RATEPAYERS' IDEAS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 95, 23 April 1931, Page 16

RATEPAYERS' IDEAS

A KILBIRNIE RALLY

Candidates for municipal and hospital honours addressed a meeting from the Eatepayers' Association platform at Kilbirnio crescent. Mr. M. F. Bourke, presided. '■ Mr. Herb. Price deprecated the "cx j

travagant and bureaucratic methods of administration of civic affairs to tho extent that citizens, by force of circumstances, have been compelled to organise to, protect their rights. Bates had gone up £157,000. in the last four years, said Mr. E. W. Bothamloy Sinco 1922 the public debt of the city had increased from £2,500,000 to £5,750,000, more than double in eight years. The unproductive portion of that debt amounted to over £3,000,----000. From 1909 to 1922 the city debt had remained unchanged. "It was from 1922 onwards that tho City Council started to pull, and now they have bolted," said Mr. Bothamley. Mr. J. D. Sievwright proceeded to criticise several city departments. He was not opposed to the laying of new tram tracks "per so," but ho was opposed to the borrowing of money to lay new tram tracks anywhere in tho city without the sanction of ratepayers; and he must bo satisfied that the proposed extension of tramlines was a sound commercial and economic proposition. The transference of large profits from the Electric Light Department,'or other trading departments, should not be spent in works not authorised by the ratepayers. For the council to do so was an undermining of the ratepayers' rights.. INDEPENDENT IN PARTS. - Mr. A. A. Whitelaw, a candidate for the Hospital Board, said that ho had not bound himself to any party, but stood as an independent. Though he agreed in the main with the association's platform, he would not be bound by all in it. Dr. Campbell Begg,had certainly proposed a platform that would make for efficiency in hospital matters, but possibly not for economy, and he would reserve his , opinion on that' aspect of it. It sometimes was found that a large sum of money was required for efficiency, and it was not always possible to achieve efficiency with economy. -Their chief problem was to curtail administrative expenses as they stood to-day. He believed that the board should have the final veto. As a patient of the hospital himself he said he could not have been treated better anywhere. He did not believe in any dictatorial committee interfering with the board. If returned he would act according' to conscience and reason. He believed that • the superintendent of the hospital should have a little more power, but should be subservient to the board. .WHO STOPPED BOWEN STREET? Mr. E. Bold, a candidate for the' Hospital Board, said that ho, would prefer to talk on another matter, the question of who was responsible for the hold-up of the Bov^en street tramway and the Kilbirnie tunnel. After detailing the manner in which the City Council ■ had handled tho matter, he said that it was evident the fault was theirs. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. Mr. Paul Hoskins said that a curtailment of expenditure was essential, and they had the assurance of councillors' seeking election that a reduction of rates was possible. He suggested the setting up of a committee from the new council to consider the administrative control and compare the cost with that of the other threo centres. Mr. S. T. S. Martin advocated that the position must bo met by a reduction in rates and the lowering to the cost to consumers of any commodity handled by. the council, transport, lighting, heating, and milk. ' Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, candidate for the Mayoralty, spoke at ,Kilbirnie for a few moments, and, on the motion of Mr. T. A. Fraser, was passed a vote of thanks and confidence. Speaking at -Lyall Bay, Mr. James M'Donald, a Eatepayers' Association candidate for the council, said that circumstances had compelled ratepayers and rentpayers to look keenly into the city's administration. In working for more economical administration and cutting out unnecessary schemes tho ratepayers' candidates would not have a policy of stagnation, and would not be hostile to necessary expenditure. They would insist on giving ratepayers a proper opportunity to study loan proposals. There had been a tendency in the City Council to play hido-and-seek with the ratepayers in regard to money required as capital expenditure. This kind of side-stepping must cease. Another undesirable tendency was in the secret discussion of various matters of public importance. Eeduction in lighting and power charges, the retention of the 3s tram fare, and departmental economies wero also-;doalt with.