MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 25170, 9 May 1944, Page 8

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

l'O TEE EDITOR. Sir, —It is quite intriguing to hear: " Bill Smith " explaining why the. mayor, Air Allen, actenued only 7Q committee meetings out of the 2I)S, and that "no man snould be expected to .give his whole time to mayoral duties. He is not paid to do so." That is quite different from what Mr Allen stated during his election caiiijpaign, and from the utterances of his own counterpart, Mr Cameron, in this. Mr Allen no doubt discovered after his .election —and 1 quite agree—that mayoral duties only require that he act as a general supervisor, and not interfere in the day to day duties and activities of his committees or their chairmen. What is expected of him is to keep in touch• with them and his departments sufficiently to oversee their activities and co-ordinate them. II " Rill Smith " wants an unbiased opinion on Dr McMillan's work as a councillor, let him turn to the ' Evening Star ' reporting an election meeting of Dr McMillan's, with Cr D. C. Cameron, as chairman, on May 5, 1941. Cr Cameron, when addressing the meeting, said: "As far as his Parliamentary duties will permit, Dr McMillan has taken a keen interest in council affairs—despite the fact that some people said he did not." Shades of the Chameleon! —I am, etc., The Saint. May 6. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The Labour Party is fortunate in having such an opponent as Mr Hayward. Verily new brooms sweep clean, or, in a broader sense, he is going to widen George street. Could he give us some idea, say, to the nearest million, how much this would cost? Also which side he is going to tear up? Cr Henderson is also on a tear-up programme, but his hobby is to be rooting up the tram tracks. When addressing the residents of Maori Hill, he said: " 1 hope to see the day when there will be no tram tracks left in .Dunedin." Maybe he will donate the £B6 profit the buses showed last year (' Evening Star,' Saturday, May 6, 1944) to Cr Hay ward's George street widening scheme. As the old woman said. "Every little helps."—l am, .etc., The Saint. May 7. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —There is only one true spirit that electors can adopt for the welfare of our province and Dominion —" one man one job." Dr McMillan we all know is a conscientious worker in the public interests, but when his party states that he can give the mayoralty his " full time " we all know that the medical profession is well and truly overworked under the present war-time conditions.' We next peruse the councillors' ticket. In this zone we have members of Parliament, and if the Labour Party can prove to me that these, men also can give their full time to both council aud parliamentary business I will admit defeat. If these M.P. councillors were supporting the travelling restrictions of our Dominion the war-time conditions would be of greater consideration to them, in' that they would forgo the railway seats they occupy travelling to and from Wellington to meet what council meetings they are able to attend in favour of the travelling public who put them in power.— I am, etc., . Digger. May 8.