MAYORAL ELECTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 85, 12 April 1910, Page 3

MAYORAL ELECTION.

THE CITY CAMPAIGN. MR CRAWFORD'S CANDIDATURE. Some three dozen «"le:tor* of Wadestown assembled in St. Luke's Schoolroom lost night to listen to an address b> Mr. C. J. Crawford <n conuectirn with his caudidatute for the city mayoralty. Mr. Wylie w *» voted to the chair. Mr. Crawford said he rould at ifast claim to have known Wades town since its earliest days ; ne had lived theie as a boy. and he was impressed with the bsaulies of the district. He predicted v great destiny for the suburb, especially in view of the fact tbat h vu to be joined to tho city by the tramway. Speaking generally, lie said the office ot Mayor catried with it a'»eat on Hie Harbour Board, and he urged the necessity of the people of the city giving a full measure of consideration to the affairs ot the board. In nu criticism he did not wi»h to embarrass tbe board, but Ue v.ns unformed that 'f the dock was completed it would mean an interest cost annually of £16,000, betides which the dues had alreadybeeii increased to the extent of £17,000 a year. That cost would' eventually 'all on tho people. Wellington already had the character of being an expensive place to live in, but they ought to so manage affairs that they would encourage people from outside to come artd live here, and enjoy the benefits and pleasures of metropolitan life. In other countries huge sums were spent on making place« popular and attractive. Regarding tramways, he did not thinxUie city could expect much relief to the rates from the profits, and ho urged that, after providing for sinking fund and such charges, they should aim at reducing the fares arid matcing extension* which were likely to b* profitable. By so doing they would open up wider building areas, thus reducing rents and enabling p topic to live iv healthier iurrounding,. -H e tUougKt Jt would not be long before the Wadeftowtt linn would have to be extended, to an to connect with the Karori line. If elected, he would give the greatest consideration to any such proposals which were in the interests of the ratepayers as a whole. He was not in fn\our of any increase in the rates, but he merely desired to lay down generally the lines of policy he would pursue when the time was opportune. If it »va.« possible he would be in favour of reducing the rates, and he thought that a great saving in the cost of maintenance could be brought about by extending the area of the wood-block*ing of the street**. If the first cost could not ha borne by the general furJrl id should be financed by short-dated loans, thus liberating funds for urgent work* in o(hei parts of the city. He advocated the establishment of .-v good Art Gallery for tbe city; anyone elected a« Mayor * should exerci«e )iis influence with wealthy people to help on that project. Iv conclusion, he remarked that he had been "through tbe mill of New Zealand life; he had battled without financial help for many years, bad had the handling of huge rums of money, and at Miramar he thought he had put up a record in municipal development. Suice he had teen connected with Miramar the valuation had gone up from £37,000 to nearly £800,000. In answer to Councillor Atkinson in regard to the Fire Board scheme, he said he found tbat citizens wer» divided on the subject. Somo people thought we ought to get cheaper insurance rates than at present. He desired to have full information and evidence before expressing a definite opinion. The- candidate wa« accorded a vote of thanks for bis address. MB. WILFOKD AT KILBIRKIE. Mr. T. M. Wilford. who is contesting the Mayoralty, addressed » Urge meeting of electors at O'Dounell's Hall. Kilbirnie. last evening. Captain Light presided. In introducing the speaker, the chairman referred to hie past public services, and said if they searched ' tbe city they would not get a better man for the position to which Mr. WiJford now aspired. His legal training would al'o serve him well. At the outset Mr. Wilford pointed out that Wednesday, at noon, wat the last day on which voters can be enrolled. He urged all who were liot on the roll, and who was entitled to be, to at once see thai they qualified themselves to exercise the franchise. He referred to work* which might be carried out during the winter, on lines of his former addresses, and again insisted that money voted upon and authorised, should be expended for the Burpose for which It was allocated, c said the people of Kilbirnie had been left without a recreation ground, for which a sum of £2000 had been voted. If the money had been expended on the ground to the extent represented, then he could only hv it hacf been wastefully expended. The lighting of the Kilbirnie district he described as poor. Then everyone in the district who wanted a load of coal was penalised. Everyone knew the present i-oute. He had put before Mr. Morton, the city engineer, a scheme which would imke the tunnel available for vehicular and foot traffic as well ns tram traffic. When he had certain estimates he would go fully into the scheme. The candidate criticised the water service of the Kilbirnie district, nnd said the present state of things was only another argument for a Fire Board, which would maKe ihe big insurnnnc companies pay sometning for the protection they were now accorded. He know .the big' insurance companies were against him iv this election, but every reformer had to con tend with that. *In referring to the Electric Lighting Department of tho city, Mr. Wilford said the public weru slow to realise that ihe undertaking bolonged to them. They were partneis in a great concern. If there was a loss they had to foot the bill. At the present time the tias Company was doing everything to increase trade. Unfortunately, electric light installation* were comparatively costly. What he suggested was this : that the council should embark on a scheme for putting in the necessary installation on the deferred payment system, or by increasing the cost, saw from 7d to 7Jd, or 7|a per unit. The present price uu 7d, if paid before the 15th ot the month. He paid a tribute to the management of the city tramways sinking fund, but certain details of bookkeeping, etc. The candidate also wrrmly congratulated the city engineer. Mr. Morton, for the manner in which he nad succeeded in getting the water for the .higher levels pumped up into the storage reservoirs at night, by umiv; the tramways' big generator at niglit, when it was out of commission. Mr. Wilford attain alluded to the possible- teduction of <ates in the next tlireo stars, in rousequence of seveinl inipoiiMit «-ity leases falling iv. The uiesent rental ot th<"s? properties, on wnich warehouses are erected, .vas £6154 ; in three years I it was estimated the total income would be £26,000, an increase of £90,000 in revenue, without rosting ratepayers 'a single penny He would not advocate a policy wf w-ood blocking ot present, but urgej the completion of the clruinaye 6Vbtem. In conclusion, tic itir.»:trri thiit the city balance»sh»ci for '.'::«? :«v.r wa.s nut yet available. Th« candidate wat a<.<xu'<ltd v Uctrty vole 4* thanks and confidence.

THE MIRAMAR CONTEST. MR. J. BRODIES INAUGURAL ADDRESS. An inaugural addreM tru delivered latt night to Miramar ratepayer* by Mr. J. firodie, who is conttfiting the Miramat Mayoralty. There Mas mi audience of about thirty or forty. Mr. William Bath wok in the chair.* I "It afford* me great pleasure," «nid iMr Brodie, in his addrev, "to *tcp forward into thin ronteU and place my view* before the intepayero of Miramar " Miramar, he added, had only been coni'tiluted a borough tix yean, and since it* inception ho had served it a» a councillor. His aix yearn' experience, he claimed, \vu an important qualification for the position he was seeking. He- pointed oat that it would be advantageous to the borough to be xerved by a mayor who vra» resident in the district, and ha contended that it would be preferable to overlook a lev: defects to secure such a representative. One of the audience: "Has not the other candidate any defcetc!" "I nm not goint? to refer" to the other tide.-> defect*," replied Mr. Brodie. "I prefer not to import personal matters into my campaign. Continuing, the candidates referred to the work accomplished by the council. He claimed that he was instrumental in a sense in introducing the Wellington Ga* Company to Miramar, 4vhere it was now establishing itself. According to the agreement tno whole borough would be reticulated with gas, and he considered that it was* a gtent boon for a young liorough to have gnu for cooking and lighting within fix yearn of its inception. The candidate also described the agreement with the Wellington Harbour Board ox an important one fo- the borough. Wellington, he Mid, was not btandtng still, and it was a matter of urgency that all provision should be made for its expansion. Accoidingly, the board had recognised that the extension of the Miramar Wharf and the reclamation scheme was necessary. This would, he said, contribute to the promotion of the welfare of the borough. Miramar was the baby borough, and it ne^dv<l nourishment, not strangling and impoverishing, as some people seemed to think. The borough baa spent £22,000 on road improvements, which he regarded as necessary work, as th«y had amalgamation staring them >n the face, and they must prepare themselves for it. He was in favour of public attention being paid to tree-planting. Referring to tramway matters, he said that for the next eleven years a sinking fund* of 1 per cent, would have to be s«t aside. If this was invested ten years hence and carried interest at 4£ p«r cent, the loan of £35,000 for tramways would be practically liquidated. The position in. regard to the sinking fund was, in his opinion, satisfactory. The speaker intimated that the land companies had contributed £15,000 in subsidies towards the cost. Regarding the present financial position of the tramp, he said that it hod been fieely circulated thst the borough was losing something like £5000 or £6000 a year on them. Thii ttatement he contradicted, stating that in three years the loss was £800. If interest on the tunnel and road formation was charged it would only be £2000 a year. The tramways were laid down to make the district. It could not be expected that the dutrict would make them pay from the start. He declared that if he were defeated it would mean that residents would have to pay a twopenny fare and be content with an hourly service over the Miramar North and Seatoun linen. People should be en" couraged. not discouraged, to use trams. He wa» absolutely opposed to an increase in the fares, ana he had fought hard against any proposal for an alteration. Although tnete had been an outcry on the los« on the trams, the fact remained that the borough's application for a loan for water ana drainage had been favourably received by the Government. Tbe borongh had secured the necessary money at 3A per cent, and 1 he would like to see works in the direction of providing a water set vice commenced daring the winter, and operations in furtherance of tbe drainage started six months later. He advocated bathing shed* along the foreshore, and be considered that the borough should follow the city's example regarding the "booming" of Lyall Bay. "This yea»," the candidate remaiked, "there i» going to be a substantial reduction in the rates." Latt year a 3d "ate' was "truck to dispose of certain matters, but this yew it should not exceed 2jd — piobably it would only be 2d. Before concluding, Mi-. Brodie answered a number of questions. A vote of thanks and confidence in him was proposed by Mr. P. Burrage. The vote was carried with acclamation, three cheers being given for the candidate. MR TOWN'SKXD AT VYORBER BAY. Mr. F. Townsend, who is a candidate for the Mayoralty of Miramar, addiersed tbe elcctotit at the Kiosk, Worker Bay, last evening. Thfre were about lifty persons ptesent. Mr. K. Mabin occupied the chair. In intioducing the candidate, the chairman referred to Mi. Townsend's capacity for woik. During the lout two or three years » soit of ostrich-like policy had been carried out in regaid to certain aspects of the borough's affairs. The true polity and position of the tramways as it affected the municipality had been hidden lrom the electors. Theie bad been losses to the extent, oi from £4000 to £5000 per ai.uum. Tha,t should not be allowed 1 to continue, yet Xltpte who were responsible stated that the loftei last year only amounted to gome £600 or £700. Mr. 'i'owntend claimed a* one lecommendation in hi* favour lor the position of Minoi that he had been successful in hi» bunnies*. If elected, lit. would be able to devote almost the wliolc of his time to th« duties ot the otticc. A considerable portion of his addrek.« was taken up in the consideration of the tram question, which was, he said, a matter of gieat importance to Miramar. Through certain technicalities the guarantors and Miramar, Limited, had, he alleged, got lid of at least tome of their moral lcsponsibilities in connection with making up the losses on the running of the cars. J his evasion of obligation* on the part of those referred to meant throwing additional burdens- on the iatepayeis. After alluding to the gieat co.-t of the tram service, Mr. Townsend raid he thought a saving could be effected by reducing the number of cais that were run. lie would net, however, support knocking off any can in the morning up to 9 o'clock or from 5 to 7 p.m. from town. 'He did not invour inn easing the fam to resident)-, but theie war no reamn why increased fnies should not be inipo>cu on "nipper."" and those patronising the nicer- at Miiiintiir. An arrangement might Ik* mede wheieby families o? ic*i«lenth could tbtnin ioiicen-ion tickets, whirh >houl<' he tranefcinhlu amongst the nieuibtro ot the family only. In hit* opinion, it \.n« (xw-Mhle to mw from £800 to £1000 on the .unning of the tram.;. A repoit had brcu circulated to the effect that he intended to iai;e fare* to residents. He gave that report an emphatic denial. He tccogui&ea the importance of drainaoe and water to the ooiough. but he t nought they should "go .-.low" in the* matter of introducing tho*e important thingt — others if< it would mean I n r^ ■• ncrcukct in tho rates. If they cm \<i ','ct w«t«; and drainage with* out itu-r*i»'i*B the ratei they iheuld do

i>o, and it might be j>o*Hble to do much in that direction if a saving could be effected in the com of the tramways. Judiciouft economy in the administration of the affairs of the borough was what he advocated. Reference was made by the candidate to the »y»t«m of borough valuation, which wan not, he thought, ratixfactory. The present Mayor baa indicated that there would probably be a reduction in the rates this year. That would, perh«p«, be so, but he did not think the Mayor could' tak« any credit j for it. He (Sir. To\vn*end) would deal with that question at a Mibsequent meeting, when he was in pot-region of the neceftary figures. The expenditure of much of the loan money had not been at all fair to all parts of the borough. He mentioned an instance in which he asserted there had been most unfair expenditure. Miramar was now important enough to have its office within the borough inxtead of in the city. The candidate intimated that he would deal with certain other municipal matters at future meetings. On the motion of Mr. Blair, a vote of conndeiKo in Mr. Tovmond was passed.