ROSENEATH MEETING

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 190, 10 May 1938, Page 17

ROSENEATH MEETING

i Citizens’ Committee Candidates I MILK SERVICE. HOUSING AND TRANSPORT I ' Eight of the citizens' election CommitI lee ticket candidates for to-morrow’s local body elections in Wellington addressed

electors e* Roseneath last night- Early in the evening Air. T. C. A. Hislop, mayor I of Wellington, and a candidate for reelection, addressed the meeting. I Mr. M, S. Galloway, a council candidate. who was chairman, urged electors to exercise to the full their right of free t democracy. He also stressed the need lor municipalities to keep out of housing plans, but to assist Government schemes in every possible way without committing themsejyes. lie emphasised the fact that the mayor would need to be returned with a working majority. That was essential to the welfare of the city, he said. The Milk Service, A statement, that certain Labour councillors were trying to take tlie credit for the work of the milk committee was made by Air. L. S. AV. McKenzie, a candidate for re-election to the city council. A brief history of tlie origin of the milk scheme was given by Air. McKenzie. “I venture to say tlie scheme was a success from its very commencement, and the Labour Party bpd nothing whatever to do with it. We nave had representatives from'all parts of the world, specially Canada, inquiring into our methods. I want to say that: Labour were not even the paint on the frame of the structure.'’ said Air. McKenzie. lie said the matters governing fixation of the price of milk were beyond the council's immediate control, but that the council always endeavoured to keep the price down. The milk service was a model to the world, anti there were always visitors coming to study their methods. Politics in Municipal Affairs. 'The unfortunate growth of political bias in municipal affairs was stressed by Air. AV. Duncan, a candidate for reelection to the council, who asked that electors should not only return Mr. Hislop as mayor but also a council that would support him. The rise in rates, said Air. Duncan, was not tlie fault of the council but was a result of the policy of the Labour Government. Speaking of the milk committee he said the proof of tlie quality of the milk was that the consumption of council milk had gone up over 3000 gallons a day over the past two years. The proposed motor camp at the top end of Russell Terrace was mentioned by this speaker, who said that in addition there would be two football grounds built there to ease tlie present lack of playing fields in the- efity. Need for Vision. The work done in the past was important, said Air. R. AV. AlcVilly, a council candidate, but what was more important was the vision needed for the future. In the present election the question to be asked was whether the questions being asked iby the Labour supporters were to the point and useful. Failure on the part of the present Government to find an adequate solution of tlie housing problem was said to be due to the difficulty of getting materials and labour. If the Government had that difficulty it was sufficient reason for the council to maintain its present attitude of co-operation with the Government by supplying land. “I am not a politician,” said Air. AlcVilly, “but I have been au executive, and often a man of action. Any movement that provides facilities for the community in general to enjoy themselves will have my support. I shall be for all the people, not a section of the people.” Hospital Suggestions. A suggested answer to the problem of congestion at the AVellington Hospital was put forward by Air. AV J. Mason, a candidate for the hospital board. A convalescent sanatorium, he said, built to accommodate 200 to 250 convalescents, could be built for less than 10 per cent, of the proposed expenditure ou the Newtown site. In addition, the congestion could be relieved by this method within nine months. “This undoubtedly is the first logical move in the programme to improve and extend our hospital service. Steps should be taken to erect a convalescent sanatorium without any delay,” said Mr. Alason. The atmosphere of the AVellington hospital Was not conducive to quick recovery, he said. The second move would be to establish another hospital of 250 beds in the Hutt Valley. It was a move that should be made simultaneously with the building of the convalescent home. The third . development needed was a children’s hospital. The whole of this project could be done for approximately half of the cost of the proposed scheme for adding 350 betls on the present site. Encouraging Private Enterprise. A proper footpath from Point Jcrningham to Evans Bay was something mentioned as being desirable for Roseneath by Air. It. L. Macalister, a candidate for the city council. There was no such thing as costless credit as far as housing was concerned, lie said. But the city had a duty to encourage private enterprise and to thus bring expenses and costs down by healthy competition. This would provide the smallest risk and give the greatest impetus to home building in' AVellington. “With an income of £2,000,000 a year do you want the city run by eight or 10 trade union secretaries, or by business men,” lie asked finally. Parking and Transport. The Hon. Vincent AVnrd said he was unable to speak as an old member of the council, but he could offer his services as a staunch AVellingtoniun and a man who had had experience in municipal affairs abroad. Parking in city areas and transport by rail to the suburbs were two of the matters discussed by him. He believed in prudent and efficient management in city affairs and said that it would always be his concern to see that a sound policy was pursued. Political Shuttlecock. “It is true that I have been your servant on the council for more years than I care to count,” said Air. Al. Luckie, a candidate tor re-election to tlie city council, "but it lias always been an honour to have bad a hand in the efficient organisation of the city.” 'This was tlie first time that the affairs of the city council were to be made a political shuttlecock, he said. 'The Labour Party was bound to shibboleths and beliefs which prevented them from being free agents. He claimed for himself and his colleagues that they were concerned only with tlie welfare of the city. He was interested in any one section of the community. Not one valid attack had been made by Labour candidates on tlie present conn oil’s work, 'Pile dangerous part of their policy was the socialisation of production, which would result in a general deterioration oi morale and self-respect. Citizens would become tlie servants of a paternal Government. The present Government had indicated Ilia) these municipal elections were merely a dress rehearsal for the . general election issue. Ilu* present election is more important th.-in any other before," said Mr. Luekie. Two hospital board candidates were introduced to tin* meeting. They were Air. G. R. C. Robieson and the Rev. F. J. Usher.LABOUR MEETINGS Labour c:uididai<» s • » (In* Wellington oloetions will addro’s meetings to-night al St. Anne’s Hall. Northland, tlie Town Hall. Khandallah. and (he Mission Hall. Kaiwarra. An open .hi- meeting will be held at Kilbirnie Qtliee lu-<lay.