THE HUTT CONTEST.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 83, 9 April 1910, Page 9

THE HUTT CONTEST.

MB. BUNNY'S ADDRESS. Tha Town Hall, Lower Hutt, was well filled last evening, on the occasion of the initial address of Mr. K. V. Bunny, a candidate for re-election to the Mayoralty. Mr. Ortop Stevens presided. At the outset, the candidate remarked that although he had had a very strenuous time %yhile in the Mayoral chair, he had the satisfaction of knowing that at the conclusion of his term of office, he carried with him not only the best wishes of his fellow-council-lors, but, he believed, the active support of many of them. As regards the tactics of his opponent, Mr. Russell had dealt very considerably with figures, which, however, he (the speaker) contended, did not turn out to be correct. That night all the figures that he would make use of bore the certificate of the borough's treasurer, to the effect that they were correct. Dealing first witb the question of rates, the candidate traversed Mr. Russell's allegation, that during his term the rates had been increased from 8 to 10 per cent. In contradiction of that he wished to point out that the genera! rate — the only one which the council could increase or diminish — was the same as in the previous year. Over the special interest rates the council had no control ; it had no option but to levy them. In fact they had been created for the purpose of meeting the interest on loan expenditure that had been incurred by ihe previous council. Actually owing to • reductiop ii> valuations to the extent of £20,000, the present council had collected £182 less than that received by its predecessor. After enjoining the ratepayers to assess the financial position nf the council by the size of its debit balance, not by its overdraft, he stated that during bis term of office, the former item had risen from £6915 to £7356— an increase of £441. Comparing the relative positions of his and Mr. Russell's councils, it would be seen that during la«t jear the council received £1&4

less in rates, and increased its debit balance by £441. On the other hand, however, the council of which Mr. Russell was for a time Deputy-Mayor, drew nearly £200 more in rates, and increased its indebtedness from £4170 to £6915 — an increase of actually £2745. The present council, ho continued, had reduced the debit accounts in every case, despite the drawbacks in the shape of several "legacies" left by the retiring council. Among the heavy extraordinary expenditure met by the borough during last financial year were £3(7 for street dedications, and £100 towards cost of new Infectious Diseases Hospital. Again, his opponent had stated that in 1909 the debit balance on the gas account totalled £480 — quite true ; but when h» further alleged that at the end of March 31st of this year, it had, reached the figure of £576, he was entirely wrong. Far from increasing it, the present council, as the treasurer had certified, reduced the gas account by £180. So much for Mr. Russell's statement. Mr. Russell, continued the speaker, "had a fataJ facility of going into figures and falling in every time, * as was shown in his assertion that the library account had gone up from £18 17s to £81 ; when on the other hand, instead, of being at the btter figure, he had definite proof that it was at present only £5 4s 2d. (Applause.) Also, the previous council had spent, in connection with the library, £171 out of the general account ; but the present body contributed only £100 from that source. It would thus bo aeen that on those last two accounts alono a total saving of £243 had been effected. In connection with the loan enquiry, Mr. Bunny controverted the platform statement of his opponent, that the sitting councillors had expended £200 in the course of its prosecution. The real charges were as follow: — Mr. LaingMeason's account, £52 10s; Mr. Marchant's account, £9 9s ; Mr. Mestayer's account, £10 10s; cost of taking expert ewdence, £6 3s 6d ; total, £78 12s 6d. "And yet," said Mr. Bunny, "Mr. Russell has the audacity to say that it cost £200. Even if it had cost us that amount, it would still, in my opinion, have been worth the money." A. more serious matter, said the speaker was the charge that had been levelled against him by Mr. Russell, of practically falsifying the minutes of certain proceedings. Mr. Bunny entered into a full explanation of the whole matter, for which the town clerk, on his own admission, had been responsible, owing to a certain clerical error. Anyhow, why had not Mr. Russell made enquiries before making 6O rash a statement? A full enquiry into tho subject would be welcomed. The proposal to merge thp River Board into the Hutt Council was also referred to. It would, the candidate said, meet with his approval and support, only in conjunction «vith a scheme for the amalgamation of the whole of the local bodies in the district. To this end he would strive hard. In conclusion, Mr Bunny spoke at some length regarding his attitude towards the borough engineer. "We had," he remarked, "an enquiry, and the majority of the council would not support me in «vhat was, I thought, Its logical result. Therefore the ontj logical course for me to follow was to submit ; and that is what I have done." On the motion of Mr. Robert Stevens, a vote of confidence was accorded the candidate.