MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 20779, 29 April 1931, Page 7

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

TO TIIE EDITOR. Sir,—As tho above elections arc' approaching, I would ask if any of tho candidates, including present council--lors, have any real practical knowledge of tho working of the various jobs under the council's jurisdiction. Doany of them ever visit the jobs and obtain anv first-hand information? Methinks they depend on departmental reports. To inv mind there is only one candidate who'is capable of making an efficient councillor, and that is one of tho council's inspectors, who has just relinquished his office after twenty-two years' service. Surely this individual's scrvieo as councillor would bo a boon to all. I refer to Mr H. A. Hamer, who is out for progress, less management expenses, cheaper rates—in fact, everything appertaining to the welfare of the citizens and city.—l am, etc., April 29. L. E. Monteith.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I have been reading the ‘ Star ’ for many years, but never before have I read such a conglomeration of incorrect statements made by a speaker at a public meeting, as was reported in your paper on Friday night last in Mr Robinson's address at South Dunedin, in the course of his campaign for city councillor honours. His allegations that the tramway management deliberately runs buses in open competition with its trams is just so much balderdash. The plain truth of the matter as regards the Maori Hill and Woodhaugh buses is that on their last trips from their runs on their way to the depot they naturally carry passengers through to the city at tram fares. Once they pass Duke street and Pitt street respectively they do not pick up passengers on route. Agitators like Mr Robinson would complain bitterly about the inefficiency of the management in not relieving the overcrowding of the cars if the bus drivers were instructed to empty their passengers out at the first tram stop and proceed to the depot empty. There is an additional trip run from Woodhaugh to the Octagon on Friday nights, and one trip (from Maori Hill to Carisbrook) on Saturday afternoons during the football season, but these two trips are run at the express request of the residents of tho localities concerned. As regards the replacement of tho Maori Hill electric car on Sundays by buses, Mr Robinson forgets to tell your readers that there is only one man’s wages to be paid on the bus, whereas two men were required on the tram. As double rates are payable on Sundays, and as this is a tenhour shift, the wages for the bus driver would amount to £2, as against £4 wages for the driver and conductor on the tram. The statement 1 that tho average takings of the tram were £2 10s, and that those of the bus are 18s is incorrect. The bus takings are slightly above the average of the electric car, and my source of information is absolutely trustworthy. 1 challenge Mr Robinson to prove that his source of information is other than disloyal tramway employees (of whom there aro only two or three) who have an axe to grind. I regard with a great deal of suspicion the fact that Mr Robinson is president of the Tramway Union. Ho is wrong again when he states that tho Hudson car has been utilised on only two occasions to carry passengers on observation trips, as it can bo proved by departmental records that in one fortnight alone it was used on five occasions, in addition to numerous other trips. Therefore it has more than justified its purchase. As regards Mr Robinson’s reference to tho buses being driven on imported petrol, etc., may 1 ask Mr Robinson if all other union secretaries are so particular about tlm question, and whether it is not a fact that one of his brother secretaries runs an expensive American car run on American petrol. I notice that Mr Robinson talks a great deal about tho welfare of the trams, but. ho seldom rides in them. Ho prefers to push a bicycle about the city. Of course, lip service and mere floods of eloquence come a great deal easier to a professional union secretary of Mr Robinson’s calibre. _ As for the writing off of 2d per mile and the £9,000 renewal fund, these statements aro on a par with his other unfounded allegations and do not require an answer. In conclusion. I would like to say that while the Labour Party has professional secretaries of Mr Robinson’s type, who boast openly of being secretary to sixteen pinions (as per Ins own election card) it will never make headway, as these persons are only living comfortably on the working man s pocket.—l am, etc., Plain Facts. April 27.