MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1100, 12 April 1911, Page 8

MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

SPEECHES BY CANDIDATES. MR. A. LEIGH HUNT AT WADESTOWN. CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS. There were about fifty electors present at Mr. A. Leigh Himfs meeting at Wadestown last night. Mr. C. R. Joplin was voted to tho chair. Tho candidate, in his opening remarks, stated that ho wished to make it clear that ho was no carping critic of the* work of tho present or past councils. Although mistakes were-no doubt made, still he thought tho people of Wellington, and indeed the people of the Dominion, had cause to be proud of the local bodies. Ho did not come forward as tho chosen champion of any one class. Ho belicvcd-that in him "the elements wero so mixed" that ho could faithfully represent the interests of all sections of the community. Tho whole tramway departmentwanted carefully looking into. Tramways in other cities carried their passengers in comfort, and showed substantial surpluses, while here overcrowding was the general rule, and tho net financial results were not satisfactory. Ho would favour a system which would enable sectional returns being made up each month. It would then be easy to detect where leakages occurred. At the same time he did not particularly wish to sec tho department run solely for profit-making. The profits —the true profits—should be available each .year for further extensions and additions. He wanted the fares kept as low as possible, and to sec the suburbs peopled with the working classes, possessed of healthy homes away from the disadvantages of city life. He thought greater uso should bo made of the tram system for the haulage at night time of corporation supplies. He was strongly against tho display of advertising in cars. The council should adorn the cars with photographs of the city's beauty spots if they were so anxious to embark upon any advertising scheme. Wfien funds wore available, ho would favour tho linking up of Constable Street. This lino would, however, not fulfil the needs of the suburbs for quick transit to and from work, but would relieve the holiday traffic. The theory in connection with municipal markets was that tho producer should sell his produce direct to tho consumer, and ho had every possible sympathy with such a system. But how was this to obtain in a city like Wellington where (with tho exception of tho few Hutt farmers who would soon be forced to. move farther afield) the farmers supplying the needs of the city .were anything from 30 to 100 miles distant? Would the people attend the markets when established? He questioned whether there were many citizens or their wives in this community anxious to carry home their daily supply of cabbages, etc. However, so far a , ! tho financial side of tho question was concerned the market advocates had a very strong claim for the market reserve asset provided the ways and means. Ho would be willing to try the experiment ,of establishing a iish market on a small scale and give the people the chance of demonstrating their willingness to fully justify tho establishment of markets for other supplies. A milk depot should be established as early as possible somewhere near the To Aro Railway Station and also provision made for cool storage of food products. -■ ■• Ho would oppose tho partition of the Basin Reserve unless a very good easo could be made, out by the tramway engineer as to the saving in wear and tear. Before such a step was taken a similar area in tho neighbourhood should be secured. Ho favoured tho reforesting of the Town Belt as funds would permit. Tho Zoo cost the city £1733 last year, and although an excellent attraction for tho city, it must not bo permitted to become too great a burden on tho rates. Ho favoured giving the council the necessary legislative power to charge I admission, at, say, adults 3d., children Id. This would help on the development of the Zoo, and at the same time cause its attractions to be better appreciated.

Money was available for the completo drainago of Kilbirnie, Hataitai, Wadestown, and Northland, and he would push on these works as -urgent. He strongly favoured ' the council urging the development of the Te Aro Railway Station. A goods depot should be established to relievo the heavy traffic on the streets, now being occasioned by reason of tho fact that merchants had \a send practically out in the outskirts of the city for all inward railway supplies. Plenty of room was now available for this purpose. It was only a matter of the Government negotiating with the Harbour Board for sufficient area of the land recently reclaimed. The council would save thousands per year by this, and the people would receive their daily supplies of foodstuffs quicker, and in a fresher condition. A number of other matters were also dealt with.

In answer to a question, the candidate, while not committing himself to the immediate construction of a recreation ground for Wadestown, stated that he would use every effort to have a suitable area set asido for the purpose. On tho motion of Mr. J l '. Larkin, seconded by Mr. William Nash, a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence was carried.

LABOUR CANDIDATES AT BROOKLYN. Messrs. Hindmarsh, Royling, and M'Laren, Labour candidates tor the City Council, addressed a meeting in tho Brooklyn Schoolroom last night. The building was packed. Mr. Hindmarsh was the first of the candidates to address the electors. In tho course of his speech he said that it was a cruel shame to say, as Mr. Tcwsley had said the previous night, that tho Labour members were simply seeking election to increase the wages of the men. Proceeding, he stated that some person had dubbed tho Labour candidates as carpet-baggers. Such an imputation he stoutly denied. Ho wont on to say that he hoped tho time was coming when Labour would assert itself. Vested interests wore so strong that until men wore returned who were not bound by vested interests things would never bo considered except from the point of view of vested interests; tlioywonld not be considered in the interests of men, women, and children; and progress would never 1)0 obtained. But a new ora was dawning in New Zealand.

Mr. lloyling, who termed himself one of tho Labour eight, said that the party was not out for revolutionary purposes. 'J'ho contemplation of heavy expenditure had been alleged against them, but they would avoid that because if they were wasteful of money, the fact would recoil iipon themselves. Ho thought it a disgrace that Wellington did not liavo municipal markets. Ho urged his heaters to vote for the Labour eight, anil them only. Mr. M'Laren said tho cry of some, people that tho Labour candidates had no stake in the country was a vulgar bogey. Tho reason why some people did not como out and address the electors was that they would drop stone dead if they attempted to. If the Labour ticket was returned, they would want a more progressive policy, because it was necessary in tho interests of tho great mass of the people. If tho Labour ticket was returned, municipal hbi ouxe.rs' tvajies would be increased. The

return the city was getting from the •tramway service at the present time was not at all satisfactory, and be was confident that much belter could be done financially. A meeting of those willing to assist in securing the election of Mr. John Fuller, jiinr., to a seat in the City Council will be held in Mr. Fuller's committee rooms, opposite the D.I.C, I'anama Street, on Thursday next at 3 p.m. Mr. K. 1 , . liuniiy inserts an advertisement in this issue notifying electors of Lower Hutt of his candidature for the Mayoralty. He will give an address next Friday week, April 21. Afc the request of several Miramai residents, Mr. A. 11. Griffiths lias consented to stand for a seat on tho Miramar Borough Council. In connection with the city and Harbour Board elections, the Wellington Citizens' League inserts in this issue the list of candidates selected to receive their support. A vigorous address from Mr. C. jM'lnt.vre, ouo of the candidates for a scat i on the City Council, will be found in this issue. Mr. M'lntyre, who knows Wellington thoroughly, is president of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, which recently withdrew from the Trades Council rather than compel its delegates to take the secrecy pledge. This address will be read with interest because of its outspokenness and because also ifc bears testimony to the fact that Mr. M'lntyre has ideas. Mr. P. C. Frceth, proprietor and editor of tho "Hutt and Petone Chronicle," is stated to be a Harbour Board candidate at tho corning election. Hβ will seek election in the combined district in which tho Borough of Petone is the principal authority.