MUNICIPAL CAMPAIGN

Evening Star, Issue 18258, 24 April 1923, Page 9

MUNICIPAL CAMPAIGN

ADDRESSES AT MAORI HILL. One to three was about the proportion of speakers to audience in the Maori Hill Hall last night, when more of League candidates aired their views on municipal matters. Mr J. Hamel presided. ' The first speaker was Mr J. J. Clark, who dealt generally with municipal administration, instancing the local government board system of England. Referring to the particular requirements of the day, Mr Clark said one thing they were concerned with was the development of the citv reserves. They acknowledged that Air Tannock had done much to beautify the reserves and gardens, but it was regrettable that there was not a single public ground on which any decent game could be played. There was a private ground that was the best sports ground in Now Zealand, but the public grounds were not lit for decent games. Dunedin was worse off in this respect than any other city. He believed it was true that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, and they should see that the grounds wore put in docent order. Air Clark spoke in favor of the building of a Town Hall, and then proceeded to deal with the various municipal departments. Referring first to the water supply, he said it could not bo considered adequate so long as restrictions had to be placed on the consumers. The council was attempting to improve the position by enlarging the Southern Rcser(voir, but this was only playing with the question. The money would be better I spent in bringing in a bigger supply, j We had reason to be proud of our tramway service, which was often unfairly i criticised, and which compared very favorably with other systems, especially in ; the matter of fares. Every inducement : should be given to people to go out into the 'suburbs, and it was absolutely essential | for Maori Hill to have direct access to j the city. He thought, however, they | would agree that the Opoho extension j| was tiie one that should be gone on with j first. He advocated the extension of the i gas department's operations, so as to enable people to biro or pay by instalment , for heating and cooking apparatus.

| Mr P. Ritchie said the trading departj ments should be run as businesses on 1 reasonable lines, and show a reasonable profit. This profit should be used to maintain the departments at their highest efficiency, for extensions, and to reduce | the rates —this in lieu of. dividends. He declared that fire time was ripe for tramway extensions, and suggested that the district system should be extended ( through Balmacewen road to Wakari, and ! that the council should have power to acquire land along the route, which might be sold immediately to pay for the extensions. Mr Ritchie also advocated the linking up of St. Clair and St. Kilda by | Victoria road, and the extension of the 1 Anderson Bay tram to the cemetery. By this means, he suggested, the whole of the suburbs would be collected with the cemetery, and it might enable people to obtain cheaper funerals by means of a special car. Ho urged the immediate provision of a destructor, and proceeded to argue |in favor of a municipal savings bank, I pointing out that it would not conflict 'with the business of the trading banks. The council had conducted an insurance scheme with great success. Why should it not be equally successful with a savings bank?

Cr bhacklock then addressed the meeting on the lines of his previous speeches. Regarding a destructor, he said the form it should take would Have to be seriously considered, instancing the difficulty of disposing of lignite ashes. Mr F. W. Mitchell considered that the retiring council deserved praise for its work. Ho approved of the use of the trading department’s profits to reduce service charges, but suggested that portion might bo utilised to reduce rates. Ho considered that reforms were needed in [ho services, instancing in the tramways department overcrowding, inconvenient starting places, and unsuitable types of cars. lie was in favor of extending the trams wherever it w;,« possible and wherever results would bo obtained within a reasonable time. He also urged an adequate supply of clean water, the simplification of electric charges, and greater cooperation between tile departments. He suggested that some system of tar sealing might assist improvements. The trouble was that the council was too much inner the control 1 of its own departmental heads. In some cases its choice of officers had been unfortunate. He thought the best men should always be obtained. M.r H. Holliday explained that the Otago Motor Club' bad recently obtained much information regarding modern methods of road construction, which he hoped to bring under tho council’s notice, lie defended tho present administration against Press criticism. Tho trading departments were businesses, and all they looked for was a profit. Every one of them had shown a profit, and what more could they ask? The accounts of the different departments were a monument to the methods adopted Ly tho <ouncil. HcKdeclared himscif in favor of obtaining traffic policemen, and also of municipal housing. It was the duty of the council to provide houses for tho peopfe. Wc were losing population every day for want of houses, and some scheme would have to bo devised to settle the people m decent dwellings. Cr Scott then addressed the meeting on tho tramwavs.

Cr 0. H. Hayward’s meeting in tho George Street Hall was attended by about fifty people. Mr 11. Ferguson was in tho chair. Cr Hayward expressed his deep sympathy with those who had suffered from tho awful effects of the flood. Something must bo done, he said, to give greater security to those living on the lower levels, and extra storm-water channels must bo provided where the reclaimed land was so much higher than tho street levels, such as in St. Andrew street. The happenings had clearly proved that the present system was quite inadequate to cope with an extraordinary fall of rain. Cr Wilson showed a series of very fine pictures illustrating what had been done in tho shape of public works in and around Dunedin. Tho meeting highly appreciated them, and expressed a unanimous vote of confidence in Cr Hayward for mayor and Cr Wilson for councillor.