LEAGUE CANDIDATES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 93, 21 April 1931, Page 5

LEAGUE CANDIDATES

COUNCIL AND HOSPITAL

BOARD

GENERAL POLICY

Civic League candidates for the City Council and Hospital Board addrc-ssed a small mooting of electors at Morniugton last evening. Mr. F. C. Dunning was in the chair. Mrs. A. M'Vicar said that she a«d Mrs. K. Preston were contesting seats on the Hospital Board, and believed that they could give good and useful service. Both had had a good many years of experience on the board —she herself had been a.member for sixteen years. Probably very few- people realised tlie calls which were made upon members of - the Hospital Board, for though the meetings which were reported in the Press were held monthly, in fact, n board member had an average ol! three meetings :i week to attend. There h;id been a good deal of criticism of the board and its policy results, but those who were on the board knew full well that much of the criticism was misplaced. The patient must receive first consideration. , .- -Mrs. M'Vicar indicated that it would be necessary for the board to make a heavy demand in respect of social-wel-fare work. , Mr W Duncan said he fully endorsed the policy enunciated by Mr. Hislop, the Mayoral" candidate, regarding, the reduction of rates, but ho would not support reduction in salaries, where a. man earned his pay. Too many motor-cars meant unnecessary ..expense. He criticised the Milk Department, maintaining that too much was paid for a supply of not too high quality. No loans without polls, the necessity-of, retaining the threepenny tram fare, the .utilisation of trading department profits to reduce the price of-the service given, preference to local and' British goods, the contract system, and footpaths were, also' discussed.- . '■•'. ; . . ■ TRANSPORT, NEEDS: ' Mr. J. N. Wallace, a "candidate forthe City Council, said he had not /so far served at the council table,,but.he believed that from his experience as a civil and electrical engineer, and. from the interest he had taken-in-city-affairs'as a member of the.1 Civic Leatrue, he could give Wellington good service as a councillor. :In the main he fully supported-Mr; Hislop's policy re? sarding the ■reduction of rates, and agreed with. /him.,' fully ".that though street "works might ;be reduced more attention should.--.be.-paid-to ■'• footpaths than in the past.! He considered that transport - facilities to Mornirigton and Vogeltown. should-be improved, and if he were elected he would endeavour to see that a reasonable service was given as ho, as chairman of the Civic' League's transport committee, had already urged-strongly. '•."■ ■_.'-■ . Councillor W; J.-Gaudin said that the policy of the. council had of late been to pay more attention to the outer areas, 'fdr"thy city area was now well provided for.,, Wellington's area was very far flung, and reasonable people would recognise that, everything could not be done at once. He considered that surface sealing and paving should be regarded as maintenance, not as-capital work, and that accordingly such work should be done out of revenue, not out of loan. He did not1 agree with the policy of a bus service 1 " Morningtori ' and Vogeltown,' : and would, prefer to see a tramway','extension if finances were sufficiently buoyant. No extension was possible at the present, time, but the bus .should be regarded as temporary only. By the exercise of economy it should be possible to restore the tramway system to a profitable basis. Last year the department had reduced maintenance by & HjOOO inrthe effort to reduce what threatened to be a very heavy loss, which'had in" fact been reduced to about £'4000. ■ ■•■ ■ A vote of thanks and confidence was accorded to the speakers, and a special vote of confidence was enthusiastically accorded to Mrs. M'Vicar and Mrs. Preston.