CIVIC ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 171, 16 April 1931, Page 10

CIVIC ELECTIONS

Candidates and Voters FURTHER MEETINGS Civic League Nominees Civic League candidates for the local body elections continued their campaign at the Realm Theatre, Hataitai, last evening. Some fifty electors were present. Mrs. E. J. Moore, a candidate for the Hospital Board, claimed that fehe was a worker rather than a talker, and had been associated with social work in the city for many years past. She considered that the cost of hospital administration could be reduced by making as many patients pay as could afford to do so. Inquiries should be made when a patient entered the institution instead of after discharge. A system of permanent committees would also make for more efficient management. Mr. J. N. Wallace based his claim to a seat on the City Council on the fact that he was a civil and electrical engineer, whose advice should be of service in city management. Councillor AV. J. Gaudin, who is again standing for the City Council, claimed that the city had made great progress within recent years. Perhaps the city had gone too" far in the direction of the relief of unemployment, but even this had resulted 'in good permanent work being done. He agreed that economies could be effected, and that only essential works should be proceeded with. Most of the major works of the city had alreadybeen carried out, so the Council could afford to go slow. A serious burden was the Hospital rate, which had increased from 6/- to 11/8 within the past few years. The ratepayers should be careful who they returned to the Hospital Board. AVitJi regard to the new tunnel, he did not greatly mind if the trams never ran through it. This tunnel had originally been intended for traffic only, and not for trams, and he considered that the present Hataitai tunnel would serve the eastern suburbs for some years to com®, Voices: Hear, hear! Councillor H. A. Huggins said that the eity within recent years had been improved beyond all recognition. The council now . had . a policy by which all the roads would be sealed within five years, thus eliminating the dust nuisance. He defended the council over the'expenditure of £200,000 upon unemployment relief, which had resulted in much useful work being done, and it was better, he said, to give employment to citizens instead of allowing them to accept charity without doing any work in exchange. He had come to the conclusion that the City Council could reduce expenditure during ' the coming year by £30,000, which would enable Councillor Hislop’s ideal, to reduce the rates by 5 per cent., to be achieved. Councillor T Forsyth agreed that the rates would have to be reduced by at least 5 per cent, during the coming year, and he believed that this could be done if more businesslike methods were employed. From £5OOO to £lO,OOO could be saved on reserves alone. A reduction of rates was overdue, and he was convinced that they had reached the peak. The speakers were accorded a vote of thanks and confidence.

COUNTRY AND CITY Less Money to Spend REDUCING COSTS Some remarks concerning the necessity of adjusting expenditure to income were made yesterday by Mr.; AV, D. Hunt in the course of a preliminary, address at a meeting of business men, at which Councillor T. C. A. Hislop, a candidate for the mayoralty, outlined his policy. Mr. Hunt presided over an attendance of 30 city business men, and said that Councillor Hislop had been selected as a candidate for the mayoralty by the Civic League and the Ratepayers’ Association.-. As such he would stand for a large section of the community. Wellington, in common with other cities, was facing a crisis greater than any they had seen in New Zealand for many years, said Mr. Hunt. Conditions of life in this country were such that the cities lived by rendering service to the country. The country producers would this year, compared with two years ago, suffer a reduction of from £25,000,000 to £30,000,000, the figures being arrived at on the fall' in the value of exports in conjunction with the lower values for local consumption. That would mean so much less to be spent in the cities. The country had reduced its costs of production by 30 per cent., and if the cities did not reduce their costs of production to the country and to each other, many of the people would not be able to carry on and many cities would not be able to carry on. “If grass does not grow in the country it will grow in the streets of the cities, and we do not want grass growing in the streets of Wellington,” said Mr. Hunt. There was, nothing more necessary than that the eity services should be run .economically and at reduced costs. They not only wished to get Mr. Hislop elected, but must stand behind him and strengthen his hands in effecting economy in every possible way. MAYORAL CONTEST Address to Business Men MR. T. C. A. HISLOP’S VIEWS Addressing a gathering of about 30 business men during the lunch hour yesterday, Councillor T. C. A. Hislop, who is the nominee of the Civic League and the Wellington Ratephyers’ Association for the Mayoralty, outlined a policy ,of strict economy and rate reduction which received the hearty approval of the meeting. together with a vote of confidence in him. . ... He was not without municipal experience. said Councillor Hislop, as he was first elected in 1913 and re-elected in 1927 and 1929. Part of the interval was taken up by the war period. He believed he had sufficient experience to enable him to fulfil the Mayoral duties efficiently and well. , , .. Mr. Hislop proceeded to deal with the unproductive debt of the city, which had risen from 1} millions in 1920 to St millions in 1930. and while it might not be possible to reduce that it should be possible to help the ratepayers by a reduction .in the rates and in a ro duction in the price of electricity* transport and milk as supplied by the city s trading concerns. He believed it would be possible to reduce street expenditure from £93.000 in 1930 to the figure of 1926-7-8, about £70.000; the amount spent on the collection and disposaUof refuse might be decreased by about zuuutL The reserves department had been spending about £BO.OOO a year, but now the golf house was completed,, and there. were other items of non-recurring expenditure, he believed this department could do with £5OOO less. With certain large works completed they should he able to effect some saving in drainage expenditure. and he felt confident that impairing efficiency over all departments a saving of over £30.000 a year might be ma it. e ’ would be possible to reduce the rates by at least 5 per cent™ while his objective would be to go beyond that even to 10 per cent. In conclusion, Councillor Hislop expressed himself in favour of placing orders with AA’ellington Arms, price and quality'being equal, and of developing a contract system of make for savings and develop fuithci efficiency.

Several candidates on the Civic League “ticket” will speak nt the Valley Hall. Haughton Bay. to-night The speaker, will ■ include Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, who is contesting the .Mayoralty.