THE MAYORALTY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 95, 22 April 1912, Page 7

THE MAYORALTY.

+ CITIZENS' LEAGUE AND MR. BISS MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE TAKES A HAND. TO THI XDITOB. Sir, — There are one or two poinie in ilr. BiEfi's reply to .Mr. Ballinger that I claim the right as a member of the executive of the Citizens' League to reply to, as Mr. Biss has made statements which apply to me, and which, are abcolutely contrary to fact. The League never asked Mr. Biss to stand for the Mayoralty, and I have Mr Ballinger's assurance that he did not do go. All the League asked through Mr. Ballinger was whether Mr. BI&9 intended to com© out, so that we might consider the question of whether he should receive the support of tho League or not. > Mr. Biss did not give us a reason "that withdrawal would be an admission that ho approved of seven men .dictating- to the public." The League dia not inform Mr. Bies that they regretted selecting Mr. Smith, nor did tho League say he had better qualifications. What the League did 6ay was that if he succeeded in being returned the League would have no cause for regret, as his qualifications were recognised. Further, Mr. Biss says that each member of the League made that statement. I, for one, did not, and I challenge Mr. Biss to name "the other gentleman" to whom this statement was 1 made. I believe I know to whom he refers, but I demand his name, so that I may refute the accusation and give some Ktatemente of his. At the meeting I told Mr. Bias that from enquiries the League had made, I did not consider he had a chance of beating Mr, Smith, and if he persisted in standing, he had absolutely no chance of getting there, ac the splitting of jfche votes made Mr. M'Laren's election almost a certainty, aad I asked him pointblank, "Would he stand down if Mr. Wright would?" He replied that he would nave to consult his supporters, but did not think they would allow him to do 60. Mr. Biss may endeavour to explain away his letter and telegram, but they are condemning evidence of his willingness' to accept the League's support, if the Leagne accepted his terms of financial aid. Mr. Biss can rest assured of this, that if Mr. M'Laren is elected the citizens will have to thank him. I frankly confess I am against Mr. M'Laren, and I would be pleased to see either Mr. Smith, Mr. Biss, or Mr. Wright elected, as each of them is capable of filling the position, but to my mind Mr. Smith's- claims are far and away ahead of them ail. I would, in conclusion, advise Mr. Biss to keep clcwer to facts, otherwise he is in danger of losing his reputation fox probity. Mr. Ballinger can answer for what took place in the personal interviews, bnt I claim the privilege of stating my part in the transactions. — I am, etc., E. C. JACK, Member of the Citizens' League Executive. 22nd April. REPLY BY MR. BISS. Mr. Biss replies as follows to the above letter:— "Mr. Jack's letter is really very amusing. What a pity it is thai in any contest of this sort men should lose their tempers, because it always leads them into saying something which in their calmer moments they will regret. This controversy is only amusing to the* public, and I can quite understand that Mr. Smith is saying to himself, 'Save me from my friends/ Mr. Jack should read my letter more carefully. He will see 'that I have not made the statement that the Citizens' League asked me to stand; on the other hand, I made it quite clear that a strong and large deputation, more influential than the Citizens' League^ had approached me in this connection. Mr. Jack can only reter to the interview that I had wrth the committee of the league, as he was not present at any of the other interviews, and therefore his denial as to the reason 1^ gave for not accepting their nomination is worth nothing. 4'l am glad that Mr. Jack admits that the league expressed the opinion that 'they would have no cause to regret my election, as they_ recogni&ed my qualifications,' but, nevertheless, some of the members did express regret at a meeting, as a supporter of mine, who was present at the league's request, is prepared to testify to the public,' if they care for it, exactiy what was said at that meeting. That was the meeting held while I was at Auckland. The remarks which Mr. Jack states he made to me are quite correct, and the public, when reading his letter, will see the reason for his exhibition of temper, because they will recognise that he now realises that I am going to be elected, and that the committee of ,the Citizens' League will in future carry very little weight in the city. 1 am very pleased also to see that Mr. Jack repeats the statement that he would be pleased to see me elected, as he considers I am 'capable of filling the position.' Mr. Jack must keep cool, or he may bring out a lot of facts that will not assist the league's nominee." THE PRESIDENT'S VIEW. xo th» snxroß. Sir,— ln reply to Mr. Bias's statement in your tesue of Saturday, I am instructed by the executive of the Citizens' League to say that the facts, are as stated in the letter published by you in Saturday's issue. Mr. Biss's letter and # telegram plainly indicate that he was' in communication with the league in connection with his candidature. Mr. Bias's- statement that his reason for asking whether the league would contribute to the expenses of their nominee wa* that he wished to anticipate what he would have to expect in the way of expenditure by an opponent is too " thin " to be accepted by the public. The executive of the league did not express its regret at having chosen Mr. Smith, because the executive considers Mr. Smith possesses all the necessary qualifications to make a successful Mayor. The league did not ask Mr. Biss to accept their nomination, and the league asked Mr. Biss to withdraw ih favour of Mr. Smith because the league considered (and still considers) that Mr. Smith's chances of election were far greater than Mr. Biss's, and hie presence in the field would have the effect of splitting tho votes and improving the chances of the Labour candidate. In the face of the facts the executive is at a loss to understand Mr. Biss's attitude in the matter. — I am, etc., THOMAS BALLINGER, President of Citizens' lieague. 22nd April, 1912. A LABOUR OPINION. TO THE EDITOR. Si),— Th« discussion ensuing in your column* over the selection of what is tailed a business man for the Mayoralty ifc amusingly interesting and withal instructive. It surely demonstrates that tho*« people connected with the Citizens' Le*gae st«i a9.^s&meihodic|l^ c aciual

business after all, certainly not bo much so as those who controlled the selection of Mr. M'Laren. From what is reported I Mr. Biss was prepared to lend a listening ear to the Citizens' League. However, later on he abjures the league and declares himself "to be the chosen one of a large body of people. Just who compose this large body — "representative of all classes" who showed anxiety to embrace him as their champion — he has not made known. Do you not think, sir, there is just a little too much posing connected with this matter? One feature which stands out glaringly is the fact that these business men have blundered badly, and if they are capable of blundering so in such a simple matter as the selection of a candidate may not their candidate, whoever he is, be tainted with a faculty for blundering also? Our Labour candidate, Mr. M'Laren, has made no such blunders." nor have those responsible for his nomination done fco. Then, again, to speak of Mr. M'Laren as a class candidate bespeaks the folly of such utterance. Hisi work, extending over eleven years on the City Council, gives the lie emphatic to any such statement. Referring again to this business-man fetish I would point out that it was business men Mayors who carried out the policy of using the depreciation funds for new works, the policy first being initiated by Mr. T. W. Hielop, who is now supporting Mr. Biss, and if it is bad business, as declared, then let it be remembered that it was business men who are culpable. In conclusion, sir, it seems to me that Mr. M'Laren is the only man standing who does not spend time lauding his own business capacity, but who consistently does hard work and accomplishes things. And these arc the qualifications which w© really require in a Mayor. — I am, etc., J. V. SMITH, j _______ CITY COUNCIL'S OFFICERS TO m XDIXOS. j Sir,— l -was surprised when reading your report of Mr. Bias's Mayoral address of the 18th inst., that he practically condemned the officers of our council, with the exception of the City Engineer. Now I, as a councillor, wish to enter my protest and to state that we have very excellent officers in the city's i employ, and although, in common with other citizens, I appreciate Mr. Morton's services, still we have other ofncerß carrying out just as important work in their own particular departments. Although Mr. Morton has done A good deal, still bis services cannot be said to excel the valued service of such an old officer as the City Valuer, whose position would be even harder to replace than that of our valued engineer. Having had a year's dealing with the various officials, I can only speak in a praiseworthy manner for the add that has always been given to the councillors, and I therefore take strong exception to any citizen lauding one man to the condemnation of his confreres. Knowing Mr. Morton as I do, I am perfectly certain that such remarks would be as distasteful to him as it is for others, and I know personally of instances where he has kept himself in the background rather than let the public think that he was trying to bolster up his own position. In conclusion, I feel sure that there 1 must have been some mistake made by Mr. Bies, for I do not think that a gentleman of his standing would go out of his way to cast aspersions on the services of men that he has received assistance from in the past. — I am, etc., LEONARD M'KENZIE. 20th April. [The foregoing 1 letter was submitted to Mr. Biss, who replied ■as follows i~ f ' Mr. M'Kenzie is quite wrong.' I have never, directly or indirectly, reflected on the 'corporation staff. I have seen enougb of the staff to know that ' they are all thoroughly competent. The only remark I can think of that could have given rise to Mr. Mackenzie's indignation is my reference to the Mayor being the person who had to confer with the staff in connection with the carrying out of the council's instructions.]