per £, in tho total' of the rates cach year thero an increase.' He had not gestod that' it .was only in tho three , years ■ '7 :of -Mr.'. Hislop's-Mayoralty that tho increaso. had taken place, becauso he could not do ' •6c Ho realised that they had been mcreas- ;■ ing long bbfore, but ho considered that, .theie should now i bo'-no ; further .increase. in . tlio - amount- of' iSho; rates- collected, and that, if thero was' a'n: increase, in. tho Government. . valuation, the amount of tho .rates , per < i > . ■■■ should bo reduced so that tho total value ' ; ' of-rates collected should not exceed the. total ■ that was being collected now. .Higher -rates meant higher rents,-' .and these the - poorer people could not -afford'to l pay. Ho did not ■ suggest that Mr. Hislop had misquoted him ■■ ■ 1 ■■■<; deliberately. -Probably .Mr.'^Hislop. thought ';. that he had';said;.'sombthing'.of.rthc^kinSj'jbut ■ be had' not said;, anything of the kind, ~and v. he had not seen - in' any of tho papers a ;, - report of hisremarks that would . load . ' anyone to believe that, ho had. \ SINKING FUNDS.

• With reference to the question of . sinking funds, if Mr.' Hislop had not mentioned hi 3, j':namevih.'-'connection;,therewith'.;he; did;; not supposo that ho would have mentioned 'these ' •; funds. '■• Mr. 'Hislop .on "the - night had been very wroth because' it was i stated in a report in The Dominion''that, he (Mr; ' Aitken). hadvsaid,. 'in ■: connection with . .his -v refusal to sign , tho cheque: for the -.-purchase, ■■■■>■■ of' tho -Hunter..Street- block, _: that he had written a letter on the 'subject, to. which. ".'he had' received no: reply. • This was .not. so.' -.V - ' "When 'ho saw: the..error - in, The,. . DoMonosi < . ,he rang 'up . the.; " Evening Post,'' \ and :-ar r ranged-ithat:tho mistake should -not . be re--'pcated'in that-paper.-. 'JUten the' cheque ; ?*. came down'to him with the papers attached ■,' vhe looked through them, and at' tho 'chequo,' *, 'and- tho'question: arose m.-his -mind- whother the City oCouncil'could legally-lend' sinking • ~ -funds to/ itsolf, and- he suggested to- tho. City Treasurer that ho would'obtain furthor ' legal opimoiV • on; the question.. before ho ■ ' signed tho: cheque. ;The. chequo . was taken ■ • away, andlho was never asked to sign; it again/ . .As regards;the mistake ,4n The Dominion; Mr. ; Hislop had said the>previous evening that hp - i had promised .to correct it in , tbe .paper:! ' In ringing up tho '-'/Evening Post," howci/cr,- ' tovseo that" that ;papet" did not. perpetu'at6' tho em)ri< ho,did ! all'.that ho had undertaken- , ''to do- Ho ; did .not think that tho question' : ' of whether he had given a message or sent - »;• a letter was sufficiently i important . for: him. to ask The.Dominion,to-make-a corrcction.' But 1 now that , the present .Mayor had gone further in tho matter, he had in his hand n copy of a letter, which .he had.written to sho' Mayor and Councillors; of Wellington on cho question of sinking, funds. This letter 'lid not refer to any, particular cheque or •item, but to the general ■ position of tho - sinking fund-commissioners/ -The.letter was /- ./ dated September, 4, .1906, and he had ■■ nevor.i had a reply to it. v->

LOCAL NEEDS. :r. ; Speaking of local needs, Mr. Aitken stated \ .•» that it: was -during his Mayoralty that, the ; City - Council -inaugurated, tho - scheme. which ■ | wasnow snpplying Kolburne .- with water. (Applause.) ■■ There was ;-a; part of the dis- . tnet, however, which .did:.not, share in the ' .' supply, j and:; he/^thought, that - tho -inclusion r; of rthe Northland arid 1 . Kelburno.in. tho water scheme was a question 'which should 1 occupy tho. Council's attentionr ; vpry .soori;: ? Tho ;time hadjilsp. arrived when thb question, of providing up-to-dato sanitav'; ftion ! >.;Bhbuld vbe taken'-; into'.' considera■tioii.' ' "Another, I .",question;,''which' ■ ..very J'o diately;. concerned •/themwas: 'tho. .ownership ot tho Kclburno 1 trartiway.; This l was at prc- • ,' sent.owned/by a' prifate.-s6m^any,'v.wßii3i-wis' ■ !''',' ; quite Tightlydesirousof. 'making a profit ; ! out '.of tfio;capital;\inv«ted therein: ' No' one v cnuld; say. • anything against' that ■ desire, in. view "of ith'o ...enterprise.;' which. the. company': had,- shown; but l it was■■ during' his Mayoralty ,;that the Council had 'bought the horse tram; f : \ways of-'the-city. and-;electrified >the'system, - ; and had also refused; a >ery.■ tempting ,'oppor-. : : V' ; '' 1 tnnity.to.iharidoyer..the management-of tho ;V . tramways to ( a private company. He was-in -.favour'.; of ■ coming .to sojrie suitable arr'ange- . v ment\with the Kolburno Company whereby tho city might- own 'tho'tramway and : ru'n -tho :trams ;up, tho present line, 'and,' in- duo . ... course,- <run!. th'eni, further ; than '.'.they,. went now! ' Tho completion ;of ; Kelbunie. Park . 'in tho earliest possible period;woiild'aiso be his an\bitiori if he : was 'blected:;Maybn ;> -

\ 'Mr. Hart, -who supplied, to The -Dominion; the. report! of 'Mr: Aitken's;address >iii which - . an -error was, mado with.• rofererico to tho . . . BinkingVfund, explained .that hisnot-e of, tho candidate's remarks'.was not.'a full ono, and ;■!' had been'."elaborated - by,.'a'.second-.person, so ; - that" a mistake might easUy, hai/e crept- in.'; - , -Mr; 'Aitken. then' departed toy address'' a meeting at Brooklyn; leaving, his .-Kolburno friends: :to appoint a ; oomniittno : for Lis support. ;' .-!, i-; ■ •... \ MEETING; [ AT BROOKLYN. _ 'Mr. W. . Henderson presided! oyer a meet: ;' in'g; of' Mr.' vA'itken's supporters,. held! in the BrooklynVAriglicari*'Schoolroom last' evening. . The': Chairman, said:,he 'thpught, : thit;all,"the older, residents, especially,, knew ,-tho. yalub. of Mr.'-:.-Aitken!s past'-opryices to. the .-district.. - - Tho^very 'terriis. which .'Brooklyn received: ori its; inPlupion iri-.Greater..'■Welliiig- ; 'tori TV.ere '.very.'largely'tlio''r'esult 'of his.'atti-tude;-:arid;. considering 'the great; advancement .. of: .the! .'district. which had followed that - irielusion, ho thought that. every irian- in ■ Brooklyn should bo a. loyal supporter, of Mr. ;Aitken-for' that; reason alono., \ Mr. ' ' - had" already proved himself, a. very - able Mayo/. - - ■ y ■' \ r . .. .:- 'Mr; Aitken 'also .referred to, tho benefits - , which had followed the, inclusion of Brooklyn V/: Ssi'Greater. Wellington.' He explained tho ■ jriattbr of tho sinking fund, and.his former . . reference to rates in much the same' terms . . . »s; -at his Kclburno meeting.:' Referring ■to i",: 1 his refusal to ; sign; a certain cheque, he said. * .'that -he had,never' suggested : that. thcre'. was anything .irnnioral 'in the ! course which' ho had questioned. It wai only the legal question which .had itroubled him. He pointed out that '"tho new ■ system of water supply at Brooklyn was tho system which ' was instituted when he presided over, the City Council. He was impressed with the abcnluto necessity ' for immediately, bringing ?■ al>out a proper drainage scheme, and would ! 4^••':' IB in. this direction .if coturnbd. Tlie time could not bo put off ■ audi longer, also, when their roads, streets, and footpaths .would, have to be attended to. If elected' Mayor,' part of his work would=b'o Vo see that, all tho suburbs brought into fircater 'Wellington during his previoris term , of office , received a fair share of , attention, ond of the; expenditure of the rates raised in their localities. '. A committee was-11160 , appointed to promoto;Mr.'; AitketiVcauseyri thp.disjfcrict,.