CITIZENS’ LEAGUE.

Evening Star, Issue 18925, 27 April 1925, Page 4

CITIZENS’ LEAGUE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Certain members of tbo public are asking—and the inquiry is quite a legitimate one—-what arcs the aims of'the Dunedin Citizens’ League and what is its constitution. We take tiro opportunity of saying hero and now that the league’s constitution and its aims are exactly tho same as they were on the occasions of tho two previous elections. Tho league is so constituted as to secure as readily as possible tlip views of a large number of different groups on the question of local representation. These groups aro chiefly trading and manufacturing groups, whose welfare is intimately connected with good civic government. Each group has ono or two representatives on the General Committee, which at present consists of twenty-two persons, representing eighteen different trading or industrial associations. Tho General Committee elects an executive of seven, but tho selection of the candidates for tlio tickets rests entirely in the hands of the larger committee. During the present campaign the executive has held ten meetings, and the General Committee throe. Tho meeting of committee when tho tickets were chosen was a protracted one, and fourteen wore present out of a possible twenty. Citizens’ League membership is open to private individuals as well as to groups, but it represents tho views of groups rather than individuals, just as the Labor Bcprcsentatiou Committeo represents the views of the Labor unions rattier than of individual workers. Tho essential difference between, tho Citizens’ League and the Labor Representation Committee is that tho league candidates are not asked to subscribe to any political creed or class doctrine; no pledge of any kind is demanded from them, and they aro accountable for their conduct while in office to no one but tho electors. In short, there are no strings tied to the Citizens’ League candidates, whereas tho official Labor candidates are practically controlled by a committeo sitting in secret, which maintains a very close discipline over any of its representatives who may succeed in getting into public office. Tho Citizens’ League has been twitted frequently with its inactivity between elections. The reply is obvious. Were the committee of the league periodically to catechise successful candidates it would commit exactly the same error as tho Labor Representation Committee. As for the existence of ihe organisation, the Citizens' League is the reply of responsible ratepayers to the activities of their Ixijbor friends. Organised Labor and an otlitial Labor ticket necessitate a counter-organ-isation and a citizens’ ticket. You can only fight a ticket with a ticket. Wo aTI deplore tho necessity for such political or semi-political action, hut wo must accept facts and conditions as we find them. As a set off against this the Citizens’ League does a certain amount of direct good in bringing out new candidates, especially those who might not have sought office on their own initiative. In this connection we warmly recommend the candidatures of Mrs M. If. Eraser, Messrs A. B. Armour and W. Ji. Piildiugtcm for the Hospital Board, and of Mr 11. Brasch for the City Council. In conclusion wo may say Dial, we regret wo have not been able to induce any independent representative of Labor to stand on our ticket. We should welcome the presence there of Labor candidates of the same calibre as tho late Mr E. Kellett. Unfortunately at present no independent Labor candidate of good standing can be found who is prepared to face tho frowns of the Labor Representation Committee.—Wo are, etc., Jno. B. Waters (Chairman), T. M. Gillies (Vice-chairman), E. 11. Caldf.r (Secretary, Dunedin Citizens’ League. April 24.